No more Mudcats in Zebulon. Meet the new baseball team with proud textile history
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Mudcats moved to Wilson; Devil Dogz now occupy Five-County Stadium.
- Devil Dogz roster will consist entirely of Australian players via OzBall.
- Stadium will get new turf, bathrooms and concession stands this season.
At first glance, the logo for Zebulon’s new baseball team looks like a Tasmanian devil turned red with ballpark fury — horns aggressively poking through a Navy blue cap.
But this beast represents the Devil Dogz, a team named in honor of the iron-tough dungarees once manufactured in a Zebulon plant, proudly worn around town.
“Everybody who grew up in Zebulon had a pair of Devil Dogs,” said Mayor Jessica Harrison. “There was a store, and everybody had some $3 and $4 jeans. This is a way of bringing that all back.”
The Zebulon Devil Dogz introduced its brand inside Town Hall Tuesday, roughly two months before Opening Day for the Coastal Plains League’s newest team, where General Manager Caleb Whittemore promised all-you-can-eat food with every ticket.
Mudcats no more
The Devil Dogz now occupy Five-County Stadium, long the home of the Carolina Mudcats, who moved to Wilson at the end of last year’s season, reborn as the Warbirds.
The Tasmanian Devil likeness is fitting considering that island state sits just south of the Australian mainland, and the Devil Dogz’ roster will consist entirely of Australian players — part of a partnership with OzBall.
Before unveiling the official logo and team name, Allen joked that Zebulon would be the new home to the Jump-a-Roos.
“It’s going to be a little bit shorter,” said Coastal Plains League Commissioner Chip Allen, referencing the college summer-league schedule, “and it’s going to talk a little bit funnier. ... You can have a high level of baseball, and you can be wildly entertaining. That’s what we’re doing here.”
Allen pointed out that the Devil Dogz’ pinstripes are actually zippers, a reference to Zebulon jeans and the “fabric” of town. While the factory once employed much of the town after opening in the 1950s, it now employs just a few and produces none of the revitalized jeans brand locally.
“Maybe now that the jeans aren’t here anymore,” Whittemore said, “we can keep that going.”
Could have been the Dingoes
Five County Stadium splits its ownership between Wake County, which holds 85%, and the town of Zebulon, which holds 15%. The team is 100% owned by the Coastal Plains League, which is owned by Capitol Broadcasting Co.
Whittemore said the stadium will get new turf, bathrooms and concession stands but other needed renovations including a video board will come after this season.
More than 3,000 people entered a contest to name the team, producing 900 unique suggestions. Of those, Devil Dogz topped the favorites list among the finalists.
So, Down Under connection notwithstanding, the Wombat, Koalas and Kangaroos will have to suit up somewhere else.
This story was originally published February 24, 2026 at 11:48 AM with the headline "No more Mudcats in Zebulon. Meet the new baseball team with proud textile history."