One chapter in Mississippi’s professional baseball scene has come to a close with the Double-A Braves concluding their final season of play in Pearl on Sunday. However, it didn’t take long for officials to announce a new chapter would be opening for Trustmark Park.
On Monday, leaders gathered at the ballpark outside of Jackson to discuss the next phase of operations and announce a new team soon to call Mississippi home. On deck is a Frontier League club that will be making its way to the Magnolia State next spring. The Frontier League is an independent professional association that partners with the MLB.
The move comes after the Mississippi Braves, part of the Atlanta Braves farm system, announced in January that the team was relocating to Columbus, Ga. With the Braves’ departure comes a lot of opportunity, according to Pearl Mayor Jake Windham.
“When we got the news that the Braves were gone, automatically, it took us back. [Trustmark Park] is a paramount structure within our city. There is a lot of business and commerce that occurs around this,” Windham said, recounting a conversation he had with his spouse after the Braves’ final home game on Sunday.
“We were leaving yesterday and I didn’t think my wife wanted to leave. She had a teardrop in her eye when we were walking out, and I said, ‘Kristen, guess what? We’re still going to have baseball in Pearl, Mississippi. Not only are we going to have more baseball in Pearl, Mississippi, but we’re going to have more events here.”
“You’ve got an amazing baseball culture – two national championships in the last few years from two universities here in Mississippi,” Frontier League Commissioner Steve Tahsler said. “We are now going to have a platform where those players can develop themselves in the town or the area where they are familiar with and where they grew up to be able to showcase themselves to all 30 [MLB] organizations in one shop, with the goal of moving forward.”
In theory, having Mississippi players on the roster should advance popularity as the Braves were in the cellar of the Southern League’s attendance standings for the past few seasons. Additional help should come through Trustmark Park being further used as a venue for concerts and other community-driven events, as leaders promised on Monday. Opposed to Minor League Baseball in general, Frontier League has seen an uptick in attendance from 2022-24.
“2024 was the third straight year of record attendance in the Frontier League,” Tahsler added. “Of the 15 teams that were with us in 2023 and that stayed over to 2024, we went 15 for 15. Every single team increased their per-game attendance from 2023 to 2024.”
Mississippi’s newest professional club will be owned by Joseph Eng, who also owns the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the American Association. Eng is an experienced technology connoisseur and member of the executive team at Billtrust, a software company that provides automated order-to-cash solutions for various companies.
“There is a history here. There’s a history, not just with the Mississippi Braves for 20 years, but there’s this history of great athletes, great people, and these great young men,” Eng said. “These are young men who are determined to pursue their careers and their aspirations. It’s a great feeling to create an opportunity.”
The public is being summoned to vote on a team name with three available options: Mississippi Mud Monsters, Mississippi Grits, or Mississippi Soul Shakers. From now until Sept. 27, those interested in naming the team can click here to cast a vote.
Officials confirmed that the new Frontier League team in Mississippi is expected to begin a 90-game schedule on May 8, 2025, with the opening season concluding over Labor Day weekend.
