# 1973 Southern League season

The 1973 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 13 and September 1. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top team in each division qualifying for the championship round.
The Montgomery Rebels won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Jacksonville Suns in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Charlotte Hornets disbanded.
* The Orlando Twins join the league from the Florida State League and will play in the East Division. The club is affiliated with the Minnesota Twins.
* The Asheville Orioles move to the West Division.
* The Columbus Astros move to the East Division.

## Teams

1973 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Columbus Astros | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| East | Jacksonville Suns | Jacksonville, Florida | Kansas City Royals | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Twins | Orlando, Florida | Minnesota Twins | Tinker Field |
| East | Savannah Braves | Savannah, Georgia | Atlanta Braves | Grayson Stadium |
| West | Asheville Orioles | Asheville, North Carolina | Baltimore Orioles | McCormick Field |
| West | Birmingham Athletics | Birmingham, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Rickwood Field |
| West | Knoxville Sox | Knoxville, Tennessee | Chicago White Sox | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Montgomery Rebels | Montgomery, Alabama | Detroit Tigers | Paterson Field |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Montgomery Rebels finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time in team history.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Jacksonville Suns | 76 | 60 | .559 | – |
| Savannah Braves | 71 | 68 | .511 | 6.5 |
| Columbus Astros | 69 | 70 | .496 | 8.5 |
| Orlando Twins | 65 | 70 | .481 | 10.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Montgomery Rebels | 80 | 58 | .580 | – |
| Asheville Orioles | 71 | 69 | .507 | 10 |
| Knoxville Sox | 70 | 69 | .504 | 10.5 |
| Birmingham Athletics | 50 | 88 | .362 | 30 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Rob Andrews, Asheville Orioles | .309 |
| H | Rob Andrews, Asheville Orioles | 167 |
| R | Rob Andrews, Asheville Orioles | 98 |
| 2B | Taylor Duncan, Asheville Orioles Leon Roberts, Montgomery Rebels | 30 |
| 3B | Jerry Moxey, Columbus Astros | 13 |
| HR | Terry Clapp, Asheville Orioles | 35 |
| RBI | Terry Clapp, Asheville Orioles | 98 |
| SB | Alberto Leaver, Columbus Astros | 54 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Joe Henderson, Knoxville Sox | 17 |
| ERA | Ross Rothermel, Columbus Astros | 1.81 |
| CG | Doug Konieczny, Columbus Astros | 17 |
| SHO | Charles Swanson, Montgomery Rebels | 6 |
| SV | Jerome Donahue, Montgomery Rebels | 11 |
| IP | Doug Konieczny, Columbus Astros | 213.0 |
| SO | Doug Konieczny, Columbus Astros | 222 |

## Playoffs

* The Montgomery Rebels won their second consecutive Southern League championship, defeating the Jacksonville Suns in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Jacksonville | 1 |
| W1 | Montgomery | 3 |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Jerry Moxey, Columbus Astros |
| Pitcher of the Year | Doug Konieczny, Columbus Astros |
| Manager of the Year | Billy Gardner, Jacksonville Suns |