New Era of Battle Creek Baseball, Meet the Battle Jacks!
Battle Creek's baseball team is ready to begin a new era of local baseball with a new name and a new look.
The team, formerly known as the Bombers, held an event Wednesday evening to unveil their new team logos and colors at the Vale Street Venue in Battle Creek. There were around 250 people in attendance, including Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke.
The team had been taking votes from fans in a Name the Team contest that was announced back in November. The first batch of names to choose from, also submitted by fans, was met with some blowback. So the team took another swing and announced four finalists and that the new name would be announced on Wednesday, January 26.
On Wednesday night, the team revealed that they will now be known as the Battle Creek Battle Jacks. The name received a strong majority of votes in the contest. Battle Jacks CFO (Chief Fun Officer) Tyler Shore says Crunchers finished in second place, followed by Blue Collars and Doughnuts. Nearly 3,000 votes were cast for the new team name.
The Battle Jacks pays respect to the beloved Battle Cats moniker in a new, fun way. What was once a cat, is now a Jack Russell dog. With ties to the city’s cereal background, Jacks connects to the popular Kellogg’s cereal “Apple Jacks.” A “Jack of All Trades” is also a figure of speech relating to someone with multiple skills which is prevalent for many community members in the Battle Creek area. Finally, a “jack” is a popular term for a home run, and “Cracker Jacks” are one of the most commonly associated snacks with the game of baseball.
“Battle Jacks clearly resonated with the Battle Creek community, and we are incredibly excited to begin this new era for the organization. We have a new owner, a new name, a new logo, and a new vision for what we want this team to be and we can’t wait to share that with the community we call home” - Battle Creek Battle Jacks General Manager Tyler Shore
The new team colors include light royal blue, black, silver, white and brown.
The team has also released its 2022 schedule. The Battle Jacks will kick off their inaugural season on Monday, May 30th at 6:35 pm against the defending Northwoods League Champion Traverse City Pit Spitters.