- After 20 seasons in Pearl, the Mississippi Braves are headed to Columbus, Georgia. But there’s still time to say farewell and catch some baseball at Trustmark Park.
It is the end of an era as the Mississippi Braves prepare to wrap up their final season at Trustmark Park in Pearl. Fans and families can enjoy many events during the last games through early September.
The Mississippi Braves take on the Chattanooga Lookouts this weekend to complete their six-day stretch.
Be one of the first 1,000 fans in the stadium tonight, and you’ll nab an Atlanta Braves pitcher Spencer Schwellenbach “Schwersey.” This is a navy blue Spencer Schwellenbach T-shirt jersey presented by the Mississippi State Department of Health, Office of Tobacco Control.
Plan to stay after the game to play Trustmark’s Dash for Cash. Ten lucky contestants will make a mad grab for $10k on the Trustmark Park outfield.
The TrustCare Kids Run the Bases will let the kids get their energy out on the field following the mad dash for cash.
Saturday is another game-day celebration and adds support of a cause to the evening. It’s Alzheimer’s Awareness Night at Trustmark Park. Join the M-Braves and wear purple to match their special purple jerseys, which will be auctioned off in a silent auction, with all proceeds going to the Alzheimer’s Association. Stick around after the game for a grand fireworks display presented by the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of Tony Bailey.
Sunday afternoon ends a weekend of America’s favorite pastime with a variety of promotions and events at the 2:05 p.m. game. Continuing this season’s Sunday tradition, “Join Us 4 A Jackson,” $20 gets you four field-level tickets and four 16-oz. fountain drinks. After the game, kids get to run the bases courtesy of TrustCare.
Saying Farewell to the M-Braves with a last Home Stretch
From Tuesday, August 27th through Sunday, September 1st, the M-Braves will be on the road to face the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.
The M-Braves return to Trustmark Park for the final time beginning Tuesday, September 3rd through Sunday, September 8th. Each game will provide even more family events to enjoy as fans catch the last home stretch of games:
- Tuesday, September 3rd – Dog Days of Summer: Fans can bring their well-behaved and socialized dogs to the game. Dog-related vendors will be present, and $2 hotdogs will be available.
- Wednesday, September 4th – First Responders’ Day/Web Wednesday: First responders get in free, sponsored by AMR. Purchase diamond, field, or club-level tickets online that day and get 50% off.
- Thursday, September 5th – Thirsty Thursday and Brews-N-Blues: 16oz beers and fountain drinks are just $3. There will be blues-themed music and a special look for the team on the field.
- Friday, September 6th – Mystery Giveaway/Dash for Cash/Run the Bases: The Trustmark Dash for Cash allows ten contestants to compete post-game to grab as much cash as they can! TrustCare Kids sponsors the tiny tots’ opportunities to run the bases after the competition. And for the mystery giveaway? You’ll have to go and see!
- Saturday, September 7th – Post-game Fireworks: Fans can stay after the final fireworks show to send off the M-Braves.
- Sunday, September 8th – TrustCare Kids Run the Bases/Join Us for A Jackson/Trustmark Park Commemorative Coin Giveaway: Just $20 gets four admission passes and four drinks on this final Sunday for the M-Braves at Trustmark Park. If you’re one of the first 1,000 fans, you’ll receive the Trustmark Park Commemorative Coin. The kids will run the bases post-game.
The final Mississippi Braves season ends on the road at Biloxi against the Shuckers, September 10th through September 15th.
Why the change?
In 2004, former Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour said that having the Atlanta Braves AA Minor League baseball team make its home in Pearl was a “home run for Mississippi.” The team had departed Greenville, South Carolina, for the Magnolia State after a twenty-year stretch.
After 20 seasons and the 2021 AA South Champions title, the pattern of departing after two decades continues as the Mississippi Braves head to Columbus, Georgia.
Trustmark Park will be left behind, having cost nearly $28 million to build. A column by Brett Kittredge in Magnolia Tribune previously reported that attendance waned as excitement faded, and now the average headcount sits at 29th out of 30 minor league games.
For more information about the Mississippi Braves, including stats, check out the team’s website at https://www.milb.com/mississippi.
Courtney Ingle
