Joplin Jailbirds to hold ribbon-cutting Tuesday

The Joplin Jailbirds will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. Tuesday, May 19, at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce, 320 E. Fourth St.

The Jailbirds are a collegiate league baseball team in Joplin that will begin play in the MINK League this summer.

Games kick off May 29 on the road at Kirksville, followed by a home opener June 2.

The Jailbirds are currently scheduled to play at Wendell Redden Stadium in Joplin.

Ticket information and other details can be found at www.joplinbaseball.com.

Octavio Sanchez has been hired as the field manager. He is a pitching coach for Missouri Southern State University.

The team also recently announced the addition of Nate Mieszkowski to the coaching staff for the upcoming season. Mieszkowski is currently in his first season as a graduate assistant coach at Missouri Southern State University following a standout four-year playing career with the Lions. A record-setting hitter during his collegiate career, he earned multiple All-American and All-Region honors in 2023 while setting Missouri Southern single-season records for hits and runs scored.

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.

After back-to-back championships playing summer collegiate baseball at Joe Becker Stadium the last two years, the Joplin Outlaws recently announced they will not be playing this season.