Trustmark Park
- Name: Trustmark Park
- GPS-able Address: 1 Braves Boulevard, Pearl, MS 39208
- Ballpark Owner: Atlanta Braves
- Architects: HOK Sport (now Populous); Dale Partners
- Groundbreaking: 5/11/2004
- Minor League Baseball Teams: Mississippi Braves (AA) 2005-present
- Class/League History: AA/Southern League 2022-present; AA/Double-A South 2021; AA/Southern League 2005-2020
- First Professional Baseball Game: 4/18/2005; stadium debut of Class AA Braves
- Others Playing or Operating Here: None
- Previous Ballpark Names: None
- LF: 335 CF: 400 RF: 332
- Seats: 4,995
- Stated Capacity: 6,098
- House Baseball/Softball Record Attendance (as currently configured): 8,638, 4/23/2019
Trustmark Park, in Pearl, MS, is the home of the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves' Double-A Southern League farm team. Pearl's brick playpen is in a suburb of the market's largest city, Jackson, but its urban setting has the same feel as architect HOK Sport (now Populous)'s "downtown retro" signature design.
In the early 2000s, the big-league Braves were dissatisfied with the Greenville, SC, playpen of the Double-A club they owned and operated, the Greenville Braves. After all of their efforts to get it replaced or renovated failed, they funded the construction of Trustmark Park in the Jackson, MS, suburb and moved their farm club into the brand-new playpen in 2005.
The sequence is a familiar story Jackson had already experienced from the other side: In 2000, Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson proper lost the Texas League's Jackson Generals to an Austin, TX, suburb.
In 2007, the annual non-conference Mayor's Trophy game between the Mississippi State University Bulldogs and the University of Mississippi Rebels moved into Trustmark as the neutral-site Governor's Cup. That benefited both the series and the ballpark; Cup games have drawn Trustmark's largest crowds - topped by 8,638 for the 2019 contest.
Sod problems threatened the M-Braves' 2023 home opener. Two weeks after new infield sod was laid, the Rebels and the University of Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles began a March 28th game with seams showing in the sod. When, in the fourth inning, a pitcher fielding a bunt slipped and created a large divot, the game was called off.[1]. The grounds crew went right to work trying to repair it but within three days there was no grass on the infield and the opener was one week away. At that point, March 31st, the M-Braves announced the cancellation of their April 5th exhibition contest, the inaugural Hank Aaron Tribute Game, with the Jackson State University Tigers.[2] In something of a minor miracle, though, workers had the field ready for the April 7th opener.
Current ballparks in the Southern League | |||||||||
North Division | South Division | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AT&T Field | Regions Field | Smokies Stadium | Toyota Field | Blue Wahoos Stadium | MGM Park | Riverwalk Stadium | Trustmark Park |
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