Trustmark Park

Trustmark Park is a baseball stadium in Pearl, Mississippi. It is the home of the Mississippi Mud Monsters of the Frontier League (FL), an MLB Partner League. The ballpark was previously the home of the Mississippi Braves, the Southern League Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, from 2005 to 2024.^[7] The venue also hosts college baseball events, including the annual Governor's Cup between Mississippi State and Ole Miss, and has been used for concerts, festivals, holiday attractions, and community events.

Trustmark Park was developed as part of the relocation of the Greenville Braves, the Atlanta Braves' Double-A affiliate, from Greenville, South Carolina, to Pearl, Mississippi. A 2016 Bloomberg Businessweek article traced the origins of the project to 2003, when stadium developer and consultant Tim Bennett approached then-Pearl mayor Jimmy Foster about building a minor league baseball stadium in the city.^[8] Bennett did not initially have a team committed to the project, but later learned that Atlanta's Double-A affiliate in Greenville was nearing the end of its lease.^[8]

Bloomberg reported that Bennett, Foster, and John Schuerholz, then the Atlanta Braves' general manager, toured the proposed stadium site near Highway 80 in Pearl during the early stages of the discussions.^[8] Foster and Bennett later worked with Braves executive Mike Plant on a plan to bring the team and a nearby Bass Pro Shops development to Pearl, with the city issuing bonds to finance the project.^[8]

Trustmark Park broke ground on May 11, 2004, and opened on April 18, 2005.^[3] Construction crews worked two shifts, seven days a week on the new 5,500-seat stadium. The project was described in 2004 as a $20 million stadium, with Bloomfield Properties developing the property and W.G. Yates & Sons serving as general contractor. Planned amenities included corporate suites, dining and group activity areas, and children's play areas.^[9]

The ballpark derives its name from the sale of naming rights to Trustmark, a bank holding company headquartered in nearby Jackson, Mississippi.

The stadium was part of a broader public-financing and commercial-development plan in Pearl. Bloomberg Businessweek reported that Pearl raised $78 million through bonds for the stadium and surrounding development, with $28 million set aside for the ballpark.^[8] The article also reported that the city paid Bennett a finder's fee of more than $1 million.^[8]

According to Mississippi Today, state Rep. Ricky Cummings authored 2000 legislation that created a sales tax rebate program for tourism-related projects. Trustmark Park and the adjacent Bass Pro Shops development later received $18.9 million through the program, and Atlanta Braves officials cited the rebate program in 2004 as one of the primary reasons they chose Pearl.^[10]

The financing later drew criticism. Bloomberg reported that Pearl planned to repay the bonds through several revenue streams, including a ticket surcharge, sales tax from Bass Pro Shops, and a parking fee that was later replaced by a sales tax on a nearby shopping and restaurant district. The article also reported that Moody's Investors Service downgraded Pearl's debt rating in 2015, citing stadium-related liabilities.^[8]

Trustmark Park opened as the home of the Mississippi Braves, who relocated from Greenville, South Carolina, before the 2005 season. The Braves played at the ballpark from 2005 through 2024 before relocating to Columbus, Georgia, where they became the Columbus Clingstones.^[11]

The stadium has 6,500 fixed seats and a total capacity of 9,480 with lawn seating.^[1] The grass berm beyond the outfield wall can accommodate approximately 3,000 general admission spectators.

The largest crowd to attend a game at the ballpark was 8,638 for the Mississippi Braves' 2019 home opener on April 23, 2019. The previous record was 8,542, set during the 2016 Governor's Cup, when Mississippi State defeated Ole Miss, 2–0.^[12]

In August 2019, the M-Braves welcomed their three millionth fan at Trustmark Park during a game against the Birmingham Barons. At the time, the team said that 146 M-Braves players had gone on to make their major league debuts since the club's arrival in Pearl.^[13]

After the Mississippi Braves announced their relocation, the Frontier League awarded an expansion franchise to Pearl for the 2025 season.^[14] The new team became the Mississippi Mud Monsters, continuing professional baseball at Trustmark Park and beginning a new operating era for the ballpark after two decades as an affiliated Minor League Baseball venue.

The Mississippi Mud Monsters began play at Trustmark Park in 2025 as members of the Frontier League, an MLB Partner League. In January 2025, the Mud Monsters and Belhaven University announced a partnership for Trustmark Park to serve as the home of Belhaven Blazers baseball from 2025 through 2030. Under the agreement, Belhaven's NCAA Division III baseball team would use Trustmark Park for games, practices, and showcases.^[15]

In September 2025, the Mud Monsters announced that Trustmark Park would replace its infield dirt and grass with synthetic turf. The organization said Spectrum Entertainment would install Major Play Matrix synthetic turf covering more than 40,000 square feet.^[16]

The turf project followed several rainouts and field-condition issues at the ballpark, including an Ole Miss–Southern Miss game in 2023 that was cancelled during play because of infield sod conditions.^[16] Mud Monsters general manager Andrew Seymour said the new infield would help reduce rain delays and make the venue more usable for concerts, showcases, and community events.^[17] The project was part of a broader effort to make Trustmark Park usable for more events beyond baseball, including concerts, showcases, festivals, and community gatherings.^[17]

Trustmark Park features a 360-degree concourse that allows spectators to walk around the playing field. The ballpark is built in a recessed bowl, with seating beginning at the main concourse level and moving downward toward the field.

The ballpark's exterior and interior design include red brick and exposed steel trusses. The field dimensions are 335 feet (102 m) down the left-field line, 402 feet (123 m) to center field, and 332 feet (101 m) down the right-field line.

The venue includes 22 luxury suites, a picnic pavilion in the left-field corner, and party deck areas on the suite level.^[18][19] The ballpark also includes the Farm Bureau Grill, a full-service restaurant beyond the right-field fence that overlooks the playing field.^[20] The ballpark also includes a merchandise store, a children's play area, and closed-circuit video monitors located throughout the stadium.^[21]

The playing surface includes an underground drainage system that was designed to remove up to 10 inches (250 mm) of rain per hour.

Trustmark Park hosted the Conference USA baseball tournament in 2011 and 2012. Rice won the 2011 tournament, and UAB won the 2012 tournament.^[22][23][24]

In 2026, Trustmark Park was selected to host the MLB HBCU Power Series, a multi-day HBCU baseball showcase held in conjunction with Major League Baseball. The event was scheduled for February 12–15 and included Texas Southern, Prairie View A&M, Alabama A&M, Grambling State, Jackson State, and Alcorn State.^[25]

The venue annually hosts the Governor's Cup, a neutral-site baseball game between Mississippi State and Ole Miss. The neutral-site series began in 1980 as the Mayor's Trophy in Jackson and moved to Trustmark Park in Pearl after the ballpark opened. The game is separate from the teams' Southeastern Conference schedule and regularly draws large crowds. The 2026 Mississippi Farm Bureau Governor's Cup drew 8,223 fans and was announced as a sellout.^[26]

Trustmark Park has also been the setting for community and personal milestones. In a 2024 MLB.com story, David Kerr, then the Mississippi Braves' director of group sales, described a guiding idea for working in Minor League Baseball: "Every game is someone's first."^[27]

The article centered on Anna Leah Jolly, then Miss Rankin County and a Miss Mississippi candidate, who threw out a ceremonial first pitch at the M-Braves' 2024 home opener. Jolly had first visited Trustmark Park in 2013 as part of a group of children from Ukraine participating in the Joyful Journeys international hosting program. During that game, she met Kelly and Jay Jolly, who later became her adoptive parents.^[27]

Trustmark Park has also been used for non-baseball events and community programming. During the canceled 2020 Minor League Baseball season, the ballpark hosted alternative events, including target golf. The event featured a nine-hole target course with elevated tee boxes on a platform beneath the stadium's scoreboard.^[28]

In 2025, the ballpark hosted Main Street Pearl's Oktoberfest during the day and MonstoBEERfest, a ticketed beer festival, that evening.^[29][30] Later that year, Trustmark Park hosted The Southern Lights, a walk-through holiday attraction featuring more than 2.5 million lights, real-ice skating, fire pits, and train rides.^[31][32][33] The Southern Lights was also reported by WJTV as a holiday lights attraction at Trustmark Park in Pearl.^[34]

• Official website
• MLB | Minor League Ballpark Guide: Trustmark Park