The Mississippi Mud Monsters — the brand new Frontier League club making Pearl its home — now has an official identity.
Team officials gathered at Trustmark Park on Thursday to unveil the club’s logo, using a ferocious-looking catfish as the main icon in the display.
“It is based on the legendary, larger-than-life catfish — you know, the one we all tell everyone we caught — that is lurking in Mississippi’s waters,” Mud Monsters Assistant General Manager David Kerr said. “It will bring waves of fun and ferocity to the field.”
One month ago, following the conclusion of the Mississippi Braves’ 20th and final season in central Mississippi, a new chapter of professional baseball in the Magnolia State began with the Frontier League, an MLB-partner league, announcing that it would be setting up shop at Trustmark Park.
Fans were given three options and a little over a week to vote on a team name. Around 5,600 votes later, the Mud Monsters emerged as the clear favorite to define the new club. Now with a logo to compliment the team’s name, team management is eager to see the community become engaged with what will soon be a baseball product in action.
“Mississippi is a baseball state. That’s what we do. That’s what we’re good at,” Kerr said. “That vote proved everything that we’ve said from day one. Mississippi is super passionate about what we do and we have to get it right to make sure that this isn’t just a cool logo with great colors, which it is, but it’s something that fans will wear on their chest, on their hat, and be proud of everywhere they go.”
The Mud Monsters will make their debut in Mississippi in May. In the meantime, officials are working to name a team manager, finalize a schedule, and construct a team mascot, among a multitude of steps that will have to be taken in the next seven months.
Joseph Eng, the club’s owner, has assured that there will be a strong effort to bring in players from Mississippi to fill a bulk of the Mud Monsters’ roster and that the Jackson metro community will be the focal point of events at the ballpark.
“You’re going to see this whole notion of family, friends, fun, and affordable, especially in these times where we want to make sure people and families have an opportunity to have a fun experience in an affordable way,” Eng said. “That’s going to be key for us.”
Officials are working to create an online team store for fans to be able to purchase official Mud Monsters gear. The online store is expected to open up within the next two weeks, but for those looking to get merchandise early, team representatives will be on-site at Pearl’s City Park on Saturday during the Oktoberfest celebration.
