So, it sounds like we aren't playing a baseball game in Biloxi

[Todd4State]

In 2016. Kyle Niblett was questioning MStatebaseball about where he was hearing that on twitter. MStatebaseball sent him a link to the Sun Hearld article saying that we were playing a game there in 2016.

Here's what I think is going on:

1. We have our schedule for 2016 set already.
2. Because of that, if we play a game in Biloxi it's because they bought out one of our midweek road games or they buy out one of our midweek home games.
3. Tim Bennett, the guy who brought the team to Biloxi is jumping the gun and running his mouth assuming he can get it done. (He might be right)

Now, that said- I do believe that we will play games in Biloxi in the future and I think they will become a staple in our OOC shcedule. It just may not be in 2016. When Trustmark Park was built, it was a full year after the park was built and the Braves had been there for a year before we started playing OOC games there. And then a few years after that the Governor's Cup was moved there.

The Biloxi Shuckers people and the Brewers and the city of Biloxi need to focus on getting their minor league team settled in FIRST before they start trying to get the college games and etc. They really won't need the college games the first year anyway because new franchises typically draw well in year one. I expect it to be no different in Biloxi. And moving a team like that is a massive undertaking- even though it's just a AA team.

[State82]

Makes sense. If Bennett wants it bad enough he can probably make it happen. Obviously, it would be better if they bought out one of our midweek road games but I would be ok with moving a DNF game down there also on a weeknight just for the exposure on the Gulf Coast. Looking forward to seeing the final product down there when it's finished.

[Todd4State]

We will play games there in the future. It's to our benefit. Ole Miss and USM will play there too- and the peer pressure will force it to happen. But we also have contracts that we have to obligate.

The thing is, when Bennett doesn't realize how expensive and difficult it is to buy out a home game from a SEC team I don't think. We do have a loyal core of fans that do go to every game in Starkville- and they do have to be considered at some point in the equation. The games that he used to buy out and move to Trustmark Park were road games for us. It's a lot easier and cheaper to buy out a game from Samford, Lousiana Tech, or Louisiana Monroe than it is MSU. And back when Bennett came on the scene we used to play more road games and more midweek games than we do under Cohen. So, he had more options.

So, really the only option that I see happening is us playing South Alabama there. I just don't see us playing USM twice in a season unless it's a regional and the Mississippi Braves are not going to want to lose the MSU/USM and Ole Miss/USM games to Biloxi.

[Johnson85]

It seems like Biloxi would be a prime spot for an early season round robin type weekend. If not that, surely it would be easy to buy out an midweek away game. A Wednesday night MSU game (or UM game) would draw a better crowd than a midweek game in Starkville (or Oxford), so surely it would draw much better than any Wednesday night away game we might would play. If they could find the away games to buy, they could get a good draw for an MSU game, UM, USM, and an LSU game. Not sure how much money can be made off of a baseball game, but you'd think a team like USA could do well scheduling a handful of "home" games there each year.

[engie]

It seems like Biloxi would be a prime spot for an early season round robin type weekend. If not that, surely it would be easy to buy out an midweek away game. A Wednesday night MSU game (or UM game) would draw a better crowd than a midweek game in Starkville (or Oxford), so surely it would draw much better than any Wednesday night away game we might would play. If they could find the away games to buy, they could get a good draw for an MSU game, UM, USM, and an LSU game. Not sure how much money can be made off of a baseball game, but you'd think a team like USA could do well scheduling a handful of "home" games there each year.

Same thoughts. Knowing that area, they'll be willing to invest in making it happen too.

Play the 3rd weekend of the season down there in 2016 as a 4 team double elimination setup like a regional. Send invitations to LSU, FSU, Texas, Bama, TCU, etc. Try to make it one of the huge early-season tournaments in the country. Being this, it probably draws the SECNetwork, and they get to show off their brand new park in the heart of Biloxi in arguably the nicest area of Mississippi on national tv.

The national TV exposure would probably make it worth them throwing some real $$ at it...