# 1995 Southern League season

The 1995 Southern League was a Class AA baseball season played between April 6 and September 4. 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 Carolina Mudcats won the Southern League championship, as they defeated the Chattanooga Lookouts in the playoffs.

## Team changes

* The Nashville Xpress relocated to Wilmington, North Carolina and were renamed to the Port City Roosters. The team moved from the West Division to the East Division. The club ended their affiliation with the Minnesota Twins and began a new affiliation with the Seattle Mariners.
* The Jacksonville Suns ended their affiliation with the Seattle Mariners and began a new affiliation with the Detroit Tigers.
* The Knoxville Smokies moved from the East Division to the West Division.
* The Memphis Chicks ended their affiliation with the Kansas City Royals and began a new affiliation with the San Diego Padres.

## Teams

1995 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 Carolina Mudcats finished the season with the best record in the league for the first time in franchise history.

### Standings

East Division :
| Team | Win | Loss | % | GB |
| Carolina Mudcats | 89 | 55 | .618 | – |
| Orlando Cubs | 76 | 67 | .531 | 12.5 |
| Jacksonville Suns | 75 | 69 | .521 | 14 |
| Port City Roosters | 62 | 80 | .437 | 26 |
| Greenville Braves | 59 | 83 | .415 | 29 |
| West Division |||||
| Chattanooga Lookouts | 83 | 60 | .580 | – |
| Birmingham Barons | 80 | 64 | .556 | 3.5 |
| Huntsville Stars | 70 | 74 | .486 | 13.5 |
| Memphis Chicks | 68 | 74 | .479 | 14.5 |
| Knoxville Smokies | 54 | 90 | .375 | 29.5 |

## League Leaders
### Batting leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| AVG | Jason Kendall, Carolina Mudcats | .326 |
| H | Ruben Santana, Chattanooga Lookouts | 163 |
| R | Essex Burton, Birmingham Barons | 95 |
| 2B | Jim Bonnici, Port City Roosters | 36 |
| 3B | Lorenzo De La Cruz, Knoxville Smokies | 12 |
| HR | Iván Cruz, Jacksonville Suns | 31 |
| RBI | George Canale, Carolina Mudcats | 102 |
| SB | Essex Burton, Birmingham Barons | 60 |

### Pitching leaders

| Stat | Player | Total |
| W | Elmer Dessens, Carolina Mudcats | 15 |
| ERA | Elmer Dessens, Carolina Mudcats | 2.49 |
| CG | Rob Mattson, Memphis Chicks | 11 |
| SHO | Rob Mattson, Memphis Chicks Matt Ruebel, Carolina Mudcats Clint Sodowsky, Jacksonville Suns | 3 |
| SV | John Kelly, Jacksonville Suns Rusty Kilgo, Chattanooga Lookouts | 29 |
| IP | Rob Mattson, Memphis Chicks | 202.1 |
| SO | Osvaldo Fernández, Port City Roosters | 162 |

## Playoffs

* The Carolina Mudcats won their first Southern League championship, defeating the Chattanooga Lookouts in five games.

### Playoff bracket

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

## Awards

Southern League awards :
| Award name | Recipient |
| Most Valuable Player | Jason Kendall, Carolina Mudcats |
| Pitcher of the Year | Luis Andújar, Birmingham Barons |
| Manager of the Year | Bruce Kimm, Orlando Cubs |