A rendering of MGM Park, Biloxi, Miss., located adjacent to MGM's Beau Rivage Resort & Casino.
A new state-of-the-art ballpark called MGM Park is slated to open in Biloxi, Miss., on June 6, giving the city’s sports fans an opportunity to enjoy their new Biloxi Shuckers minor league baseball team in style.
Stadium owners are excited the venue is near completion, said Ken Young, president and co-owner of the sportsplex.
“I think one of the biggest things is this community is getting a professional baseball team for the first time,” Young said. “Getting a professional baseball team for the first time will fit in very well with the Southern League.”
The Biloxi Shuckers are a Double-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers and started playing ball in April.
Young bought the Huntsville (Ala.) Stars last year with the plan to turn them into the Biloxi Shuckers. He said it was no secret that the intent was to move the Huntsville team to Mississippi.
Miles Prentice sold the team to Young, which helped move along plans for Young and Tim Bennett to build a new ballpark.
The 6,000-seat venue will be called MGM Park, thanks to a 20-year naming rights deal, Young said. And the stadium sits on 15 acres of land owned by MGM.
"I’m beyond excited. I don’t know if there’s a word out there to describe how I feel," said Tim Bennett, co-owner of the ballpark. "It’s huge because it’s located right downtown, and it’s huge for the downtown area business."
Bennett and Young started planning the ballpark nearly 11 years ago, but due to Hurricane Katrina and the recession, it never got off the ground in the timeframe they had hoped.
Biloxi is a casino town, and the MGM is a big player in the gaming business. The new ballpark is located next to MGM’s Beau Rivage Resort & Casino off Highway 90.
The $36-million, 455,000-square-foot venue will have 12 luxury suites, a Mercedes Benz Lounge that can hold 80 people, two party decks located on the suite level and 260 extra wide padded seats.
“Many of those will be sold via season tickets,” Young said.
The ballpark will also have a four-tiered party patio, and Ovations Food Services — a division of Comcast-Spectacor co-owned by Young — will exclusively provide all concessions for MGM Park. [Ovations name will change to Spectra Food Services & Hospitality in a rebranding initiative on June 2.]
“Down the right field line, we’re going to have a neat craft brew area,” Young said. “We are going to have a lot of regional food.”
That includes crawfish, lobster po’ boys and tons of Cajun food for baseball patrons.
“For me, it’s just a special time, and one to look at the fruits of everybody’s labor,” Young added.
The opening day will be a big deal for the Shuckers with many ceremonial activities taking place. Young said the governor or mayor might throw the first pitch.
More than anything, he’s excited about the fan experience on June 6.
“The neatest thing about the grand opening of a new ballpark is when people walk in and see the lushness of the grass, which is something they’re not used to,” Young said. “It’s exciting. I’m very fan oriented. It’s just an excitement to see the community excited.”
The MGM name was easy to come by due to the location of the ballpark, but the baseball team name was a little more complicated.
Last fall, the team revealed its name, which was selected after roughly 60,000 votes were cast in a month-long “Name the team” contest, according to a press release.
Ground broke on the new ballpark last January, and baseball won’t be the only event happening at the venue. Concerts and festivals will also be sought throughout the year.
Interviewed for this story: Ken Young, (813) 948-9965; Tim Bennett, (601) 212-7267