Wilson City Council to vote on potential stadium for Mudcats' move

WILSON, N.C. (WTVD) -- Wilson could soon become a baseball destination. The city council is set to vote on a major plan to build a stadium that would see the Carolina Mudcats move from Zebulon to Wilson.

The stadium would be downtown right near the famous Whirligig Park and would also include a retail and entertainment district around the ballpark.

"Growing up here as a child, the things they have today, we didn't have that growing up," said April Lindsey, who works at the Cardinal, a downtown bar.

She said she is excited about the boost of additional foot traffic that would come from having the Mudcats as a neighbor.

"Everybody's just coming together as a whole to try and make Wilson what it should be," she said.

The stadium would max out at more than 4,000 seats on game days.

Between private and public funding, the entire project would cost more than $280 million.

Making a move from Wake County isn't unheard of. One downtown business owner who attended the planning meetings for the project said he did the same thing.

"I moved my business from Raleigh back to Wilson, my hometown, to create tech jobs east of (Interstate) 95 and enjoy a better quality of life at a lower price," said Bill O'Boyle, the CEO of North State Consulting.

If the deal goes through, the stadium portion of the project will be ready for the Mudcats in the spring of 2026, and the City of Wilson is ready to play ball.

Representatives of the Milwaukee Brewers organization, the MLB affiliate of the Mudcats, are expected to be on hand for the vote.

If approved, the city could move quickly, with more updates on a potential groundbreaking heading into the new year.