by Talk Business & Politics staff (staff2@talkbusiness.net)

“Marshals” is the team name and mascot for the Fort Smith baseball team set to begin play in the new Mid America League this spring. The name and logo was unveiled Thursday (Jan. 18) during at event at the U.S. Marshals Museum in downtown Fort Smith.

According to Marshals General Manager Greg Kigar the new name was “easily the most popular” in a naming contest sponsored by the team. Other names considered included Lawmen, Judges, Gunslingers and Outlaws.

“The Marshals name is a great fit for the team, which includes the regional history of Bass Reeves, Judge Parker, and the U.S. Marshals Museum,” Kigar said in a statement. “The primary team cap will incorporate a unique star with an ‘F’ and ’S’ for Fort Smith, and the secondary logo is a rugged image of a marshal with cowboy hat and scarf. An Old West script will be utilized for the uniforms, incorporating Fort Smith on the road jerseys and Marshals on the home uniforms.”

Fort Smith baseball team adopts ‘Marshals’ moniker, mascot

by Michael Tilley (mtilley@talkbusiness.net)

The newly formed Mid America League has selected Fort Smith as one of six team locations expected to play ball in May 2024. A Fort Smith team owner or owner group has not yet been named, and Greg Kigar said public input will help select a team name.

Lawrence, Kan.-based National Sports Services and Ventura Sports Group created the Mid America League, which the two groups say is “a new premium baseball development league.”

League teams will initially be from Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Teams will play a 68-game schedule beginning May 23 and ending in early August. The league will conduct playoffs to determine champion. According to Mid America, the team selection is from regions with at least 100,000 population “with a solid business base, and will initially play in a combination of municipal and university facilities.”

Fort Smith to have a team in a new baseball league set to begin play in May 2024