Harrisonburg Turks

The Harrisonburg Turks were a minor league baseball team based in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Turks played exclusively as members the Virginia League from 1939 to 1941, winning the 1939 league pennant and championship. The Turks qualified for the league playoffs in all three seasons of Virginia League play. The Harrisonburg Turks hosted home minor league games at the Harrisonburg High School Field. History Harrisonburg briefly hosted minor league baseball in 1914. The Staunton Lunatics of the Class D level Virginia Mountain League, moved to Harrisonburg on July 21, 1914, with a 15–22 record. The team finished the season with an overall record of 26–32, ending the season in last place of the four-team league, while playing the season under managers Davey Crockett and Pat Krebs. In 1939, minor league baseball returned to Harrisonburg, when the Virginia League was reformed. The league began play as a four–team Class D level league. The Harrisonburg "Turks" joined the Lynchburg Grays, Salem-Roanoke Friends and Staunton Presidents teams in resuming Virginia League play. The Virginia League had most recently played decades earlier in 1900. The "Turks" nickname corresponds to local history and native species. Harrisonburg is located in Rockingham County, Virginia and within the Shenandoah Valley. The area has a long history of poultry production, including turkeys. Harrisonburg hosts the Virginia Poultry Industry Museum.