A new era of Biloxi Shuckers baseball begins Friday when the Milwaukee Brewers Double-A affiliate opens its season at home against the Montgomery Biscuits.
Not only will there be new faces on the team—including a new manager—but Shuckers Stadium will have a new look thanks to some upgrades and additional amenities.
The biggest change is that Joe Ayrault takes over as manager from Mike Guererro, who guided the Shuckers for seven seasons. Guererro is now a roving infield instructor for the Brewers.
Ayrault comes to the Shuckers after managing the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Milwaukee’s High-A affiliate.
Biloxi has a solid nucleus of 18 returning players from last year’s team.
The roster includes five of the top 30 players in the Brewers organization.
Among them are top pitching prospect Jacob Misiorowski; third baseman Brock Wilken, the No. 7 prospect in the organization; and shortstop Eric Brown Jr., the No. 12 prospect.
When Shuckers fans show up for Opening Day, they’ll also see a new look to the stadium.
“We’ve done a lot of fun things to the ballpark this offseason,” said Shuckers media relations manager Javik Blake. “One of the big things that fans can really look at when they get to the ballpark is all the brand-new renovations that we’ve done. The right-field berm at the ballpark is no more.
“We’ve put in Schooner’s Splash Zone presented by Gulf Breeze Landscaping. We put in a beach area and boardwalk. We’ve added shade structures for fans, which is really important come July and August and those hot summer months in South Mississippi.
“And we’ve also put in the brand-new tiki hut, which we’re real excited about.”
The Shuckers Shop has doubled in size and there’s also a new area for fans to hang out called Shuckers Plaza, located outside the stadium’s north gate and it will include wiffle ball, a retail kiosk, and food and beverage options.
“It’s almost a brand-new look this year for the ballpark,” said Blake.
Blake encourages fans to come out and support the team, which is in its ninth year on the Mississippi Coast and puts an emphasis on supporting the community, local sponsors, businesses, and vendors.
“We are Biloxi’s baseball team,” said Blake. “We’re the baseball team for the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the more we can help enhance that throughout the year is something we really look forward to doing.”
He said supporting community endeavors is important for the organization all year long.
“That community aspect is huge and is not lost on us,” Blake said. “Whether it’s the Heart of the Shuckers Community Fund, or whether it’s going out and having Schooner at local baseball games with little leagues and such.
“It’s vitally important and we’re real excited to continue driving home that community aspect and continuing to enhance our relationship with the community, whether it’s baseball season or it’s the offseason.
“We’re still making sure we’re doing things out in the community.”
Once again, the Shuckers have several special events planned throughout the season, including honoring military groups at Saturday games. There will also be the traditional Friday night fireworks and an Independence Day Blowout on July 3.
The first pitch for Friday’s opener is set for 6:35 p.m. and tickets are still available by visiting biloxishuckers.com.
