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New Waco professional baseball team to be called the Blue Cats

Posted at 9:50 AM, Nov 30, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-30 10:53:45-05

The Southwest League of Professional Baseball announced the new name of the Waco team on Wednesday.

The new Waco professional team with be called the Waco Blue Cats.

The league said that “blue cats” are highly sought after on the Brazos River. They are the largest species of North American catfish.

The winning team name was submitted by Steve Fischer, who won season tickets for life from the Blue Cats.

 “I am just so thrilled that Wacoans thought the name would be a great representation of the Waco market,” Fischer stated. 

Fischer said naming teams must run in his blood. His grandfather, Bill Neder, won a name the team contest when he successfully submitted the “Houston Colt 45’s” prior to the 1962 season.

“We love the name and the logo,” Mark Schuster, SWL President said.  “The chosen name met all three criteria for selection including the name having some tie to the Waco market, the nickname being unique to professional baseball team names and it’s a name that kids will embrace.”    

In October, the league narrowed the list to just five names from over 700 submitted. The names were Woolies, Mammoths, Peppers, Grackles and the Blue Cats.

The new Waco team will play in The Ballpark at Bellmead, a new $11MM stadium located just off Interstate 35 near Loop 340 in Bellmead, TX.  The stadium will feature seating capacity for baseball of 4,000.

The Southwest League will play a 112 game schedule with 56 home games and 56 away games.

Fans can buy official Blue Cats caps starting Friday, Dec. 2 at 9 a.m. on www.wacobluecats.com. The can also purchase season tickets by calling 254-709-2995.

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