# Dixie Association

The 1971 Dixie Association was a Class AA baseball season played between April 13 and September 6. Fourteen teams played a 142-game schedule, with four teams qualifying for the post-season.
The Charlotte Hornets won the Dixie Association championship, defeating the Arkansas Travelers in the final round of the playoffs.

## League changes

The Dixie Association was an interleague partnership between the Texas League (TL) and the Southern League (SL) Double-A leagues of Minor League Baseball in 1971. The two leagues played an interlocking schedule. The partnership was dissolved after the season.
Each league consisted of seven teams who were divided among the association's three divisions. The West Division was composed of four TL teams. The Central Division had three TL teams and one SL team. The East Division consisted of six SL teams. At the end of the season, the two top teams from the SL competed for the Southern League championship—the Charlotte Hornets defeated the Asheville Tourists, 2–1. The TL winners of the Central and West Divisions met for the Texas League championship—the Arkansas Travelers defeated the Amarillo Giants, 2–0. The individual league champions then competed for the Dixie Association championship—Charlotte defeated Arkansas, 3–0.

## Team changes
### Southern League teams

* The Asheville Tourists join the league from the Southern League. The club ended their affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds and began a new affiliation with the Chicago White Sox. The club will play in the East Division.
* The Birmingham Athletics join the league from the Southern League. The club will play in the Central Division.
* The Charlotte Hornets join the league from the Southern League. The club will play in the East Division.
* The Columbus Astros join the league from the Southern League. The club will play in the East Division.
* The Jacksonville Suns join the league from the Southern League. The club ended their affiliations with the Milwaukee Brewers and Montreal Expos and began a new affiliation with the Cleveland Indians. The club will play in the East Division.
* The Mobile White Sox fold.
* The Montgomery Rebels join the league from the Southern League. The club will play in the East Division.
* The Savannah Indians join the league from the Southern League. The club ended their affiliation with the Cleveland Indians and began a new affiliation with the Atlanta Braves. The team was renamed to the Savannah Braves. The club will play in the East Division.

### Texas League teams

* The Arkansas Travelers join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the East Division.
* The Amarillo Giants join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the West Division.
* The Albuquerque Dodgers join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the West Division.
* The Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the West Division.
* The El Paso Sun Kings took a leave of absence in 1971.
* The Memphis Blues join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the East Division.
* The San Antonio Missions join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the West Division.
* The Shreveport Captains join the league from the Texas League. The club will play in the East Division. The club ended their affiliation with the Atlanta Braves and began a new affiliation with the California Angels.

## Teams

1971 Dixie Association :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Asheville Tourists | Asheville, North Carolina | Chicago White Sox | McCormick Field |
| East | Charlotte Hornets | Charlotte, North Carolina | Minnesota Twins | Clark Griffith Park |
| East | Columbus Astros | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| East | Jacksonville Suns | Jacksonville, Florida | Cleveland Indians | Wolfson Park |
| East | Montgomery Rebels | Montgomery, Alabama | Detroit Tigers | Paterson Field |
| East | Savannah Braves | Savannah, Georgia | Atlanta Braves | Grayson Stadium |
| Central | Arkansas Travelers | Little Rock, Arkansas | St. Louis Cardinals | Ray Winder Field |
| Central | Birmingham Athletics | Birmingham, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Rickwood Field |
| Central | Memphis Blues | Memphis, Tennessee | New York Mets | Blues Stadium |
| Central | Shreveport Captains | Shreveport, Louisiana | California Angels | SPAR Stadium |
| West | Albuquerque Dodgers | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Los Angeles Dodgers | Albuquerque Sports Stadium |
| West | Amarillo Giants | Amarillo, Texas | San Francisco Giants | Potter County Memorial Stadium |
| West | Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs | Arlington, Texas | Baltimore Orioles | Turnpike Stadium |
| West | San Antonio Missions | San Antonio, Texas | Chicago Cubs | V. J. Keefe Memorial Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Charlotte Hornets finished the season with the best record in the league.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Charlotte Hornets | 92 | 50 | .648 | – |
| Asheville Tourists | 90 | 51 | .638 | 1.5 |
| Montgomery Rebels | 73 | 69 | .514 | 19 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 63 | 77 | .450 | 28 |
| Savannah Braves | 57 | 84 | .404 | 34.5 |
| Columbus Astros | 51 | 91 | .359 | 41 |
| Central Division |||||
| Arkansas Travelers | 75 | 64 | .540 | – |
| Memphis Blues | 69 | 70 | .496 | 6 |
| Shreveport Captains | 69 | 73 | .486 | 7.5 |
| Birmingham Athletics | 48 | 93 | .340 | 28 |
| West Division |||||
| Amarillo Giants | 88 | 54 | .620 | – |
| Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs | 82 | 59 | .582 | 5.5 |
| Albuquerque Dodgers | 67 | 75 | .472 | 21 |
| San Antonio Missions | 63 | 77 | .450 | 24 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Minnie Mendoza, Charlotte Hornets | .316 |
| H | Minnie Mendoza, Charlotte Hornets | 163 |
| R | Ken Hottman, Asheville Tourists | 99 |
| 2B | Gary Matthews, Amarillo Giants | 37 |
| 3B | Leon Brown, Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs | 10 |
| HR | Ken Hottman, Asheville Tourists | 37 |
| RBI | Ken Hottman, Asheville Tourists | 116 |
| SB | Bill North, San Antonio Missions | 47 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Wayne Garland, Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs | 19 |
| ERA | Wayne Garland, Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs | 1.71 |
| CG | Wayne Garland, Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs | 20 |
| SHO | Wayne Garland, Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs Gary Ryerson, Amarillo Giants | 6 |
| SV | Jack Whillock, Montgomery Rebels | 15 |
| IP | Wes Scott, Amarillo Giants | 221.0 |
| SO | Chris Floethe, Birmingham Athletics | 225 |

## Playoffs

* The semi-finals are a best-of-three series.
* The finals are a best-of-five series.
* The Charlotte Hornets won the Dixie Association championship, defeating the Arkansas Travelers in three games.

### Playoff bracket

| Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Semi-finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Charlotte | 2 | | | |
| E2 | Asheville | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Asheville | 1 | E1 | Charlotte | 3 |
| | | | C1 | Arkansas | 0 |
| W1 | Amarillo | 0 | C1 | Arkansas | 0 |
| C1 | Arkansas | 2 | | | |