Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Fort Smith team to be named Marshals
FORT SMITH — There are new Marshals in town, and they will soon be playing baseball in Fort Smith.
The Fort Smith Marshals, one of six teams in the new developmental summer collegiate Mid-America League making its debut season this year, officially announced its team name and logo Thursday night at a downtown event in the U.S. Marshals Museum. It was made public 66 days ago Fort Smith was getting a franchise and after a fan vote, the program finally found its moniker.
“We’ve been working really, really hard to get to this point,” Marshals General Manager Greg Kigar said. “This was by far the most popular name from the fans with 70% wanting this name. We are excited. The Marshals name is a great fit for the team, which includes the regional history of Bass Reeves, Judge Isaac Parker and the U.S. Marshals Museum. We have a name and we aren’t just the Fort Smith baseball team. To know the team is coming and talking to fans is nice, but fans don’t get excited until there is a logo and a name. Now the fun begins.”
It was officially announced Nov. 13 that Fort Smith would be host to a Mid-America League program. A fan vote then commenced following that. The team received suggestions from 30 communities in Arkansas and plenty of feedback from Oklahoma as well. Five names finished as finalists Nov. 27 with all having a nod to the region’s Western past: Gunslingers, Judges, Lawmen, Marshals and Outlaws.
The Marshals still have yet to announce where games will be played later this year, but a field has been secured and will be unveiled after negotiations are finalized, Kigar said. The franchise will play at an existing facility in 2024 and 2025 with hopes of building a stadium on Riverfront Drive for the 2026 season.
The primary colors of the team will be navy blue and yellow with the logos featuring a badge with Fort Smith initials and a mustached man sporting a cowboy hat and badge. In its inaugural season this year, Mid-America League teams are slated to play a 68-game schedule (34 home games and 34 away games) to start in late May and run through early August with playoffs to determine the league champion.
The six teams, which includes franchises in Abilene, Texas, Sherman, Texas, and White Oak, Texas, will have 40-man roster limits to allow for ample at-bats and innings while not creating excessive stress. Pitchers will be subject to NCAA pitch count regulations. Roster spots will also be available to players out of college looking to continue their career and high school players who have committed to play college baseball looking for further development.
The Marshals also announced the hiring of a manager in Steve Maddock, a director of operations in Jack Misterovich and a director of sales in Laura Asbill. Maddock, a Texas native, is a current high school baseball coach in Texas, played in college and spent 20 years in minor league baseball. Seven of those years came as a player and the rest were as a manager and a pitching coach.