# 1979 Southern League season

The 1979 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 16 and September 2. Ten teams played a 144-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Nashville Sounds won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Columbus Astros in the playoffs.

## Teams

1979 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Charlotte Orioles | Charlotte, North Carolina | Baltimore Orioles | Jim Crockett Memorial Park |
| 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 | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Cleveland Indians | Engel Stadium |
| West | Knoxville Sox | Knoxville, Tennessee | Chicago White Sox | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | Montreal Expos | Tim McCarver Stadium |
| West | Montgomery Rebels | Montgomery, Alabama | Detroit Tigers | Paterson Field |
| West | Nashville Sounds | Nashville, Tennessee | Cincinnati Reds | Herschel Greer Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Columbus Astros finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1970.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Columbus Astros | 84 | 59 | .587 | – |
| Charlotte Orioles | 73 | 69 | .514 | 10.5 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 69 | 72 | .489 | 14 |
| Orlando Twins | 60 | 81 | .426 | 23 |
| Savannah Braves | 60 | 83 | .420 | 24 |
| West Division |||||
| Nashville Sounds | 83 | 61 | .576 | – |
| Memphis Chicks | 82 | 62 | .569 | 1 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 75 | 69 | .521 | 8 |
| Knoxville Sox | 65 | 76 | .461 | 16.5 |
| Montgomery Rebels | 62 | 81 | .434 | 20.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Joe Charboneau, Chattanooga Lookouts | .352 |
| H | Danny Heep, Columbus Astros | 171 |
| R | Tim Raines, Memphis Chicks | 104 |
| 2B | Tom Wiedenbauer, Columbus Astros | 31 |
| 3B | Duane Walker, Nashville Sounds | 15 |
| HR | Alan Knicely, Columbus Astros | 33 |
| RBI | Dave Hostetler, Memphis Chicks | 114 |
| SB | LaMart Harris, Jacksonville Suns | 68 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Del Leatherwood, Columbus Astros | 15 |
| ERA | Scott Brown, Nashville Sounds | 2.40 |
| CG | Billy Smith, Columbus Astros | 19 |
| SHO | Del Leatherwood, Columbus Astros | 4 |
| SV | Geoff Combe, Nashville Sounds | 27 |
| IP | Del Leatherwood, Columbus Astros | 202.0 |
| SO | Bob Veselic, Orlando Twins | 151 |

## Playoffs

* The final round of the playoffs is extended to a best-of-five series.
* The Nashville Sounds won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Columbus Astros in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Columbus | 2 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | E1 | Columbus | 1 |
| | | | W1 | Nashville | 3 |
| W1 | Nashville | 2 | W1 | Nashville | 3 |
| W2 | Memphis | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Danny Heep, Columbus Astros Alan Knicely, Columbus Astros |
| Pitcher of the Year | Geoff Combe, Nashville Sounds |
| Manager of the Year | Jimmy Johnson, Columbus Astros |