# 1985 Southern League season

The 1985 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 11 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 Huntsville Stars won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Charlotte Orioles in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Nashville Sounds leave the league and join the American Association.
* The Huntsville Stars join the league as an expansion team. The club begins an affiliation with the Oakland Athletics.
* The Jacksonville Suns are renamed to the Jacksonville Expos. The club remained affiliated with the Montreal Expos.

## Teams

1985 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 | Greenville Braves | Greenville, South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Greenville Municipal Stadium |
| East | Jacksonville Expos | Jacksonville, Florida | Montreal Expos | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Twins | Orlando, Florida | Minnesota Twins | Tinker Field |
| West | Birmingham Barons | Birmingham, Alabama | Detroit Tigers | Rickwood Field |
| West | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Seattle Mariners | Engel Stadium |
| West | Huntsville Stars | Huntsville, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Joe W. Davis Stadium |
| West | Knoxville Blue Jays | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | Kansas City Royals | Tim McCarver Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Knoxville Blue Jays finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1978.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Columbus Astros | 79 | 65 | .549 | – |
| Charlotte Orioles | 78 | 65 | .545 | 0.5 |
| Jacksonville Expos | 73 | 70 | .510 | 5.5 |
| Orlando Twins | 72 | 71 | .503 | 6.5 |
| Greenville Braves | 70 | 74 | .486 | 9 |
| West Division |||||
| Knoxville Blue Jays | 79 | 64 | .552 | – |
| Huntsville Stars | 78 | 66 | .542 | 1.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 66 | 77 | .462 | 13 |
| Memphis Chicks | 65 | 79 | .451 | 14.5 |
| Birmingham Barons | 57 | 86 | .399 | 22 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Bruce Fields, Birmingham Barons | .323 |
| H | Alex Marte, Orlando Twins | 171 |
| R | Alex Marte, Orlando Twins | 117 |
| 2B | Jim Sherman, Columbus Astros Kelvin Torve, Charlotte Orioles | 34 |
| 3B | Luis Polonia, Huntsville Stars | 18 |
| HR | Mark Funderburk, Orlando Twins | 34 |
| RBI | Mark Funderburk, Orlando Twins | 116 |
| SB | Alex Marte, Orlando Twins | 64 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays | 17 |
| ERA | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays | 2.45 |
| CG | Les Straker, Orlando Twins | 12 |
| SHO | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays Les Straker, Orlando Twins | 3 |
| SV | Luis Aquino, Knoxville Blue Jays | 20 |
| IP | Les Straker, Orlando Twins | 193.0 |
| SO | Scott Bankhead, Memphis Chicks John Hoover, Charlotte Orioles | 128 |

## Playoffs

* The Huntsville Stars won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Charlotte Orioles in five games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Columbus | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Charlotte | 3 | E2 | Charlotte | 2 |
| | | | W2 | Huntsville | 3 |
| W1 | Knoxville | 1 | W2 | Huntsville | 3 |
| W2 | Huntsville | 3 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Jose Canseco, Huntsville Stars |
| Pitcher of the Year | Steve Davis, Knoxville Blue Jays |
| Manager of the Year | Carlos Alfonso, Columbus Astros John McLaren, Knoxville Blue Jays |