Creation The
Carolina Mudcats were a
Minor League Baseball (MiLB) team and the
Single-A affiliate of the
Milwaukee Brewers that had played at
Five County Stadium in
Zebulon, North Carolina, since 1991. In 2022, the Mudcats requested US$15 million from
Wake County to renovate Five County Stadium to meet MiLB standards and attract fans. The air show saw around 500 attendees, and included three
World War II–era
warbird aircraft, Brewers minor-league prospects
Eric Bitonti,
Josh Knoth, and
Braylon Payne were also in attendance. The name was chosen to represent the team because of the region's connection to aviation history. Thousands of pilots were trained in the area during World War II and
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base is located nearby. Wilson was also the hometown of
whirligig outsider artist and former pilot
Vollis Simpson. In reference to Simpson's work, "Wilson Whirligigs" was the long-time proposed name for the team, and was only changed after a visit by branding organizer
Scott Starr to Wilson, who believed the name lacked nuance.
The 2026 season The Wilson Warbirds played their first game on April 3, 2026, against the
Fayetteville Woodpeckers at
Segra Stadium in
Fayetteville, North Carolina. The game remained scoreless until the top of the ninth inning when Wilson's Filippo Di Turi came home to score on a
ground out and Jadyn Fielder scored on a
throwing error. Jose Meneses struck out the final batter in the bottom of the inning, sealing a 2–0 victory. Their inaugural home opener was played on April 14 in a
sold out game against the
Hill City Howlers at
Wilson Ballpark. Two
runs scored in the third inning and five more in the fourth were all the Warbirds needed to seal the 7–5 victory before a crowd of 3,700 people. == Branding ==