1978 Peninsula Pilots Roster
Team Record: 90-49
Finished 1st in the CL
Manager: Jim Snyder (90-49)
Affiliation: Philadelphia Phillies
Location: Newport News, Virginia
Ballpark: War Memorial Stadium
Attendance: 34,343, Avg. 494
Playoffs - Lynchburg Mets 3 games, Peninsula Pilots 0
The Peninsula Pilots of the Carolina League ended the 1978 season with a record of 90 wins and 49 losses, finishing first in the CL.
The Pilots scored 704 runs, most in the league. Peninsula gave up 469 runs, the lowest total in the circuit. Ozzie Virgil led the squad with 29 home runs, and Nicholas Popovich walloped 15 or more also. Ozzie Virgil drove in 98 runs. George Vukovich paced all regular batters by hitting .311. Henry Mack and Marty Bystrom topped the team with 15 wins each, while Jose Martinez recorded a 2.07 ERA, tops among regular hurlers.
Jerry Reed, Bob Walk, Cliff Speck, Marty Bystrom, Ozzie Virgil, George Vukovich and Jay Loviglio were all players from the 1978 Peninsula Pilots who played in the Majors during their careers.
Jim Snyder served as manager.Click on column headings to sort.
| Player | Bats | Throws | Birth Date | Height | Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Armand Abreu | L | L | August 1, 1957 | 6'0" | 195 | |
| Daryl Adams | R | R | August 28, 1959 | 6'3" | 215 | |
| Glenn Ballard | R | R | September 20, 1957 | 6'0" | 185 | |
| Elijah Bonaparte | L | L | September 6, 1957 | 5'11" | 180 | Bronx, NY US |
| Chris Bouchee | S | R | July 17, 1955 | 6'2" | ||
| Marty Bystrom | R | R | July 26, 1958 | 6'5" | 200 | Coral Gables, FL US |
| Keith Gale | R | R | August 1, 1957 | 6'4" | 200 | |
| Joe Jones | R | R | December 15, 1956 | 6'2" | 193 | Phoenix, AZ US |
| Jeff Kraus | R | R | August 8, 1958 | 6'2" | 170 | |
| James Lasek | L | R | August 16, 1956 | 6'3" | 190 | |
| Ramon Lora | R | R | August 7, 1955 | 5'11" | 170 | |
| Jay Loviglio | R | R | May 30, 1956 | 5'9" | 160 | Freeport, NY US |
| Henry Mack | R | R | November 10, 1958 | 6'2" | 185 | Winchester, KY US |
| Jose Martinez | R | R | May 24, 1957 | 6'3" | 185 | Sabana Grande, PR |
| Ronald Mattson | R | R | August 22, 1954 | 5'11" | 165 | |
| James Nickerson | R | R | December 10, 1956 | 6'3" | 200 | |
| Nicholas Popovich | R | R | October 28, 1955 | 6'2" | 160 | |
| Jerry Reed | R | R | October 8, 1955 | 6'1" | 190 | Bryson City, NC US |
| Luis Rodriguez | R | R | November 16, 1956 | 5'8" | 168 | |
| Ronald Smith | S | R | 5'10" | 160 | ||
| Cliff Speck | R | R | August 8, 1956 | 6'4" | 195 | Portland, OR US |
| Ozzie Virgil | R | R | December 7, 1956 | 6'1" | 180 | Mayaguez, PR |
| George Vukovich | L | R | June 24, 1956 | 6'0" | 198 | Chicago, IL US |
| Bob Walk | R | R | November 26, 1956 | 6'3" | 185 | Van Nuys, CA US |
| Sammye Welborn | R | R | June 16, 1956 | 6'4" | 195 | |
| Larry Wertz | R | L | July 15, 1956 | 6'2" | 178 |
Average attendance is based upon the number of actual home dates where known (most leagues from 1992 and later). Where the number of home dates is not known, the average is calculated using half the team's total games.
