# 2011 Carolina League season

The 2011 Carolina League was a Class A-Advanced baseball season played between April 7 and September 5. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with two teams from each division competing in the playoffs.
The Frederick Keys won the Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in the final round of the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Myrtle Beach Pelicans ended their affiliation with the Atlanta Braves and began a new affiliation with the Texas Rangers.
* The Lynchburg Hillcats ended their affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds and began a new affiliation with the Atlanta Braves.

## Teams

2011 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 | Kinston Indians | Kinston, North Carolina | Cleveland Indians | Grainger Stadium |
| South | Myrtle Beach Pelicans | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina | Texas Rangers | BB&T Coastal 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 Frederick Keys finished with the best record in the league for the first time since 2005.

### Standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Frederick Keys | 80 | 59 | .576 | – |
| Potomac Nationals | 68 | 71 | .489 | 12 |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 66 | 72 | .478 | 13.5 |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 60 | 78 | .435 | 19.5 |
| South division |||||
| Kinston Indians | 76 | 62 | .551 | – |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 72 | 67 | .518 | 4.5 |
| Winston-Salem Dash | 69 | 71 | .493 | 8 |
| Salem Red Sox | 64 | 75 | .460 | 12.5 |

#### First half standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Frederick Keys | 41 | 28 | .594 | – |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 36 | 33 | .522 | 5 |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 30 | 40 | .429 | 11.5 |
| Potomac Nationals | 29 | 40 | .420 | 12 |
| South division |||||
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 40 | 29 | .580 | – |
| Kinston Indians | 38 | 31 | .551 | 2 |
| Winston-Salem Dash | 32 | 38 | .457 | 8.5 |
| Salem Red Sox | 31 | 38 | .449 | 9 |

#### Second half standings

North division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Potomac Nationals | 39 | 31 | .557 | – |
| Frederick Keys | 39 | 31 | .557 | – |
| Lynchburg Hillcats | 30 | 38 | .441 | 8 |
| Wilmington Blue Rocks | 30 | 39 | .435 | 8.5 |
| South division |||||
| Kinston Indians | 38 | 31 | .551 | – |
| Winston-Salem Dash | 37 | 33 | .529 | 1.5 |
| Salem Red Sox | 33 | 37 | .471 | 5.5 |
| Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 32 | 38 | .457 | 6.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | José Martínez, Winston-Salem Dash | .314 |
| H | Andrelton Simmons, Lynchburg Hillcats | 161 |
| R | Ian Gac, Winston-Salem Dash | 91 |
| 2B | Joey Terdoslavich, Lynchburg Hillcats | 52 |
| 3B | Tyler Saladino, Winston-Salem Dash Ryan Strausborger, Myrtle Beach Pelicans | 9 |
| HR | Ian Gac, Winston-Salem Dash | 33 |
| RBI | Ian Gac, Winston-Salem Dash | 96 |
| SB | Jeff Kobernus, Potomac Nationals | 53 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Cameron Bayne, Winston-Salem Dash | 12 |
| ERA | Drew Pomeranz, Kinston Indians | 1.87 |
| SV | Ryan Buchter, Lynchburg Hillcats Taylor Thompson, Winston-Salem Dash | 15 |
| SO | Justin Marks, Wilmington Blue Rocks | 140 |
| IP | Chris Masters, Lynchburg Hillcats | 148.1 |

## Playoffs

* The Frederick Keys won their fourth Carolina League championship, defeating the Kinston Indians in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| N1 | Frederick | 3 | | | |
| N2 | Potomac | 2 | | | |
| N2 | Potomac | 2 | N1 | Frederick | 3 |
| | | | S1 | Kinston | 1 |
| S1 | Kinston | 3 | S1 | Kinston | 1 |
| S2 | Myrtle Beach | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Carolina League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Ian Gac, Winston-Salem Dash |
| Pitcher of the Year | Robbie Ross Jr., Myrtle Beach Pelicans |
| Manager of the Year | Aaron Holbert, Kinston Indians |