Established 1948

Donnie Lee (right) was the NBC World Series 1954 MVP

The Cotton Kings were founded in 1948 by Dr. John Singh as a semi-professional baseball team for a small farming community. The Cotton Kings were revered for both their on-field performance and their sportsmanship. They played in league with teams from all over the state with the champion receiving a berth the National Baseball Congress (NBC) World Series in Wichita, Kansas where all semi-professional teams at the time competed for a hands-down national title. The Cotton Kings won 10 consecutive state championship titles and represented themselves and Arizona well in the NBC World Series finishing as high as 7th in the 40+ team tournament. 

Growing up in Casa Grande, Cotton Kings General Manager Joseph Walter, heard talk of the  Cotton Kings and their  reputation as being hard-nosed, fundamentally-sound representatives of the community on a national level. While playing summer ball during his collegiate playing career at Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, TX he came across an article about the Cotton Kings  in Sports Arizona (now a strictly online publication) and realized how important it was to bring them back. After more than forty years since the last pitch was thrown Walter resurrected the Cotton Kings with the blessing of founder John Singh with the stipulation “You’d better have good pitching”.  The first few years were a work-in-progress as several Cotton Kings experienced individual success, many of whom have gone on to play professionally, but the team experienced little success collectively. That all changed in 2007 when a dedicated core group of returning Cotton Kings from the previous season, along with a talented bunch of new comers helped the Cotton Kings make their way back to the hallowed grounds of Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, Kansas by earning a berth to the very tournament their predecessors made 10 consecutive appearances.  The Cotton Kings have gone on to make five consecutive trips since. 

Ashton McCoy (Emporia State) became the first Casa Grande Cotton King in over 50 years to be named to the NBC World Series All-American team. Ashton hit a stellar .450 clip while delivering in some of the most clutch situations. His two-run single tied up contest against the eventual two-time champion Santa Barbara Foresters in the seventh inning and his triple in the top of the 10th inning against the Topeka (KS) Golden Giants proved to be the game winner. Great job Ashton!