The Lakeland Pilots were a minor league baseball team based in Lakeland, Florida. Between 1946 and 1955, the "Pilots" played as charter members of the Florida International League before rejoining the Florida State League in 1953. The Lakeland Highlanders preceded the Pilots in minor league play as charter members of the 1919 Florida State League and were the first minor league team in the city, playing from 1919 to 1926. Lakeland won Florida State League championships in 1924 and 1954.
After beginning play at the Lakeland Ballpark through 1922, Lakeland teams hosted home minor league games at Henley Field beginning in 1923. The ballpark also served as the spring training site for the Cleveland Indians initially and then the Detroit Tigers beginning in 1934. Henley Field is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and was named for the Lakeland team owner.
The Lakeland "Pilots" nickname corresponded to military pilots who were trained in Lakeland in the era. In the World War II era, thousands of U.S. Army Air Force pilots were trained in Lakeland at Lodwick Field and the Lakeland Army Air Field, then known as Drane Field. The school trained over 8,000 pilots, some of whom later flew for the U.S. Army's Flying Tigers in China. Today, the Lakeland Flying Tigers minor league team plays home games on the former site of Lodwick Field at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
History 1919 Florida State League: Charter membership Minor league baseball began in Lakeland, Florida in 1919, when the Lakeland "Highlanders" were formed and the team became a charter member of the six-team Class D level Florida State League. Lakeland joined the Bartow Polkers, Bradenton Growers, Orlando Caps, Sanford Celeryfeds and Tampa Smokers teams as Florida State League charter members. Since forming in 1919, the Florida State League has continued minor league play with a few interruptions and today the league is classified as a Class A level league. The 1919 Florida State League played a shortened season, beginning the league schedule on July 1, 1919.
The newly formed Lakeland Highlanders hosted their home games at the Lakeland Ballpark. The team played at the ballpark through the 1921 season before moving to Henley Field. The Highlanders were owned by local businessman Claire Henley, who served as president of the Lakeland Baseball Club, which oversaw operations of the team.
In their first season of play in 1919, the Highlanders ended the season with a record of 40–37. Lakeland finished in third place in the overall standings, playing the season under managers Bill Pierre and Hugh Wicker. Lakeland finished 8.0 games behind the first place Sanford Celeryfeds in the final overall standings. The Florida State League played a spilt season schedule, and Sanford won the first half title and the Orlando Caps won the second half title. Lakeland did not qualify for the playoff as, the final between Samford and Orlando ended in a controversial tie. The series was tied 3 games each and a seventh game was not played due to a "dispute." Lakeland Player-manager Hugh Wicker batted .134 playing the outfield for Lakeland. Wicker compiled 47 hits in 350 at bats on the season in his only career player-manager role.
1920 to 1926: Florida State League / Lakeland Highlanders The 1920 Florida State League added two teams to become an eight-team league in its second season as the Lakeland Highlanders continued their membership in the expanded league. The Daytona Beach Islanders and St. Petersburg Saints teams joined the league as the two new expansion teams and the Class D level Florida State League began its season on May 1, 1920. Jim Manes became the Lakeland player-manager in 1920, having served in the same capacity for the Charleston Sea Gulls of the South Atlantic League in 1919.
The Highlanders ended the 1920 Florida State League season in fifth place in the final standings. Lakeland ended the season with a 50–65 record, playing the entire season under manager Jim Manes. In the overall Florida State League standings, Lakeland finished 38.0 games behind the first place Tampa Smokers. No playoffs were held as Tampa won both halves of the split season schedule, playing under future Lakeland manager Tommy Leach. Lakeland player-manager Jim Manes batted .285 with 7 doubles and 0 home runs playing in 62 games as a catcher for the Highlanders.
Pitcher Paul Schreiber played for Lakeland in 1920 at age 17, compiling a 12–13 record with a 2.01 ERA while throwing 206 innings for the Highlanders. Schreiber made his major league debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers at age 19 and pitched in 10 total major league games for Brooklyn in the 1922 and 1923 seasons, pitching at age 20 in 1923. After a span of 22 years, Schreiber next pitched in a major league game in 1945 when he pitched in 2 games for the New York Yankees at age 42.
The Lakeland Highlanders continued play as the 1921 Florida State League was upgraded to become a Class C level league, but reduced by two teams. The upgraded league continued play as a six-team league after the Bartow Polkers and Bradenton Growers teams did not return to the league. The Florida State League began the season on April 21, 1921.
The 1921 Lakeland Highlanders played the season under the direction of five different managers: Joe Wall, Harry Swacina, Perry Wilder, Bill Zimmerman and Milt Reed.
Joe Wall managed Lakeland in 1921 to begin the season at age 47. Wall came to Lakeland after managing the Newport News Shipbuilders of the Class B level Virginia League in 1920. In his major league career, Wall played briefly as a catcher in 15 games for the New York Giants and Brooklyn Superbas during the 1901 and 1902 major league seasons, batting .300 in his limited play.
In 1921, first baseman Harry Swacina also served as a player-manager for Lakeland at age 39. Swacina had played in 1920, with the Columbia Comers in the South Atlantic League where he batted .315 in 117 games. Swacina had played in the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates (1907–1908) and Baltimore Terrapins (1914–1915), batting .256 with 1 home run in 322 career games. In 1914 with Baltimore, Swacina batted .287 with 90 RBIs and 15 stolen bases in 158 games for the Federal League Terrapins. After batting .307 for Lakeland in 39 games, Swacina played the remainder of the 1921 season with the Charleston Pals in the South Atlantic League.
Playing third base for Lakeland in 55 games at age 30, Milt Reed batted .321 for Lakeland in his player-manager role, also committing 22 errors. Reed played in major league baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals (1911), Philadelphia Phillies (1913–1914) and Brooklyn Tip-Tops (1915), hitting .227 in 68 total career games.
Born in Kengen, Germany, outfielder Bill Zimmerman managed Lakeland in his final professional baseball season at age 34. Zimmerman had played for the Jersey City Skeeters of the International League in 1920, batting .311 in 93 games. Zimmerman played in 22 games with the 1915 Brooklyn Tip-Tops alongside Milt Reed, batting .281 in his lone major league season.
In his final appearances in professional baseball, pitcher Percy Wilder compiled a 1–2 record with an 8.26 ERA while serving as the Lakeland player-manager in 1921 at age 39.
Despite their many leadership changes during the season, Lakeland finished in third place in the 1921 Florida State League, as the League played as a six-team league. The Highlanders ended the season with a record of 59–57, playing the season under the five different managers. In the final standings, third place Lakeland finished 14.0 games behind the first place Orlando Caps, as the league played a straight regular season with no playoffs or split season schedule.
Pitching for the Highlanders at age 40, right hander Bert Humphries compiled a 15–11 record for Lakeland in 1921, throwing 241 innings. In his major league career with the Philadelphia Phillies (1910–1911), Cincinnati Reds (1911–1912) and Chicago Cubs (1913–1915), Humphries had a career 50–43 record with a 2.79 ERA in 153 games with 45 complete games and 9 saves.
Outfielder Homer Norton played his second and final professional baseball season for Lakeland in 1921. Norton batted .309 in 117 games with 22 doubles and 5 triples and 1 home run in his season with the Highlanders. Norton became a college baseball and football coach and was serving as the football coach at Centenary College of Louisiana while playing for Lakeland, having begun coaching at the college in 1919. Norton later coached the 1939 Texas A&M Aggies football team to an undefeated 11–0 season, a victory in the 1940 Sugar Bowl and the team was named 1939 National Football Champions. In his collegiate coaching career, Norton compiled records of 143–75–18 (football), 49–43 (basketball) and 62–37–1 (baseball), coaching basketball at Centenary College of Louisiana from 1921 to 1926 and baseball at Texas A&M in 1943 and 1944. In 1971, Norton was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach.
The Lakeland Highlanders continued play in the 1922 Florida State League season and placed fifth in the six-team Class C level league standings. The Highlanders had a final record of 52–61, playing the season under player-manager Doug Harbison. Lakeland finished 16.5 games behind the first place St. Petersburg Saints in the final overall standings. No playoffs were held as the St. Petersburg won both halves of the split season schedule. Playing first base in 91 games as the Lakeland player-manager, Harbison batted .256 with 1 home run on the season.
At age 45, former major league player Tommy Leach was hired as the Lakeland manager in 1923, having managed in the Florida State League for with the rival Tampa Bay Smokers for the previous three seasons. Leach played in the major leagues for 19 seasons and played on the 1909 World Series champion Pittsburgh Pirates team. Playing shortstop, third base and outfield in his major league career, Leach played in 2,156 games with .259 average, .340 OBP, 2,143 total hits, 812 RBIs and 362 stolen bases in his career. Leach played with the Louisville Colonels (1898–1899), Pittsburgh Pirates (1900–1912), Chicago Cubs (1912–1914), Cincinnati Reds (1915) and Pittsburgh Pirates (1918). In 15 career World Series games, Leach batted .315 with an .872 OPS.
In 1923, the Highlanders began play at the newly built Adair Athletic Park, later renamed to today's Henley Field. Claire Henley was serving as the president of the Lakeland Baseball Club when the ballpark was built on a parcel land purchased from Dr. Pike Adair and the park was initially named after Adair. The ballpark was later renamed in honor of Henley in 1942. The new ballpark also became the host of the Cleveland Indians' spring training games.
Lakeland improved in the 1923 season while playing under Tommy Leach, finishing the season in third place in the overall Florida State League standings. The Highlanders ended the season with an overall record of 60–55 and no league playoffs were held. Lakeland finished 17.5 games behind the first place Orlando Bulldogs, who won both halves of the split season schedule. Lakeland pitcher John Luther led the Florida State League with 127 strikeouts. First baseman Bud Ammons batted .369 for Lakeland in 105 games, adding 30 doubles, 11 triples and 5 home runs.
1924: Florida State League championship
The 1924 Lakeland Highlanders won the Florida State League championship in a shortened season. With Tommy Leach returning as the Lakeland manager for a third season, the Highlanders compiled a 77–42 record during the season in the six-team Class C level league. Lakeland won the league championship, finishing ahead of the Bradenton Growers, Daytona Beach Islanders/Clearwater Pelicans, Orlando Bulldogs, St. Petersburg Saints and Tampa Smokers teams.