The Ballinger Cats were a Longhorn League

Longhorn League

The Longhorn League was the name of a Minor league baseball circuit that operated from through in the Southwestern United States. In , it was renamed the Southwestern League and operated through before changing its name to the Sophomore League....

 baseball team based in Ballinger, Texas

Ballinger, Texas

Ballinger is a small town in the heart of Texas. Ballinger holds itself as county seat of Runnels County, Texas, United States. The population was 4,243 at the 2000 census...

, USA that played from 1947 to 1950. They were affiliated with the Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds are a Major League Baseball team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the National League Central Division. The club was established in 1882 as a charter member of the American Association and joined the National League in 1890....

 in 1948. As well, they played their home games at Ballinger Rec. Park that season. In their first year of existence, 1947, they won the league championship under manager Stuart Williams.

Multiple major league players spent time either playing and/or managing for the team, including Bill Atwood

Bill Atwood

William Franklin Atwood is a former Major League Baseball catcher. He was born on September 25, 1911 in Rome, Georgia. Bill attended college at Hardin-Simmons University. In 342 career games between 1936 and 1940, Atwood had 220 hits in 961 at bats, all for the Philadelphia Phillies. He died on...

, Lindsay Brown

Lindsay Brown

John Lindsay Brown , is a former professional baseball player who played shortstop in the major leagues for the 1937 Brooklyn Dodgers.-External links:...

, Charlie English

Charlie English

Charles Dewie English was a third baseman in Major League Baseball. He played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Giants.-External links:...

, Buddy Hancken

Buddy Hancken

Morris Medlock "Buddy" Hancken was an American catcher in Major League Baseball who played during the 1940 season. Hancken batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama....

, Roy McMillan

Roy McMillan

Roy David McMillan was a shortstop, coach and manager in Major League Baseball. From 1951 through 1966, McMillan played for the Cincinnati Reds , Milwaukee Braves and New York Mets . He batted and threw right-handed...

 and 46-year-old George Milstead

George Milstead

George Earl Milstead was a professional baseball pitcher. A left-hander, he played three seasons in Major League Baseball from 1924 to 1926 with the Chicago Cubs of the National League....

.

Ballinger was home of minor league baseball

Minor league baseball

Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...

 teams from the 1920's to its disbandment in the late 1950s. The Ballinger Browns were affiliated with the bygone St. Louis Browns in the 1930's and early 1940's. Today, the Ballinger Cats name is back but they are members of the Central Texas Collegiate League, a woodbat summer league of collegiate level players.