# 1996 Southern League season

The 1996 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 4 and September 2. Ten 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 Jacksonville Suns won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts in the playoffs.

## Teams

1996 Southern League :
| Division | Team | City | MLB Affiliate | Stadium |
| East | Carolina Mudcats | Zebulon, North Carolina | Pittsburgh Pirates | Five County Stadium |
| East | Greenville Braves | Greenville, South Carolina | Atlanta Braves | Greenville Municipal Stadium |
| East | Jacksonville Suns | Jacksonville, Florida | Detroit Tigers | Wolfson Park |
| East | Orlando Cubs | Orlando, Florida | Chicago Cubs | Tinker Field |
| East | Port City Roosters | Wilmington, North Carolina | Seattle Mariners | Brooks Field |
| West | Birmingham Barons | Birmingham, Alabama | Chicago White Sox | Hoover Metropolitan Stadium |
| West | Chattanooga Lookouts | Chattanooga, Tennessee | Cincinnati Reds | Engel Stadium |
| West | Huntsville Stars | Huntsville, Alabama | Oakland Athletics | Joe W. Davis Stadium |
| West | Knoxville Smokies | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| West | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | San Diego Padres | Tim McCarver Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Memphis Chicks finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time in franchise history.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Jacksonville Suns | 75 | 63 | .543 | – |
| Carolina Mudcats | 70 | 69 | .504 | 5.5 |
| Orlando Cubs | 61 | 78 | .439 | 14.5 |
| Greenville Braves | 58 | 82 | .414 | 18 |
| Port City Roosters | 56 | 84 | .400 | 20 |
| West Division |||||
| Memphis Chicks | 81 | 58 | .583 | – |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 81 | 59 | .579 | 0.5 |
| Knoxville Smokies | 75 | 65 | .536 | 6.5 |
| Birmingham Barons | 74 | 65 | .532 | 7 |
| Huntsville Stars | 66 | 74 | .471 | 15.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Dan Rohrmeier, Memphis Chicks | .344 |
| H | Dan Rohrmeier, Memphis Chicks | 162 |
| R | Mike Cameron, Birmingham Barons | 120 |
| 2B | Aaron Boone, Chattanooga Lookouts | 44 |
| 3B | Demond Smith, Huntsville Stars | 14 |
| HR | Derrek Lee, Memphis Chicks | 34 |
| RBI | Derrek Lee, Memphis Chicks | 104 |
| SB | Mike Cameron, Birmingham Barons | 39 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Brian Moehler, Jacksonville Suns | 15 |
| ERA | Shane Dennis, Memphis Chicks | 2.27 |
| CG | Rich Pratt, Birmingham Barons | 5 |
| SHO | Stacy Hollins, Huntsville Stars Rich Pratt, Birmingham Barons | 2 |
| SV | Domingo Jean, Chattanooga Lookouts | 31 |
| IP | Wade Walker, Orlando Cubs | 187.2 |
| SO | Curt Lyons, Chattanooga Lookouts | 176 |

## Playoffs

* The Jacksonville Suns won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Chattanooga Lookouts in four games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Jacksonville | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Carolina | 2 | | | |
| E2 | Carolina | 2 | E1 | Jacksonville | 3 |
| | | | W2 | Chattanooga | 1 |
| W1 | Memphis | 2 | W2 | Chattanooga | 1 |
| W2 | Chattanooga | 3 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Derrek Lee, Memphis Chicks |
| Pitcher of the Year | Curt Lyons, Chattanooga Lookouts |
| Manager of the Year | Mark Berry, Chattanooga Lookouts |