Kearney Nebraska was one of the charter members of the Nebraska State League in 1910. The league was a class "D" league with a salary limit of $900.00 and a player limit of 12 after May 28th. Kearney did not allow Sunday baseball in 1910.

The home opener for Kearney was an occasion for great celebration. In anticipation of the first game Kearney boosters took automobile trips to Riverdale, Amherst, Miller, Sumner, Eddyville, Callaway and Gothenburg to boost the team and the town. Governor Shallenberger, who played baseball for the Alma town team as a youngster came to throw out the first pitch to Kearney mayor John Patterson.

On the day of the big game all the local businesses closed their places of business and the local schools declared a holiday. An automobile parade was arranged and the governor was escorted by the Norris Brown Guards in full uniform. The Kearney Marine band and the Kearney Concert band provided entertainment.

The opening game featured Win Noyes in the box for Kearney. He held the Grand Island team scoreless for the first seven innings. Two errors and a couple of steals gave Grand Island two runs in the eighth while Kearney had managed two in the fifth and one run in the sixth. Starting the ninth Noyes was pulled in favor of Judson. Grand Island scored five runs in the ninth to win 7-3.

Most current sources called the team the Kapitalists but the Kearney Daily Hub spelled it "Capitalists" at the beginning of the year but "Kapitalists" by the middle of the season. The Grand Island Daily Independent called them the "Cotton Pickers".

The Kearney Jewelry Store acquired a silver baseball. It was prominently displayed in its store window and was promised to the player with the best batting average after 20 games.

As the season progressed Kearney was always in the thick of the Nebraska State League race. Of their sixty wins during the season 24 came while Win Noyes was pitching and nine others when Frank Green, who joined the team towards the end of the season was in the box.

Kearney Nebraska "Kapitalists" 1910 Roster:

Regulars:

Win Noyes was a 19 year old pitcher from Pleasonton Nebraska. He started the 1910 season with Kearney and his first game with Kearney with a shutout of Grand Island. He had fourteen strikeouts and yielded only one hit. For the season he was their leading pitcher, tossing a no hitter against Superior in July and he led the league in wins and strike outs.
He debuted in the major leagues in 1913, pitching for the Boston (NL) team. In 1917 and 1919 he pitched for the Philadelphia (AL) major league team.

Dr. Guy W. Townsend was the starting catcher for Kearney and was the manager of the team for the last part of the 1910 season. In the offseason he had a medical practice in Wyoming. He returned with his wife for the 1911 season. Conventional wisdom about town was that medicine would trump baseball and his career as a catcher would end with the 1911 season. He was 7th in the league with a .309 batting average for the year.

C. Murphy Manager of the Kapitalists at the beginning of the year and opening day center fielder. He played 57 games in the garden and had a .223 average. He played for Canton in the III league in 1909.

Homer Gray Started the year in the left garden. He played 91 games in the outfield and 31 at first base for the Kapitalists during the year. He averaged .275 for the year, second best amongst the regulars. He played for Kearney through the 1913 season.

Arthus Pagles was a stalwart in the infield for Kearney. Playing most of his games at short he played in a total of 101 games and averaged .254 for the 1910 season.

Ben Grant played in 79 games and averaged .241. He finished the season playing for Red Cloud.

The rest of the lineup for Kearney in the infield and outfield was pretty much a revolving door during the year. The only consistent players in the lineup were Gray, Pagles and Townsend. Four different players tried their hand at first, five at second and four at third during the season. Some of the other players included:
Frank Quigley Opening day starting third baseman. He played in only 22 games and averaged .222. He also played in 81 games for Red Cloud.

Jack Conroy was the opening day first baseman. He only played 15 games at first for Kearney and averaged .204.

Frank Boasen played right field for 36 games and averaged .164. He was from Norman Nebraska and he also played 28 games for Hastings.

Symodemis was the opening day starter at second base. In the 11 games he played in he averaged .070

Clarence Murphy started as manager of the team in 1910 He was replaced by Dr. Guy Townsend during the middle of the season. He played in 57 games and averaged .223.

George Majorkurth played in 57 games and averaged .177. He was from McPherson Kansas.

C. Clair started the year with Kewanee. He played 31 games for Kearney and averaged.209.

Bradshaw played in 20 games and averaged .259.

Leo Cook played in 40 games for Kearney and 62 games for Hastings in 1910. He averaged .288 for Kearney and .265 for Hastings.

Frank DeConley played 69 games for Hastings and 31 games for Kearney. He averaged .242 for Kearney.

A Downey averaged .246 in 36 games for Kearney.

Joel Ward played in 30 games for Kearney and averaged .171.

Pitchers:
Guy Balliett was 7-7 as a pitcher during 1910. He started his professional career in Decatur in 1904. He also played for Rockford, Dubuque, Bloomington, Oskaloosa, Lake Linden, Madison, Wausau, Lansing, Enid and Bartlesville before settling in Kearney for the 1910 and 1911 seasons.

McMahon was 4-6 for the year.

Frank "Hetty" Green was acquired by Kearney in August as a pitcher. The young man who started the year in the in Illinois Missouri League with Pekin, pitched a four hitter in his first start defeating the eventual league champion Fremont Pathfinders 2-0. He was 9-1 for Kearney.

J. Wright was 10-7 for the year.

Nebraska State League Standings 1910

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