Trustmark Park

Trustmark Park is the home of the Mississippi Braves, Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and is located in Pearl, Mississippi, USA. The ballpark, which opened April 18, 2005, has capacity for 8,480 fans.[1] There are 5,500 chair-back seats in the reserved seating areas. The grass berm beyond the outfield walls has room for an additional 2,000 general admission customers. On August 13, 2006 a record crowd of 7,652 saw the M-Braves defeat the Huntsville Stars 4–2.[6] The largest crowd to ever see a game at the park was the 2016 Governor's Cup in which 8,542 fans watched the Mississippi State Bulldogs defeat the Ole Miss Rebels, 2-0.[7]

Trustmark Park

Trustmark Park
Trustmark Park in 2005
Location	1 Braves Way Pearl, MS, 39208
Coordinates	32.27391°N 90.147969°W
Owner	Bloomfield Equities, LLC
Operator	City of Pearl
Capacity	8,480 [1]
Field size	Left Field: 330 feet (100 m) Center Field: 402 feet (123 m) Right Field: 332 feet (101 m)
Surface	Grass
Construction
Broke ground	May 11, 2004[2]
Opened	April 18, 2005
Construction cost	$28 million ($36.7 million in 2019 dollars[3])
Architect	Dale and Associates Architects, P.A. (Jackson, MS) Populous (Kansas City, MO)
Structural engineer	Structural Design Group[4]
Services engineer	I. C. Thomasson Associates, Inc.[5]
General contractor	W.G. Yates & Sons[2]
Tenants
Mississippi Braves (SL) (2005–present) Governor's Cup (2007–present) Conference USA Baseball Tournament (2011–2012)

The ballpark derives its name from the sale of naming rights to Trustmark Corporation headquartered in Jackson, MS.

Features

Trustmark Park features a 360° concourse that allows fans to circle the playing field without missing a pitch. The ballpark is in a recessed bowl with seating starting at the main level and proceeding downward. All support facilities face outward onto the concourse, thus spectators can leave their seats and not be separated from the game action.

Red bricks and exposed steel trusses reflect the feel of a historic ballpark, with modern-day conveniences. The scoreboard located behind the left-center-field wall includes a 16-foot-tall (4.9 m) and 21-foot-wide (6.4 m) video board that features everything from live action to instant replay to commercials.

The Farm Bureau Grill, beyond the right-field wall, is a full-service restaurant with a capacity for 200+ customers. The Farm Bureau Grill is open during games, and it is also open for lunch Monday through Friday year-round. The restaurant can also be rented throughout the year for special events such as holiday parties, wedding receptions, business functions, etc. There are eight baseball-themed concession stands that offer a wide variety of ballpark treats.[8]

22 luxury suites that seat between 16 and 64 fans are climate controlled and equipped with flat screen televisions, refrigerators, ice makers, serving counters and sliding glass doors that open up to private seating areas. Suites are available for yearly and nightly rentals.[9] The ballpark also includes a picnic pavilion located in the left field corner of the stadium and two party decks located on the suite level. The picnic pavilion can be rented on a nightly basis for groups of 100 to 350+ people. The first and third base party decks are also available on a nightly basis for groups of 30 to 50 fans. Many businesses host employee appreciation functions throughout the year.[10]

There are 150 closed-circuit video monitors positioned around the ballpark televising the game. A merchandise store and a kids play area is located at the main gate.[11] The team store is open Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM year-round.

The field dimensions are 335 feet (102 m) down the left-field line, 332 feet (101 m) down the right-field line, and 402 feet (123 m) to center-field. The playing surface is peppered with a maze of underground pipelines capable of draining up to 10 inches (250 mm) of rain every hour.

Events

In 2011, the venue hosted the Conference USA Baseball Tournament, won by Rice.[12]

It hosted the 2012 tournament, as well, which was won by UAB.[13][14]

Each year Trustmark Park plays host to the Governor's Cup, a neutral-site meeting between Mississippi State and Ole Miss. While both teams play each other on campus as part of Southeastern Conference play, this game is a non-conference matchup between the two bitter rivals that regularly draws capacity crowds. The tradition of a one-off game in the Jackson area has existed since 1980, when it was known as the Mayor's Trophy and played in Jackson proper: it was moved to Pearl when Trustmark Park opened in 2006 and thus renamed. As of 2020, the Bulldogs lead the overall neutral-site series 22-18, with a 9-4 lead in games played in Pearl.

References

1. "Mississippi Braves Stadium Information". Minor League Baseball. November 13, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
2. Knight, Graham. "Trustmark Park". Baseball Pilgrimages. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
4. "Premier Projects". Geopier Foundations, LLC. Archived from the original on May 18, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
5. "Trustmark Park Minor League Baseball Stadium". I. C. Thomasson. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
6. "Escobar Lifts Braves". Minor League Baseball. August 13, 2006. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
7. Bonner, Michael (April 27, 2016). "Bulldogs shut out Rebels in Governor's Cup". The Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, MS. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
8. "Farm Bureau Grill". Minor League Baseball. November 13, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
9. "Suite Rentals". Minor League Baseball. December 12, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
10. "Picnic Pavilion & Party Decks". Minor League Baseball. December 12, 2008. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
11. "Trustmark Park – Pearl, MS". Spectrum Capital. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
12. "2010-11 Conference USA Championship Schedule". Conference USA. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
13. "2011-12 Conference USA Championship Schedule". Conference USA. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
14. Stukenborg, Phil (May 27, 2012). "University of Memphis Baseball Team Falls to UAB in Conference USA Tournament Title Game". The Commercial Appeal. Memphis. Archived from the original on June 1, 2012. Retrieved May 28, 2012.

External links

• Mississippi Braves