# Mississippi Mud Monsters

The Mississippi Mud Monsters are a professional baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi. The Mud Monsters compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the West Division in the Midwest Conference. The Mud Monsters play its home games at the Trustmark Park, which was previously the home of the Mississippi Braves from 2005 to 2024 in the Southern League, affiliated to the Atlanta Braves.
The Mud Monsters were founded during the 2025 Frontier League expansion, along with the Down East Bird Dawgs, based in Kinston, North Carolina. After the 2024 season, the Mississippi Braves merged with the Columbus Clingstones after the Southern League granted them permission due to the Braves' respective financial struggles. The franchise relocated to Columbus, Georgia for the 2025 season and was renamed the Columbus Clingstones.

## History

On September 9, 2024, the Frontier League announced that it had awarded an expansion franchise to Pearl, Mississippi after the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A affiliate, the Mississippi Braves, announced their intent to relocate to Columbus, Georgia. With the addition of the new franchise, there will be professional baseball in Pearl for the 21st straight year, following 20 years of the Mississippi Braves.
The team is owned by Joseph Eng. Andrew Seymour was named general manager in December 2024. On January 13, 2025, the Mud Monsters announced Jay Pecci as their inaugural field manager for the 2025 season, then on January 20, 2025, the Mud Monsters announced their first three player signings for the inaugural 2025 season.

## Name contest

The team debuted with the name "On Deck 2025," the placeholder name until the name was chosen. Fans of the new team were given three choices for names; the "Mississippi Mud Monsters," "Mississippi Grits," and "Mississippi Soul Shakers." A name the team contest ran from September 9, and ended on September 26. It was announced on September 27, 2024 that the "Mud Monsters" was the winning choice with over 5,600 votes. The logo was revealed on October 10, 2024. The colors were revealed to be teal and aquamarine.

## Sources

* ↑ Simmons, Scott (September 9, 2024). "New baseball team coming to Trustmark Park as M-Braves leave". WAPT. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
* ↑ Bowker, Ernest (April 7, 2024). "Sports column: Take one last chance to appreciate the M-Braves before they're gone". The Vicksburg Post. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
* 1 2 White, Kristopher (December 4, 2024). "Mississippi Mud Monsters name general manager". WJTV. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
* ↑ "Mud Monsters sign Brayland Skinner as first-ever player". Frontier League. 2025-01-20. Retrieved 2025-01-20.
* ↑ "VOTE - On Deck 2025 - Trustmark Park". OnDeck2025.com. September 9, 2024. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
* 1 2 "The Frontier League Announces Newest Expansion Team In Mississippi". Frontier League (Press release). September 9, 2024.
* ↑ Gater, Harold. "New Trustmark Park minor league baseball team names proposed. Take our poll". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved September 9, 2024.
* ↑ Williams, Angela (2024-09-27). "Mississippi Mud Monsters coming soon to Trustmark Park". WAPT. Retrieved 2024-09-28.
* ↑ Thomas, Kasie; Busby, Garrett (October 10, 2024). "Mississippi's newest professional baseball team reveals logo". WLBT. Retrieved October 10, 2024.