Wilson Warbirds
Minor league baseball team in North Carolina
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Wilson Warbirds are a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Wilson, North Carolina, and are named after vintage military aircraft, or "warbirds," and for the region's history in aviation dating back to World War II. The team plays their home games at Wilson Ballpark, which opened in 2026.
| Wilson Warbirds | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Single-A (2026–present) | ||||
| League | Carolina League (2026–present) | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Milwaukee Brewers (2026–present) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles (0) | None | ||||
| Team data | |||||
| Colors | Navy, sage, antique white, bristol, smalt, red | ||||
| Mascot | Wilt the Warbird[1] | ||||
| Ballpark | Wilson Ballpark (2026–present) | ||||
Owner/ Operator | Milwaukee Brewers | ||||
| President | Joe Ricciutti | ||||
| Manager | Eddy Morgan | ||||
| Website | milb.com/wilson | ||||
The Warbirds were established in 2026 as the replacement of the Carolina Mudcats, who had been located in the nearby town of Zebulon at Five County Stadium since 1991, with the Brewers' decision to move largely based on funding concerns.
History
Creation
The Carolina Mudcats were a Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers that had played at Five County Stadium in Zebulon, North Carolina, since 1991.[2] In 2022, the Mudcats requested US$15 million from Wake County to renovate Five County Stadium to meet MiLB standards and attract fans.[2] The county, however, only agreed to fund the required expenses.[2] Later, on December 14, 2023, the nearby town of Wilson announced it was funding a $280 million development project, including a $70 million baseball stadium, later named Wilson Ballpark.[2] Appealing to the Brewers, they signed a memorandum of understanding with Wilson to relocate the Mudcats to the new stadium in a lease lasting 25 years.[2] Alongside the construction of the new stadium, the lack of funding from Wake County was regarded as a major reason for the Brewers' decision to move the Mudcats.[2]
On November 22, 2024, the Brewers organized an air show to announce the "Warbirds" as the name of the new team.[3] The air show saw around 500 attendees, and included three World War II–era warbird aircraft,[3] as well as a live band.[4] Brewers minor-league prospects Eric Bitonti, Josh Knoth, and Braylon Payne were also in attendance.[4][5] The name was chosen to represent the team because of the region's connection to aviation history. Thousands of pilots were trained in the area during World War II and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is located nearby. Wilson was also the hometown of whirligig outsider artist and former pilot Vollis Simpson.[3][6][7] In reference to Simpson's work, "Wilson Whirligigs" was the long-time proposed name for the team, and was only changed after a visit by branding organizer Scott Starr to Wilson, who believed the name lacked nuance.[3] The Mudcats played their last season in Zebulon in 2025.[8]
The 2026 season
The Wilson Warbirds played their first game on April 3, 2026, against the Fayetteville Woodpeckers at Segra Stadium in Fayetteville, North Carolina.[9] The game remained scoreless until the top of the ninth inning when Wilson's Filippo Di Turi came home to score on a ground out and Jadyn Fielder scored on a throwing error. Jose Meneses struck out the final batter in the bottom of the inning, sealing a 2–0 victory.[10] Their inaugural home opener was played on April 14 in a sold out game against the Hill City Howlers at Wilson Ballpark.[11][12] Two runs scored in the third inning and five more in the fourth were all the Warbirds needed to seal the 7–5 victory before a crowd of 3,700 people.[13]
Branding
The Warbirds' mascot is a red-tailed hawk named Wilt the Warbird.[1][3] This specific bird was chosen as it was the most common hawk in the region.[14] The team colors are navy, sage, antique white, bristol, and smalt.[3] The Warbird's away jerseys are colored bristol with a sage band, the alternate jerseys are red with a white band, and their three caps feature bristol, sage, and navy.[3][7]
Ownership
The team is led by the president Joe Ricciutti and general manager David Lawrence.[15] Since the Carolina Mudcats, the Milwaukee Brewers had owned the majority share of the team. In the weeks before the first Warbirds game, however, the Brewers began negotiations to sell their majority share to sports executive and long-time minority owner of the Brewers, John Canning Jr..[16] According to City of Wilson manager Rodger Lentz, the Brewers showed no intention of selling their share until Canning approached them about the deal.[16] The deal, if successful would still leave the Brewers with a minority share of the team.[16]
Roster
| Players | Coaches/Other |
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Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
60-day injured list
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