As Carolina Mudcats wrap up its run in Zebulon, what's the future of Five County Stadium?

ZEBULON, N.C. (WTVD) -- For Chris Edwards, his connection with the Carolina Mudcats has come full circle.

"I grew up in Raleigh, coming to these games with my dad and my grandfather. I walk into the ballpark every day and still remember sitting down the third base line with my dad and grandpa. I think as I get older, those are the memories that stick out for a lot of people," said Edwards, who serves as the team's Manager of Media and Communications.

Standing inside Five County Stadium early Wednesday afternoon, Edwards reminisced on the team's 35-season history in Zebulon, as it makes a final push for the playoffs during their final regular-season homestand.

"Over 2,300 games have been played on this field. You think about the guys like Michael Jordan, who didn't make the big leagues but was here doing a rehab stint or even guys the Mudcats have that are going to enter the Milwaukee Brewers in a couple of years. (There are players) like Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, who were on that Mudcats team in 2004. They started the season here in Zebulon and ended up winning a World Series in New York at the end of the year for the Marlins. So those are the guys that you see come through," said Edwards.

According to The Baseball Cube, the Mudcats drew about 120,000 fans in 2024, providing an economic boost to the town.

"It's absolutely a positive impact for us to have fans coming in from all areas," said Jessica Thompson, who owns Smash Masters Tavern & Grill in Zebulon.

Next season, the team is moving to Wilson where they will be renamed the "Wilson Warbirds."

"I've been bringing my children to the Mudcats for years. My youngest is six, and he was a baby when we started going. We're going to miss it tremendously," said Thompson.

She's hopeful the town and county will act quickly to find a new tenant for Five County Stadium.

"I would love to see another sports team come into that venue, even live entertainment, music," said Thompson.

"I can say that there will be a sports season in 2026 and there will be more than one sport played at the stadium. There will be a variety of events that should serve the majority of the population here in Zebulon," said Shannon Johnson, Director of Community and Economic Development in Zebulon.

In February, the town and Wake County launched a joint survey seeking feedback from community members about the future of Five County Stadium.

"People wanted to see more use. They really wanted to see more community events. They wanted to see just more days per year that they could interact with an event at the stadium. And we were able to do that with this tenant," Johnson explained.

"Zebulon is in a unique position geographically, and Five County Stadium is at the nexus of the prime location where you have the freeway from Norfolk and then coming up from Greenville and it converges there at Five County Stadium. So there's an opportunity there, especially as we're the easternmost municipality in Wake County, for development to occur," said John Saffold, Executive Director of the Zebulon Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson said an announcement of the new tenant is set for next week, adding there are plans for capital investments to improve and upgrade some areas of the stadium.

"People are anxious that (the stadium) be well-utilized, that the potential be realized but they are eager on the positive side to see what that possibility will be," Saffold shared.

Zebulon, which is one of the fastest-growing towns in the country, has seen its population more than double since 2010, ushering in new businesses and developments.

"Instead of just residential developments that we used to have, now we're having developers come that want to put in grocery, restaurant, parcels and retail with apartments above," Johnson said.

"When you're looking at roads, when you're looking at other aspects of utilities, making sure we are working proactively to accommodate the growth so we aren't playing catch-up a decade from now," added Saffold.

All of those conversations are remaining in the on-deck circle over the next few days, as fans head to the ballpark over the next few days. Promotions include team giveaways, throwback ticket prices, and a chance to take the field.

"On Sunday after the game, all the fans are invited onto the field to take one big team picture with our team and everybody that's here," said Edwards.