The name for the second collegiate league baseball team in Joplin was announced Thursday.
The Joplin Jailbirds will begin play in the MINK League this summer, with games to kick off May 29 on the road, followed by a home opener June 2.
The team mascot will be a bluebird — Missouri’s state bird — and the team announcement said the name pays tribute to Joplin’s “Wild West past” and the bluebird symbolizes “pride, resilience and hometown roots.”
“We wanted a name that was catchy, fun and had some tie into the history of Joplin,” Donovan Harns, general manager of the Jailbirds, said in a statement. “It is unique, it is fun, and it gives us a brand that fans can immediately connect with. We wanted something that honored the past while creating excitement for the future, and this does exactly that.”
The Jailbirds will play at Wendell Redden Stadium in Joplin.
David Schmoll, co-owner of the Joplin Jailbirds, said in a statement: “This team is about more than baseball. It is about bringing people together, celebrating Joplin, and building something special for families and fans of all ages.”
Ticket information and other details can be found at www.joplinbaseball.com.
Octavio Sanchez has been hired as the manager. He is a new pitching coach for Missouri Southern State University.
Other teams in the MINK League are the Nevada Griffons, the Chillicothe Mudcats, the St. Joseph Mustangs and another newcomer to the league, the North Missouri Nattys from Kirksville. The MINK league also has two Iowa teams, the Clarinda A’s and the Carroll Merchants.
The Sedalia Bombers and Jefferson City Renegades departed the League in 2025.
Joplin Outlaws
The Joplin Outlaws are the other collegiate team in Joplin. The team competes in the Mid-America League.
Cole Hill will be the manager. He is entering his second year on the coaching staff of Drury University, according to an announcement the Outlaws made last week. He serves as the Panthers first base coach. Hill played for the Outlaws during the 2023 season and parts of the 2024 season.
That Mid-America League announced recently the addition of another franchise, this one in Meridian, Mississippi, to begin play in the summer of 2026.
Besides Joplin, the league originally included the Abilene (Texas) Flying Bison, the Sherman (Texas) Shadowcats, the Texarkana (Texas/Arkansas) Rhinos, the Fort Smith (Arkansas) Marshals and the Piney Woods (Texas) TimberHogs.
Nick Weisenborn, commissioner of the Mid-America League, said recently Abilene and Sherman have left for a different league and Fort Smith will not be playing in 2026.
The Meridian announcement brings the league to eight teams for 2026 — Joplin, Texarkana and Piney Woods, as well as Fort Scott, Kansas, and Beaumont, Nacogdoches and Bryan, Texas, which were announced last year.
The Outlaws have claimed the Mid-America League championship each of the past two years.
Games begin May 21.
Ticket details and other information can be found at joplinoutlaws.com.
