# 1980 Southern League season

The 1980 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 11 and September 1. 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 Charlotte Orioles won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Memphis Chicks in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Knoxville Sox ended their affiliation with the Chicago White Sox and began a new affiliation with the Toronto Blue Jays. The club was renamed to the Knoxville Blue Jays.
* The Nashville Sounds ended their affiliation with the Cincinnati Reds and began a new affiliation with the New York Yankees.

## Teams

1980 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 Blue Jays | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | 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 | New York Yankees | Herschel Greer Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

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

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Savannah Braves | 77 | 67 | .535 | – |
| Columbus Astros | 76 | 68 | .528 | 1 |
| Charlotte Orioles | 72 | 72 | .500 | 5 |
| Orlando Twins | 65 | 78 | .455 | 11.5 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 63 | 81 | .438 | 14 |
| West Division |||||
| Nashville Sounds | 97 | 46 | .678 | – |
| Memphis Chicks | 83 | 61 | .576 | 14.5 |
| Montgomery Rebels | 68 | 76 | .472 | 29.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 61 | 83 | .424 | 36.5 |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 57 | 87 | .396 | 40.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Chris Bando, Chattanooga Lookouts | .349 |
| H | Buck Showalter, Nashville Sounds | 178 |
| R | Steve Balboni, Nashville Sounds | 101 |
| 2B | Ron Johnson, Jacksonville Suns | 40 |
| 3B | Ted Wilborn, Nashville Sounds | 14 |
| HR | Steve Balboni, Nashville Sounds | 34 |
| RBI | Steve Balboni, Nashville Sounds | 122 |
| SB | Tony Johnson, Memphis Chicks | 60 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Jim MacDonald, Columbus Astros | 17 |
| ERA | Andy McGaffigan, Nashville Sounds | 2.38 |
| CG | George Cappuzzello, Montgomery Rebels Larry Pashnick, Montgomery Rebels Bryn Smith, Memphis Chicks Don Welchel, Charlotte Orioles | 12 |
| SHO | George Cappuzzello, Montgomery Rebels | 6 |
| SV | Stuart Livingstone, Savannah Braves | 17 |
| IP | Steve Bedrosian, Savannah Braves | 203.0 |
| SO | Steve Bedrosian, Savannah Braves | 161 |

## Playoffs

* The Charlotte Orioles won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Memphis Chicks in four games.

### Playoff bracket

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

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Steve Balboni, Nashville Sounds |
| Pitcher of the Year | Andy McGaffigan, Nashville Sounds |
| Manager of the Year | Stump Merrill, Nashville Sounds |