Nashville Xpress
The Nashville Xpress were a Minor League Baseball team from Nashville, Tennessee, that played from 1993 to 1994.[2] They played baseball at the Double-A (AA) level, the second-most difficult level before Major League Baseball (MLB), against other baseball teams in the Southern League.[2] Their home stadium was called Herschel Greer Stadium.[3] The Xpress were partnered with the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. The team was named "Xpress" for the trains which ran along railway tracks beyond the ballpark's outfield wall.[4]
| Nashville Xpress | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Double-A |
| League | Southern League |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | Minnesota Twins |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (0) | None |
| Team data | |
| Name | Nashville Xpress |
| Colors | Red, navy, metallic silver[1] |
| Ballpark | Herschel Greer Stadium |
The Xpress began playing baseball in 1993. This happened after Charlotte, North Carolina, got a Triple-A team in 1993, leaving its Double-A Charlotte Knights without a home.[5] Nashville Sounds president Larry Schmittou let them use Greer as a temporary ballpark.[6] To make it work, the Xpress' home games were scheduled for when the Sounds were playing at their opponents' stadiums.[4] Schmittou was also in charge of running the team.[6]
The Xpresss left Nashville to temporarily play in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1995 and 1996. There, the team was called the Port City Roosters.[7][8] They got a home in Mobile, Alabama, as the Mobile BayBears in 1997.[9] The team stayed in Mobile through the 2019 season after which they moved to Madison, Alabama, a suburb of Huntsville, where they became known as the Rocket City Trash Pandas.[10]
Larry Schmittou ran the Nashville Express for two years.
The Xpress played their home games at Herschel Greer Stadium.
Greer Stadium had a giant guitar for a scoreboard.
Nashville Xpress Media
Eddie Guardado, was the starting pitcher in Nashville's first win on April 9, 1993.
Rick Anderson coached the Xpress' pitchers to a league-leading 3.40 ERA and 917 strikeouts in 1994.
Uniforms of the Nashville Xpress Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League (1993 to 1994)
References
- ↑ Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "Questions and Answers About Nashville's Double Play". The Tennessean (Nashville): 3-C. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31815086/questions_and_answers_about_nashvilles/.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nashville, Tennessee Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Herschel Greer Stadium". Stats Crew. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "Questions and Answers About Nashville's Double Play". The Tennessean (Nashville): 3-C. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/31815086/questions_and_answers_about_nashvilles/.
- ↑ Taft, Larry (January 23, 1993). "Before Team Can Come, Owner Must Be Decided". The Tennessean (Nashville): 3-C. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45220911/before_team_can_come_owner_must_be/.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "One Ballpark, Two Teams: Xpress Rolls Into Town". The Tennessean (Nashville): 1-C. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45221479/one_ballpark_two_teams_xpress_rolls/.
- ↑ "Wilmington Gets Team". The Tennessean (Nashville): 2C. February 8, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45483705/wilmington_gets_team/.
- ↑ "Wilmington Names New Team". The Nashville Graphic (Nashville, North Carolina): 1-B. February 15, 1995. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45484280/wilmington_names_new_team/. Retrieved February 19, 2020.
- ↑ "Southern Ball Back in Mobile After 27 Years". The Selma Times-Journal (Selma, Alabama): 8. April 15, 1997. https://www.newspapers.com/clip/45487183/southern_ball_back_in_mobile_after_27/.
- ↑ Ary, Patrick (September 5, 2018). "Rocket City Trash Pandas Chosen as New Madison Baseball Team's Name". WHNT. Retrieved April 22, 2020.