# 1997 Southern League season

The 1997 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 3 and September 1. 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 Greenville Braves won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Huntsville Stars in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Port City Roosters relocated to Mobile, Alabama and were renamed to the Mobile BayBears. The team moved from the East Division to the West Division. The club ended their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners and began a new affiliation with the San Diego Padres.
* The Knoxville Smokies moved from the West Division to the East Division.
* The Memphis Chicks ended their affiliation with the San Diego Padres and began a new affiliation with the Seattle Mariners.
* The Orlando Cubs are renamed to the Orlando Rays. The club remained affiliated with the Chicago Cubs.

## Teams

1997 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 | Knoxville Smokies | Knoxville, Tennessee | Toronto Blue Jays | Bill Meyer Stadium |
| East | Orlando Rays | Orlando, Florida | Chicago Cubs | Tinker 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 | Memphis Chicks | Memphis, Tennessee | Seattle Mariners | Tim McCarver Stadium |
| West | Mobile BayBears | Mobile, Alabama | San Diego Padres | Hank Aaron Stadium |

## Regular season
### Summary

* The Huntsville Stars finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time since 1994.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Knoxville Smokies | 75 | 63 | .543 | – |
| Greenville Braves | 74 | 66 | .529 | 2 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 66 | 73 | .475 | 9.5 |
| Orlando Rays | 63 | 75 | .457 | 12 |
| Carolina Mudcats | 55 | 82 | .401 | 19.5 |
| West Division |||||
| Huntsville Stars | 77 | 62 | .554 | – |
| Birmingham Barons | 76 | 62 | .551 | 0.5 |
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 70 | 69 | .504 | 7 |
| Mobile BayBears | 69 | 68 | .504 | 7 |
| Memphis Chicks | 67 | 72 | .482 | 10 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Mike Neill, Huntsville Stars | .340 |
| H | D. T. Cromer, Huntsville Stars | 176 |
| R | Mike Neill, Huntsville Stars | 129 |
| 2B | D. T. Cromer, Huntsville Stars | 40 |
| 3B | Brian Simmons, Birmingham Barons | 12 |
| HR | Mike Coolbaugh, Huntsville Stars Luis Raven, Birminghan Barons Kevin Witt, Knoxville Smokies | 30 |
| RBI | Mike Coolbaugh, Huntsville Stars | 132 |
| SB | Earl Johnson, Mobile / Jacksonville | 42 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Scott Eyre, Birmingham Barons Russ Herbert, Birmingham Barons | 13 |
| ERA | Russ Herbert, Birmingham Barons | 3.63 |
| CG | Brett Hinchliffe, Memphis Chicks | 5 |
| SHO | Ken Cloude, Memphis Chicks Ryan Franklin, Memphis Chicks Jason Stevenson, Knoxville Smokies | 2 |
| SV | Todd Williams, Chattanooga Lookouts | 31 |
| IP | Bill King, Huntsville Stars Brandon Reed | 176.0 |
| SO | Earl Byrne, Orlando Rays | 128 |

## Playoffs

* The Greenville Braves won their second Southern League championship, defeating the Huntsville Stars in five games.

### Playoff bracket

| Division finals | Division finals | Division finals | Finals | Finals | Finals |
| E1 | Knoxville | 1 | | | |
| E2 | Greenville | 3 | | | |
| E2 | Greenville | 3 | E2 | Greenville | 3 |
| | | | W1 | Huntsville | 2 |
| W1 | Huntsville | 3 | W1 | Huntsville | 2 |
| W2 | Mobile | 2 | | | |

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Ben Grieve, Huntsville Stars |
| Pitcher of the Year | Scott Eyre, Birmingham Barons |
| Manager of the Year | Randy Ingle, Greenville Braves |