Site last updated: Tuesday, March 4, 2025

Log In

Reset Password
MENU
Butler County's great daily newspaper

Class AA Biloxi embarking upon 55-game road trip

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Pitcher Brooks Hall won’t get on the bus without his noise-canceling headphones.

First baseman Nick Ramirez needs his PlayStation 4 and he makes sure there’s plenty of caffeine on hand.

Most players making a living in minor league baseball like Hall and Ramirez have a secret remedy or two for dealing with life on the road.

The Biloxi Shuckers are about to put those remedies to the test.

Over the next two months, Hall, Ramirez and the rest of the Milwaukee Brewers’ Double-A affiliate will embark on a scheduled 55-game road trip, one of the longest in recent memory.

The team is piling on a bus for a mammoth road swing through the Southeast: Pensacola-Mobile-Jacksonville-Pensacola-Huntsville-Jackson, Mississippi-Jackson, Tennessee-Huntsville-Chattanooga-Birmingham.

Welcome to the current life of the Shuckers, who play in the Southern League.

The franchise moved from Huntsville to Biloxi in the offseason, lured partly by the promise of a $36 million stadium. It is expected to a beautiful facility — eventually.

Due to various issues, including construction delays, it probably won’t be ready for two more months.

In the meantime, there will be a lot of bus rides, hotels and trips to Applebee’s. The expected toll: 60 straight nights in a hotel, 55 games, nine different cities and some frayed nerves.

The journey begins tonight when the Shuckers play the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

“It’s a unique experience and we’ve just got to adjust as we go along,” Biloxi manager Carlos Subero said.

“Honestly, the thing I’m most concerned about is the lack of privacy. Sometimes you need it. You might see a few guys walking around the local mall trying to find a little alone time.”

The extended road trip is a rare situation in professional baseball, though not entirely unprecedented. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees played their entire 144-game schedule away from home in 2012 because of stadium renovations.

More in Amateur

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS