Before Carolina The Mudcats came to
Zebulon, North Carolina, by way of
Columbus, Georgia. From 1969 to 1990, Columbus was home to the
Double-A Southern League's
Columbus Mudcats. Following the 1990 season, team owner Steve Bryant relocated the club to the
Raleigh suburb of Zebulon, where it continued in the Southern League as the Carolina Mudcats. The team played at
Five County Stadium, which was named for its location near the convergence of five counties:
Wake,
Nash,
Johnston,
Franklin, and
Wilson. The stadium was as close to Raleigh as it could get without infringing on the territorial rights of the then Class A (now Triple-A)
Durham Bulls.
Pittsburgh Pirates (1991–1998) As the Double-A affiliate of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, the Carolina Mudcats played their first game on April 11, 1991, on the road against the
Greenville Braves at
Greenville Municipal Stadium in
Greenville, South Carolina, losing, 1–0. They earned their first win the next evening, defeating Greenville, 7–3. While work on Five County Stadium continued, the Mudcats opened their home schedule at
Fleming Stadium in
Wilson on April 19. They won their home opener over Greenville, 5–1, before 4,357 people. , home of the Carolina Mudcats|alt=A green baseball field with a dirt infield on a clear, sunny day The Southern League used a split-season schedule wherein the division winners from each half qualified for the postseason championship playoffs. Carolina did not win either half of their inaugural season. Overall, the Mudcats finished their first season with a 66–76
win–loss record. The team posted a franchise-low 52–92 record in 1992. After their first winning campaign in 1993, They were defeated in the finals by the Western Division champion
Huntsville Stars, 3–1. was selected as the
Southern League Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Managed by
Trent Jewett, Carolina won both halves of the 1995 season, sending them back to the playoffs with a franchise-best 89–55 campaign. They won the Eastern Division title versus the
Orlando Cubs, 3–2, before winning their first
Southern League championship over the
Chattanooga Lookouts, 3–2. The next two Carolina teams finished with sub-.500 records. Over eight years with Pittsburgh, Carolina held a regular season record of 539–587. The affiliation ended after four years with Carolina going 251–302 in the regular season over that stretch.
Florida Marlins (2003–2008) The Mudcats joined the
Florida Marlins organization in 2003 as their Double-A affiliate. The Mudcats then won their second Southern League championship over Huntsville, 3–2. Carolina won the Second Half Northern Division title in 2008 and defeated West Tenn in a three-game sweep to advance to the Southern League finals. In a full five-game series, the Mudcats lost the league championship to the
Mississippi Braves, 3–2. was selected as the Southern League MVP. Carolina's record over that time was 431–400. Over three years with Cincinnati, the Mudcats went 176–239. In a corresponding move, the Studers facilitated Bryant's purchase of the
Kinston Indians of the
Class A-Advanced Carolina League. As the Southern League franchise departed for Pensacola after the 2011 season, the Carolina League franchise moved to Zebulon and continued as the Mudcats at Class A-Advanced.
Cleveland Indians (2012–2014) Upon joining the Carolina League in 2012, the Mudcats became the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the
Cleveland Indians in a continuation of their previous relationship with Kinston. Carolina posted losing records in each season of the three-year run with Cleveland without qualifying for the playoffs. They went 182–234 over this period.
Atlanta Braves (2015–2016) The Mudcats' next affiliate was the
Atlanta Braves. The team narrowly missed the playoffs in their first year with the Brewers with a 73–65 record. In 2019, catcher
Mario Feliciano won the
Carolina League Most Valuable Player Award; he led the league with 19 home runs, 78 RBI, and a .476
slugging percentage at the time of the award. Starter
Noah Zavolas won the Pitcher of the Year Award; he held a league-best 1.14
WHIP at the time. Following the 2020 season, Major League Baseball assumed control of Minor League Baseball in a move to increase player salaries, modernize facility standards, and reduce travel. As a result, the Brewers'
Class A affiliate, the
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, was moved up to
High-A. Consequently, the Mudcats were shifted to the
Low-A classification as members of the
Low-A East but kept their affiliation with Milwaukee. Carolina began competition in the new league on May 4 with a 6–5 victory over the
Fayetteville Woodpeckers at Five County Stadium. The Mudcats placed second in the Central Division at 68–52 after their first season in the Low-A East. In 2022, the Low-A East became known as the Carolina League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization, and was reclassified as a Single-A circuit. The Mudcats finished the first half in second place, one game behind the division winner. They placed second in the second-half but further back. The 2023 Mudcats ended the first-half five games out of first-place, but won the second-half by four games with a record of 39–25. Overall, they were 72–55 for the season. Carolina lost the Northern Division title versus the
Down East Wood Ducks, 2–1. Victor Estevez was chosen for the Carolina League Manager of the Year Award. The Mudcats won the first half of the 2024 season with a 41–24 mark, clinching a spot in the playoffs, but they were defeated in the division series by the
Fredericksburg Nationals, 2–0. Overall, they posted a league-best 78–51 record. Nick Stanley won the league's Manager of the Year Award. The 2025 season was the Mudcats' 35th and final season of play. They relocated to
Wilson, North Carolina, in 2026. They play at a new $75.5-million stadium near downtown, about east of Five County Stadium. The team has been rebranded as the
Wilson Warbirds. Carolina's final home game was a 1–0 loss to the
Delmarva Shorebirds played on August 31 with 5,877 people in attendance. Their final game was a 6–3 win over the
Fredericksburg Nationals at
Virginia Credit Union Stadium on September 7. Through nine seasons of competition as a Brewers farm club, the Mudcats had a win–loss record of 558–492. Over all 35 years of competition, Carolina had a 2,260–2,409 record. ==Season-by-season records==