# 2014 Carolina League season

The 2014 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 3 and September 1. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with two teams from each division competing in the playoffs.
The Potomac Nationals won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in the final round of the playoffs.

## Teams

2014 Carolina League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| North | Frederick Keys | Frederick, Maryland | Baltimore Orioles | Harry Grove Stadium |
| North | Lynchburg Hillcats | Lynchburg, Virginia | Atlanta Braves | Calvin Falwell Field |
| North | Potomac Nationals | Woodbridge, Virginia | Washington Nationals | G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium |
| North | Wilmington Blue Rocks | Wilmington, Delaware | Kansas City Royals | Daniel S. Frawley Stadium |
| South | Carolina Mudcats | Zebulon, North Carolina | Cleveland Indians | Five County Stadium |
| South | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | Texas Rangers | TicketReturn.com Field |
| South | Salem Red Sox | Salem, Virginia | Boston Red Sox | Lewis Gale Field |
| South | Winston-Salem Dash | Winston-Salem, North Carolina | Chicago White Sox | BB&T Ballpark |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Myrtle Beach Pelicans finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 2008.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Potomac Nationals | 78 | 58 | .574 | – |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 68 | 71 | .489 | 11.5 |
| Frederick Keys | 65 | 72 | .474 | 13.5 |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 65 | 72 | .474 | 13.5 |
| South division |||||
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 82 | 56 | .594 | – |
| Salem Red Sox | 68 | 68 | .500 | 13 |
| Carolina Mudcats | 62 | 74 | .456 | 19 |
| Winston-Salem Dash | 61 | 78 | .439 | 21.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Michael Burgess, Frederick Keys | .315 |
| H | Matty Johnson, Salem Red Sox | 141 |
| R | Matty Johnson, Salem Red Sox | 104 |
| 2B | Kevin Ahrens, Lynchburg Hillcats | 41 |
| 3B | Christopher Garia, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 9 |
| HR | Joey Gallo, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 21 |
| RBI | Courtney Hawkins, Winston-Salem Dash | 84 |
| SB | Christopher Garia, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 45 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Ryan Merritt, Carolina Mudcats | 13 |
| ERA | Glenn Sparkman, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 1.56 |
| SV | Alex Wilson, Lynchburg Hillcats | 16 |
| SO | Sean Manaea, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 146 |
| IP | Ryan Merritt, Carolina Mudcats | 160.1 |

## Playoffs

* The Potomac Nationals won their fourth Carolina League championship, defeating the Myrtle Beach Pelicans in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Potomac | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Lynchburg | 0 | | | |
| N2 | Lynchburg | 0 | N1 | Potomac | 3 |
| | | | S1 | Myrtle Beach | 1 |
| S1 | Myrtle Beach | 2 | S1 | Myrtle Beach | 1 |
| S2 | Salem | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Joey Gallo, Myrtle Beach Pelicans |
| Pitcher of the Year | Glenn Sparkman, Wilmington Blue Rocks |
| Manager of the Year | Tripp Keister, Potomac Nationals |