The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team that plays in the Carolina League, a Single-A league, and is the affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. Founded in 1991, the team is based in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh. Their team colors are red, black, white and gray and their nickname, "Mudcats," is Southern slang for catfish.
Since their inception, the Mudcats have played their home games at Five County Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of 6,500 fans and is named after its location near the convergence of five counties: Wake, Nash, Johnston, Franklin, and Wilson. Zebulon was chosen as the host city for the stadium due to its location -- placing the stadium as close to Raleigh as it could get without infringing on the territorial rights of the then-Class A (now Triple-A) Durham Bulls.
The Mudcats have achieved notable success throughout their 30-plus year history. They won the Southern League championship twice, once in 1995 as the Double-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and again in 2003 as the Double-A affiliate of the Florida Marlins. In addition, the Mudcats won both halves of the 1995 season, sending them back to the playoffs with a franchise-best 89-55 campaign. They went on to win the Eastern Division title versus the Orlando Cubs, 3-2, before winning their first Southern League championship over the Chattanooga Lookouts, 3-2. Catcher Jason Kendall was selected for the league Most Valuable Player Award.
Since joining the Carolina League, the Mudcats have continued to achieve success. In 2019, catcher Mario Feliciano won the Carolina League MVP Award, and starter Noah Zavolas won the Pitcher of the Year Award. In the next season, the Mudcats placed second in the Central Division, and outfielder Jackson Chourio was voted the Carolina League MVP and won the league's Top MLB Prospect Award.
