Heartland League

The Heartland League was one of many independent leagues to start and die in the late '90s, running from 1996 through 1998.

1996

The league held its first season with four teams based in Indiana and Illinois; two of the teams were from the recently disbanded Mid-America League. The Lafayette Leopards captured the first championship and were led by the circuit's MVP, third baseman Garry Kamphouse, who hit .342 with a league-leading 52 RBI. Despite finishing in last place, the Dubois County Dragons had the league's highest attendance, drawing 33,203 fans, more than the other three clubs combined. They were led on the field by Most Valuable Pitcher Johnny Oestrich (8-2 with a 3.18 ERA) and designated hitter Juan Price (who won the home run crown with 13).

1996 Standings

Team	W-L	Pct.	GB	Manager
Lafayette Leopards	32-27	.542	--	Bob Hallas
Anderson Lawmen	32-28	.533	.5	Jay Walker
Will County Cheetahs	28-31	.475	4	Gregg Slutsky
Dubois County Dragons	27-33	.450	5.5	R.C. Lichtenstein

1997

After its inaugural season, the league absorbed four teams from the other indy leagues bringing the circuit to its peak size of eight clubs. The Clarksville Coyotes, Columbia Mules, and Tennessee Tomahawks joined from the Big South League and the Altoona Rail Kings came from the North Atlantic League. The Rail Kings and Tomahawks both posted 22-14 marks to win first half division titles. In the second half, the Tomahawks lost just one game en route to a 33-1 record. However, they were defeated by the Mules in the first round of the playoffs, and the Mules went on to beat the Anderson Lawmen to capture the league crown.

Angel Santiago of the Will County Cheetahs led the league with a .374 average, and Tennessee's Curtis Underwood slugged a league-best 15 homers. On the mound, George Mianowski of Tennessee paced the circuit with 11 wins, and teammate (and former big leaguer) John Dopson posted a 1.78 ERA to capture the ERA crown.

Boosted by their league-best record, Tennessee lead the circuit in attendance. Overall, the league drew over 210,000 fans in 1997.

1997 Standings

First Half
North Division							South Division
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Manager		Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Manager
Altoona Rail Kings	22	14	.611	--	Michael Richmond		Tennessee Tomahawks	22	14	.611	--	Jeff Gamble
Will County Cheetahs	18	17	.514	3.5	Gerry Clarke		Columbia Mules	20	15	.571	1.5	Steve Howard
Anderson Lawmen	13	21	.382	8	David Edwards		Dubois County Dragons	16	18	.471	5	Jeff Pinney
Lafayette Leopards	13	22	.371	8.5	Brad Cohen		Clarksville Coyotes	16	19	.457	5.5	Jeff Bibb
Second Half
North Division							South Division
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Manager		Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Manager
Anderson Lawmen	19	16	.543	--	David Edwards		Tennessee Tomahawks	33	1	.971	--	Jeff Gamble
Lafayette Leopards	18	18	.500	1.5	Brad Cohen		Columbia Mules	18	16	.529	15	Steve Howard
Altoona Rail Kings	14	22	.389	5.5	Michael Richmond		Clarksville Coyotes	16	20	.444	18	Jeff Bibb
Will County Cheetahs	13	22	.371	6	Gerry Clarke		Dubois County Dragons	10	26	.278	24	Jeff Pinney

1998

After the 1997 season, the league entered into some trouble, as the Anderson franchise withdrew from the league and both Clarksville and Columbia suspended operations. With the AA Altoona Curve set to begin play, the Altoona Rail Kings moved west to Huntington, West Virginia. The Cheetahs moved 20 miles east to Midlothian, Illinois while waiting for their new stadium to be built in nearby Crestwood. The league added the Big South League's Tupelo Tornado to bring the league's teams to six. Both the Huntington and Tupelo franchises folded early in the season.

On the diamond, the Tennessee Towahawks, won both the first half and second half titles, but lost in the league championships to the newly christened Cook County Cheetahs. Jason Kinchen of Lafayette hit .324 with a league-best 24 homers and was named MVP. After the season, the league ceased operations as the Cheetahs (with their new stadium complete) jumped to the Frontier League.

1998 Standings

First Half							Second Half
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Manager		Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Manager
Tennessee Tomahawks	24	11	.686	--	Mike O'Berry		Tennessee Tomahawks	19	10	.655	--	Mike O'Berry
Cook County Cheetahs	23	11	.676	.5	Brian Dayett		Dubois County Dragons	17	17	.500	4.5	Jay Welker
Lafayette Leopards	16	17	.485	7	Bob Hallas		Lafayette Leopards	19	22	.463	6	Bob Hallas
Dubois County Dragons	15	19	.441	8.5	Jay Welker		Cook County Cheetahs	14	18	.438	6.5	Brian Dayett
Tupelo Tornado	4	10	.286	9.5	Steve Dillard
Huntington RailKings	9	23	.281	13.5	Mike Richmond

Cities Represented

• Altoona, PA: Altoona Rail Kings 1997
• Anderson, IN: Anderson Lawmen 1996-1997
• Booneville, MS: Tupelo Tornado 1998
• Clarksville, TN: Clarksville Coyotes 1997
• Midlothian, IL: Cook County Cheetahs 1998
• Columbia, TN: Columbia Mules 1997
• Huntingburg, IN: Dubois County Dragons 1996-1998
• Huntington, WV: Huntington Rail Kings 1998
• Lafayette, IN: Lafayette Leopards 1996-1998
• Romeoville, IL: Will County Cheetahs 1996-1997
• Winchester, TN: Tennessee Tomahawks 1997-1998