After a prolonged delay, construction on the Biloxi Shucker team's home of MGM Park began in earnest in August. While progress has been swift since then, the (approximately) $36-million, largely city-funded facility won't be ready for the Shuckers' scheduled April 20 home opener.
On Feb. 5, the Shuckers announced their "provisional plans" for April and May. The Double-A Milwaukee Brewers affiliate's April 20-24 series against the Jacksonville Suns will be played in Jacksonville, with the Shuckers as the "home" team.
And from April 30-May 4, the team will play a five-game series against Mobile in their former home at Joe Davis Stadium in Huntsville, Alabama. The Huntsville Stars operated the franchise from 1985-2014. The Shuckers return to Huntsville for a 10-game homestand May 16-25, while the May 6-10 series against the Mississippi Braves will be played at the M-Braves' home of Trustmark Park with the Shuckers again serving as the home team.
Therefore, the earliest possible date that the Shuckers could play in Biloxi would be June 6, for a five-game series against the Mobile BayBears. Should MGM Park still not be ready by then, additional games could be moved to Huntsville. According to Mark McCarter of AL.com, Shuckers' ownership has a "lease with the city of Huntsville for the use of Joe Davis Stadium through the end of this season."
The Shuckers' front office, headed by former Huntsville Stars general manager Buck Rogers, must somehow balance the demands of marketing a new franchise while coordinating staffing and promotion of the games played in Huntsville. And lastly, when the Shuckers play their home games in the stadium of an opposing team, that club's front office must take on the demands of additional home games. A particularly onerous example can be found in Jacksonville, as the Suns now will open the 2015 campaign with a massive 20-game homestand.
The Shuckers' situation, difficult as it may be, is only a short-term concern. One of the items on the team's long-term agenda is for MGM Park to host international exhibition games featuring, most notably, a team from Cuba. Mary Perez of the Biloxi Sun Herald reports that Tim Bennett, who is part of the Shuckers' ownership group, has been negotiating for months with representatives from Havana's Industriales franchise. This is part of a larger "BIG" (Biloxi International Games) initiative, which also would include teams from all over the world. These global exhibitions would not involve the Shuckers.