# 1976 Southern League season

The 1976 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 13 and September 2. Eight teams played a 140-game schedule, with the top team in each division in each half of the season qualifying for the post-season.
The Montgomery Rebels won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Orlando Twins in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Asheville Orioles relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina and were renamed the Charlotte Orioles. The team moved from the West Division to the East Division. The club remained affiliated with the Baltimore Orioles.
* The Birmingham Athletics relocated tp Chattanooga, Tennessee and were renamed the Chattanooga Lookouts. The club remained affiliated with the Oakland Athletics.
* The Columbus Astros moved from the East Division to the West Division.

## Teams

1976 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Charlotte Orioles | Charlotte, North Carolina | Baltimore Orioles | Clark Griffith 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 | Oakland Athletics | Engel Stadium |
| West | Columbus Astros | Columbus, Georgia | Houston Astros | Golden Park |
| 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 since 1973.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Orlando Twins | 75 | 64 | .540 | – |
| Charlotte Orioles | 74 | 66 | .529 | 1.5 |
| Savannah Braves | 69 | 71 | .493 | 6.5 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 66 | 72 | .478 | 8.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Montgomery Rebels | 81 | 56 | .591 | – |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 70 | 68 | .507 | 11.5 |
| Knoxville Sox | 61 | 77 | .442 | 20.5 |
| Columbus Astros | 58 | 80 | .420 | 23.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Tim Corcoran, Montgomery Rebels | .309 |
| H | Blake Doyle, Charlotte Orioles | 158 |
| R | Jim Obradovich, Orlando Twins | 84 |
| 2B | Donn Seidholz, Knoxville Sox | 28 |
| 3B | Derek Bryant, Chattanooga Lookouts Rafael Liranzo, Charlotte Orioles | 10 |
| HR | Jim Obradovich, Orlando Twins | 21 |
| RBI | Jim Obradovich, Orlando Twins | 68 |
| SB | Derek Bryant, Chattanooga Lookouts Roger Cador, Savannah Braves | 42 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Dave Ford, Charlotte Orioles | 17 |
| ERA | Dave Rozema, Montgomery Rebels | 1.57 |
| CG | Dave Ford, Charlotte Orioles | 19 |
| SHO | Dave Ford, Charlotte Orioles Greg Thayer, Orlando Twins Davis May, Orlando Twins Dave Rozema, Montgomery Rebels | 4 |
| SV | Randy Miller, Charlotte Orioles | 19 |
| IP | Dave Ford, Charlotte Orioles | 212.0 |
| SO | Dave Ford, Charlotte Orioles | 121 |

## Playoffs

* The playoffs are expanded to include a one-game playoff for each divisional winner in each half of the season.
* The Montgomery Rebels won their second consecutive, and fourth overall Southern League championship, defeating the Orlando Twins in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Orlando | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 0 | E1 | Orlando | 1 |
| | | | W1 | Montgomery | 3 |
| W1 | Montgomery | 1 | W1 | Montgomery | 3 |
| W2 | Chattanooga | 0 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Larry Foster, Knoxville Sox |
| Pitcher of the Year | Dave Ford, Charlotte Orioles |
| Manager of the Year | Rene Lachemann, Chattanooga Lookouts |