Sandersville Giants

[1][2][3] Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie McCovey played for the 1955 Sandersville Giants in his first professional season and led the Georgia State League in RBI.

[4] The Douglas Trojans, Dublin Irish, Eastman Dodgers, Hazlehurst-Baxley Cardinals, Jesup Bees, Statesboro Pilots and Vidalia Indians teams joined Sandersville in beginning Georgia State League play on April 20, 1953.

Playing as an affiliate of the Milwaukee Braves, the Wacos were managed by Gabby Grant, Parnell Ruark, Luscius Morgan and Julian Morgan, placing sixth in the Georgia State League and finishing 33.0 games behind the first place Hazlehurst-Baxley Cardinals.

[7] Jack Elias of Sandersville led the Georgia State League with a .332 batting average.

[7] Future Baseball Hall of Fame member Willie McCovey played for the 1955 Sandersville Giants and led the league in RBI.

McCovey hit .305 with 19 home runs and led the league with 113 RBI in 107 games for Sandersville.

We were the only two black players on that team and we had to stay in separate parts of town back then, so Ralph and I became good friends.

(1965) Hall of Famer Willie McCovey. As a 17–year-old in 1955, McCovey played his first professional season for the Sandersville Giants.