# 1982 Southern League season

The 1982 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 9 and August 31. 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 Jacksonville Suns in the playoffs.

## Teams

1982 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 | Birmingham Barons | Birmingham, Alabama | Detroit Tigers | Rickwood Field |
| 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 | Nashville Sounds | Nashville, Tennessee | New York Yankees | Herschel Greer Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Jacksonville Suns finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1974.
* The Jacksonville Suns won the East Division in both halves of the season. The Columbus Astros took the second playoff berth in the division as they had the second best overall record in the division.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Jacksonville Suns | 83 | 61 | .576 | – |
| Columbus Astros | 74 | 69 | .517 | 8.5 |
| Orlando Twins | 74 | 70 | .514 | 9 |
| Savannah Braves | 69 | 75 | .479 | 14 |
| Charlotte Orioles | 66 | 77 | .462 | 16.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Nashville Sounds | 77 | 67 | .535 | – |
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 73 | 71 | .507 | 4 |
| Memphis Chicks | 70 | 74 | .486 | 7 |
| Birmingham Barons | 69 | 74 | .483 | 7.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 63 | 80 | .441 | 13.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Kenny Baker, Birmingham Barons | .342 |
| H | Buck Showalter, Nashville Sounds | 152 |
| R | Mike Fuentes, Memphis Chicks | 104 |
| 2B | Dave Hoeksema, Memphis Chicks | 33 |
| 3B | John Denman, Charlotte Orioles | 10 |
| HR | Mike Fuentes, Memphis Chicks | 37 |
| RBI | Mike Fuentes, Memphis Chicks | 115 |
| SB | Milt Thompson, Savannah Braves | 68 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Clay Christiansen, Nashville Sounds Stefan Wever, Nashville Sounds | 16 |
| ERA | Stefan Wever, Nashville Sounds | 2.78 |
| CG | Robin Fuson, Chattanooga Lookouts | 15 |
| SHO | Glenn Ray, Jacksonville Suns | 4 |
| SV | Tom Lukish, Knoxville Blue Jays | 20 |
| IP | Robin Fuson, Chattanooga Lookouts | 222.1 |
| SO | Stefan Wever, Nashville Sounds | 191 |

## Playoffs

* The Nashville Sounds won their second Southern League championship, defeating the Jacksonville Suns in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Jacksonville | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Columbus | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Columbus | 1 | E1 | Jacksonville | 1 |
| | | | W1 | Nashville | 3 |
| W1 | Nashville | 3 | W1 | Nashville | 3 |
| W2 | Knoxville | 1 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Brian Dayett, Nashville Sounds |
| Pitcher of the Year | Stefan Wever, Nashville Sounds |
| Manager of the Year | Gene Lamont, Jacksonville Suns |