History on the Line as Trash Pandas, Shuckers Open Southern League Championship Series on Sunday

MADISON, AL – Two wins from their first Southern League championship, the Rocket City Trash Pandas will open the best-of-three Championship Series against the Biloxi Shuckers on Sunday, September 20, at Keesler Federal Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm CT, with right-hander Nate Snead set to start for Rocket City.

After Sunday's opener and a travel day Monday, the championship will be decided at Toyota Field. The Trash Pandas host Game 2 on Tuesday, September 22, and Game 3, if necessary, on Wednesday, September 23. The playoffs are presented by Parsons, and tickets are on sale now at TPTix.com.

"This doesn't happen all the time, and that's why I want our guys to really enjoy it," manager Joe Kruzel said. "If any team I've ever been around deserves this success, it's this one. To turn things around after having the worst record in Minor League Baseball—it's an incredible story, and a credit to what these players and coaches are doing."

The championship berth marks the latest achievement in Rocket City's remarkable turnaround. One season after finishing 45-92, the Trash Pandas improved by 27 wins to finish 72-65, captured the North Division's second-half crown and swept Knoxville to earn their first trip to the finals.

Rocket City defeated the Smokies 9-2 in the Division Series opener at Toyota Field before securing the North Division title with a 13-3 victory Thursday in Knoxville. The Trash Pandas never trailed during the sweep, outscoring Knoxville 22-5 and reversing the outcome of their first postseason appearance in 2022, when the Smokies eliminated Rocket City in three games.

Now, the Trash Pandas have an opportunity to bring an outright Southern League championship to the Huntsville area for the first time since 1994.

The opponent makes that opportunity especially meaningful. Biloxi's franchise played as the Huntsville Stars from 1985 through 2014 before relocating to Mississippi for the 2015 season. The team that once represented North Alabama will face the club now carrying the region's championship hopes.

Tuesday's game will mark the return of Southern League Championship Series baseball to the Huntsville area for the first time since 2007, when the Stars faced Montgomery in a five-game final. Huntsville last won an outright title in 1994 against Carolina and shared the 2001 championship with Jacksonville after the finals were canceled following the September 11 attacks.

Rocket City is also pursuing a milestone for the Angels organization. The Trash Pandas are the first Angels Double-A affiliate to reach a championship series since Arkansas advanced to the Texas League finals in 2013. A Rocket City victory would deliver the organization's first Double-A championship since the Travelers won the Texas League in 2008.

This matchup marks only the third Southern League Championship Series featuring two teams seeking their first league title, joining Knoxville-Jacksonville in 1974 and Chattanooga-Greenville in 1988. The winner will become the 24th different team to claim a Southern League championship and the first new champion since 2017.

The matchup also represents the first postseason meeting between the Angels' and Brewers' Double-A affiliates since the 1991 Texas League Division Series, when El Paso swept Midland, two games to none.

Rocket City enters the finals with an offense that has continued to build on its strong September finish. The Trash Pandas hit 24 home runs and scored 85 runs over their final 12 regular-season games, then launched six more homers in the two-game sweep of Knoxville. Arjun Nimmala, who finished the regular season with seven September home runs in 11 games, homered in both Division Series contests.

As a team, the Trash Pandas batted .324 against Knoxville with a .412 on-base percentage, .690 slugging percentage and 1.102 OPS. Thirteen of their 23 hits went for extra bases, including six doubles, a triple and six home runs. Five different Rocket City hitters cleared the fence.

Jacob Cozart led the club with five hits in nine at-bats, finishing the Division Series with a .556 average, a double, a home run, four RBI and three runs scored. Eddie Micheletti Jr. went 4-for-8 with a double, a homer, and a team-leading five RBI. Both posted a 1.556 OPS.

Nimmala collected three extra-base hits and 10 total bases, while Caleb Bartolero batted .429 with a double, a homer, and four runs scored. Jake Thompson went 4-for-9 with a double, a triple, and two RBI, giving Rocket City four hitters who batted better than .400 during the sweep.

The Trash Pandas also created opportunities beyond their extra-base production. Tucker Flint reached base in six of nine plate appearances, combining a home run with three walks and two hit-by-pitches. He scored four runs and posted a .667 on-base percentage. Nick Rodriguez added three walks and three runs scored.

The pitching staff matched that production by limiting Knoxville to five runs and a .194 batting average over 18 innings. Trash Pandas pitchers struck out 20 and posted a 2.50 ERA in the Division Series.

Austin Gordon earned the victory in the clincher with five scoreless innings, scattering five hits and a walk while striking out four. Tyler Bremner worked five innings in the opener, allowing two runs on three hits with four strikeouts. Together, the starters held Knoxville to two runs over 10 innings.

The bullpen supplied several dominant performances of its own. Camden Minacci retired all six batters he faced across two appearances, striking out four. Lucas Mahlstedt allowed one hit and no walks while recording four strikeouts over two scoreless innings. Kenyon Yovan added a perfect inning. The three combined to allow just one baserunner in five innings.

Snead will make his first appearance of the postseason Sunday after Bremner and Gordon handled the Division Series starts. A victory in Biloxi would give Rocket City two opportunities to clinch the championship in front of its home crowd.

Standing in the way is a Shuckers team that also swept its opening-round opponent. Biloxi defeated Pensacola in two games to reach the championship round for the first time since 2019. This will be the first postseason meeting between the Shuckers and Trash Pandas.

Biloxi scored 14 runs against Pensacola, batting .286 with a .398 on-base percentage, four doubles, four home runs and 13 walks. Matthew Wood led the offense by going 4-for-7 with a double, a homer and six RBI, posting a 1.810 OPS.

Mike Boeve reached base in six of eight plate appearances, collecting three hits and three walks. Damon Keith went 3-for-8 with a double, a home run and two RBI, while Jesús Made, MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect, contributed three hits, a homer, three runs scored and two RBI without striking out. Dylan O'Rae added three walks and two stolen bases, and Braylon Payne also homered.

Rocket City's power will face a Biloxi staff that did not allow an extra-base hit in the Division Series. All 18 hits surrendered by Shuckers pitchers were singles, and the staff finished the round with a 3.00 ERA and 15 strikeouts over 18 innings.

Bishop Letson and J.D. Thompson each earned a win with five innings of one-run pitching. Thompson allowed two hits and two walks with four strikeouts, while Letson yielded six hits and three walks and also struck out four. Stiven Cruz recorded a save with 2⅓ scoreless innings, and Ryan Birchard earned the other save with a perfect inning that included two strikeouts.

The matchup between Rocket City's extra-base production and Biloxi's ability to limit damage will be a central factor in the series. The Trash Pandas collected 13 extra-base hits in the opening round; the Shuckers have yet to surrender one.

Biloxi is making its fourth championship appearance after reaching the finals in 2015, 2018 and 2019. Its inaugural season included a 54-game road trip while the ballpark was being completed, followed by a 78–59 regular-season finish and a trip to the championship round.

A Shuckers championship would also be Milwaukee's first outright Double-A title since El Paso won in 1994. The Brewers' most recent Double-A championship was the shared title earned by Huntsville in 2001.

For Rocket City, however, the focus is on finishing a season that has already established a new standard for postseason success. The Trash Pandas have earned their first playoff series victory, their first North Division championship, and their first opportunity to play for the Southern League title.

Fans can secure seats for Game 2 on Tuesday, September 22, and Game 3 on Wednesday, September 23, if necessary, at TPTix.com, through the Wicks Family Foundation Box Office at Toyota Field, or by calling (256) 325-1403.

Historical research contributed by Matt Birch and Javik Blake. Postseason statistics reflect the completed Division Series.

ABOUT THE ROCKET CITY TRASH PANDAS

Owned and operated by BallCorps, LLC, the Rocket City Trash Pandas are the proud Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels in the Southern League. The Trash Pandas play at state-of-the-art Toyota Field in Madison, Alabama. The organization's mission is to unite its communities by creating positive and lasting memories, one experience at a time.