Thirty years after Meridian last had a baseball team to call its own, the Queen City will spend the first weekend of August hosting a championship.
The Meridian Blues’ inaugural season could hardly have produced a better script.
A franchise that existed only as an idea several months ago finished its first regular season with a 32-19 record, placed second in the six-team Mid-America League and earned the right to play for a championship on its home field. Scaggs Field at Meridian Community College will host the league’s three-team postseason from Friday, July 31, through Sunday, August 2.
For Meridian, however, this weekend represents more than a few additional baseball games. It is proof that summer baseball still has a home in East Mississippi.
The Blues are Meridian’s first team since the Meridian Brakemen played during the 1996 and 1997 seasons. When the Blues took the field May 21, they brought organized summer baseball back to the city for the first time in nearly three decades. Meridian did not simply welcome baseball back. The city embraced it.
The Mid-America League’s official statistics portal listed the Blues first in both reported total home attendance and average attendance during the season, good enough to host the Championship Game for the Mid-American League.
From Expansion Team to Championship Contender
Expansion teams are not supposed to look this comfortable this quickly.
The Blues had to assemble a front office, coaching staff and roster while introducing an unfamiliar league to local fans. General manager Larry Gill, a Meridian native and graduate of both Meridian High School and Meridian Community College, helped give the organization an immediate local connection. Gill also serves as president of the Meridian Youth Baseball Association, making the franchise’s relationship with area families and young players an important part of its identity.
On the field, the Blues gradually developed into one of the Mid-America League’s most consistent teams. The Blues finished 32-19, a .627 winning percentage, and ended the regular season 12 games behind the powerful Nacogdoches Niners. Although the Niners were the league’s dominant team, Meridian separated itself from the rest of the standings and secured the No. 2 seed.
The Blues’ offense provided much of that success. During the final portion of the season, the club had a team batting average above .280, an on-base percentage above .420 and more than 300 runs scored. The Blues consistently placed runners on base, extended innings and forced opponents to work through deep lineups.
That balanced approach became particularly dangerous during the second half of the summer. Meridian put together several lengthy winning streaks and entered the final weeks playing some of its best baseball. The Blues won with big offensive innings, aggressive baserunning and a pitching staff capable of protecting leads.
The Meridian Blues brought together players from across the country, but some of the biggest stories belonged to players with local ties.
Former Southeast Lauderdale standout LeDarious Clark quickly became a fan favorite in his return home. A 12th-round pick of the Texas Rangers in the 2015 MLB Draft, Clark brought years of professional experience to Meridian and became one of the Blues’ most dangerous hitters. His four-hit, four-RBI performance in a 12-2 win over Piney Woods was one of the highlights of the season.
The Blues also received key contributions from Sandrys Hernandez, Hank Eaton, Jace Christian, Ryan Brunetz, Ryan Ratajczak and Mason McMillen, while Miguel Tejada Jr. added another recognizable name to the roster. Tejada Jr. is the son of former American League MVP and six-time MLB All-Star Miguel Tejada, who starred with the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles during a 16-year Major League career.
Major League Experience in the Dugout
The Blues also had one of the most recognizable managers in summer baseball.
Mickey Callaway arrived in Meridian with more than two decades of experience as a Major League player, pitching coach and manager.
A native of Memphis, Callaway pitched at Ole Miss before reaching the majors with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, Anaheim Angels and Texas Rangers. He later built his reputation as a pitching coach in the Cleveland organization. From 2013 through 2017, Callaway served as Cleveland’s Major League pitching coach, helping oversee a staff that led the American League in earned-run average during that span and reached the 2016 World Series.
Callaway became manager of the New York Mets in 2018. He posted a 163-161 record over two seasons, including an 86-76 finish in 2019, before later serving as pitching coach of the Los Angeles Angels. That background provided Meridian’s young players with instruction from someone who had experienced nearly every level of professional baseball.
Before Opening Day, Callaway said he wanted the Blues to show Meridian what high-level baseball looked like. He emphasized throwing strikes, playing fundamentally sound baseball and representing the organization correctly within the community.
The results suggest his message connected.
Meridian did not play like a collection of players assembled for one summer. The Blues developed an identity, remained in second place behind Nacogdoches and gave themselves an opportunity to finish their inaugural year with a championship.
A Unique Three-Team Playoff
The Mid-America League’s postseason format creates a busy and potentially unpredictable weekend. Only three teams qualified: the No. 1 Nacogdoches Niners, No. 2 Meridian Blues and No. 3 Bryan Yard Dogs.
Instead of a traditional best-of-three semifinal, the three clubs will play a round-robin schedule at Scaggs Field. Meridian opens the postseason Friday night against Nacogdoches. Bryan then plays two games Saturday, facing Nacogdoches in the afternoon and Meridian Saturday night. The two teams with the best results advance to Sunday afternoon’s championship game.
The format makes Friday’s opener important, but it does not necessarily eliminate either team from contention. Run prevention, pitching depth and tiebreaker scenarios could become factors if all three teams finish the round-robin portion with identical records.
For Meridian, the most important advantage may be familiarity.
The Blues know the dimensions of Scaggs Field. They know how the ball carries, how the artificial infield plays and how to use the spacious areas beyond the traditional seating sections. More importantly, they will be playing in front of the same fans who helped turn the organization’s first summer into a success.
The Niners remain the tournament favorite after controlling the league standings, but Meridian has already accomplished something significant.
Baseball returned to the Queen City. Fans responded. The Blues won 32 games, finished second in the league and turned Scaggs Field into a legitimate summer baseball destination.
Now the first season in Meridian Blues history has reached its final weekend.
Thirty years after the city’s previous team disappeared, Meridian once again has championship baseball.
2026 MID-AMERICA LEAGUE PLAYOFF INFORMATION
Venue: Scaggs Field at Meridian Community College
Location: 910 Highway 19 North, Meridian, Mississippi
Teams: Nacogdoches Niners, Meridian Blues and Bryan Yard Dogs
Format: Three-team round robin; the top two teams advance to the championship game
Friday, July 31
Nacogdoches Niners vs. Meridian Blues
First Pitch: 7 p.m.
Saturday, August 1
Bryan Yard Dogs vs. Nacogdoches Niners
First Pitch: 4 p.m.
Bryan Yard Dogs vs. Meridian Blues
First Pitch: 7 p.m.
Sunday, August 2
Mid-America League Championship Game
First Pitch: 2 p.m.
Tickets: Available through the Meridian Blues’ official website: Minor League Baseball | Meridian Blues
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