FROM BUILDING IT TO LEADING IT: DAVID KERR NAMED MUD MONSTERS GENERAL MANAGER

PEARL, Miss. (September 8, 2026) — The Mississippi Mud Monsters announced today that David Kerr has been named General Manager of the organization after serving as Assistant General Manager since the club's launch. 

Kerr was formally introduced in his new role during a press conference at Trustmark Park. 

“David has been right in the middle of building the Mud Monsters from the beginning,” said Joe Eng, Owner & CEO of the Mississippi Mud Monsters. “We've seen firsthand how much he cares about this organization, this community and the people who support it. He understands where we've been, but more importantly, he has a clear vision for where we can go. We believe he's the right person to lead the Mud Monsters into what comes next.” 

Kerr brings more than a decade of experience in professional baseball across independent and affiliated baseball, with a career that has touched nearly every part of the operation, including ticket sales, corporate partnerships, marketing, promotions, game presentation, facility operations and community engagement. 

He has also been part of both the final chapter of the Mississippi Braves and the beginning of the Mississippi Mud Monsters at Trustmark Park. 

“This is an incredible opportunity, but I don't think today is really about a new title for me,” Kerr said. “It's about what we have the opportunity to build here.” 

Kerr joined the Mud Monsters as Assistant General Manager in 2024 and helped build the organization ahead of its first season. Since then, he has had his hands in just about every part of the operation, from ticket sales and corporate partnerships to marketing, promotions, events and ballpark operations. 

That work has extended beyond baseball season. Kerr has also helped grow The Southern Lights, the holiday experience that transforms Trustmark Park each winter and has become an important part of the organization's year-round presence in the community. 

Before joining the Mud Monsters, Kerr spent six seasons with the Mississippi Braves, the former Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, ultimately serving as Director of Ticket Sales. His tenure included the franchise's transition under Diamond Baseball Holdings and its final seasons at Trustmark Park. 

Prior to coming to Mississippi, Kerr spent four seasons with the Gary SouthShore RailCats of the independent American Association, where he served as Director of Marketing and Promotions. His work included marketing, advertising, branding, promotions and game entertainment, along with generating corporate sponsorship and ticket revenue. 

Before beginning his professional baseball career, Kerr held leadership positions in sales, hiring, training and multi-unit operations.

That range of experience has helped shape how Kerr views the job ahead. 

“Baseball is at the center of what we do, but what happens around those nine innings matters just as much,” Kerr said. “We have to take care of our partners. We have to create an environment where our employees can succeed. We have to listen to our fans and pay attention to the little things. Most importantly, we have to give people a reason to choose to spend their time with us and make them want to come back.” 

Welcoming more people to Trustmark Park, strengthening partnerships and expanding the ballpark's year-round role in the community will be among Kerr's priorities as General Manager. 

That includes continuing to build The Southern Lights and finding more reasons for people to visit Trustmark Park even when there isn't a baseball game on the schedule. 

“Trustmark Park can't just matter when we have a baseball game,” Kerr said. “The Southern Lights has given us a glimpse of what this place can become when we think beyond the baseball schedule. I want us to keep finding ways to bring people here, create memories and make this ballpark part of people's lives throughout the year.” 

For Kerr, that starts with understanding why people choose to spend their time at the ballpark in the first place. 

“People don't come to a ballpark just for nine innings,” Kerr said. “They come with their kids. They bring their coworkers. They celebrate birthdays. They meet people. They start traditions. Years later, those are the things they remember.” 

“I think our job is to create more of those moments.” 

Kerr said he wants Trustmark Park to become one of the most fun places in Mississippi to spend a night, with experiences and traditions that feel unmistakably like the Mud Monsters. 

“I want us to create things people look forward to, experiences families remember and ideas that sometimes make people wonder what in the world we're doing,” Kerr said. “We're going to try some things that work. We're probably going to try a few that don't. But I never want us to become an organization that's afraid of an idea simply because baseball teams haven't traditionally done it that way.”

Another priority will be strengthening the Mud Monsters' connection with communities throughout the state. 

“The word Mississippi is on the front of our name, and I want that to mean something,” Kerr said. “I want kids across this state wearing Mud Monsters hats. I want businesses throughout Mississippi to see value in being associated with this organization. I want communities outside the immediate Jackson metro to feel like this can be their team, too.” 

“We don't earn that just because Mississippi is in our name. We have to go out and earn those relationships.” 

Kerr's connection to the community extends beyond the ballpark. He currently serves on the boards of the Pearl Chamber of Commerce, Main Street Pearl and the Kiwanis Club of Pearl. He is also a member of the Society for American Baseball Research and is a Certified Hospitality Expert through the Mississippi Hospitality & Restaurant Association. 

“Being part of a community can't just mean putting our logo on something,” Kerr said. “It means showing up. It means listening. It means building relationships with people when we're not asking them to buy a ticket or become a sponsor.” 

Inside the organization, Kerr said he wants to create an environment where people can enjoy working in baseball while still being held to high standards. 

“We should have fun working in baseball,” Kerr said. “We're asking people to come here and have fun, so I think it would be pretty strange if everyone creating that experience was miserable. But fun and high standards can absolutely coexist. Partners have to be taken care of. 

Fans have to be taken care of. Details matter. And when those gates open, we have to be ready.” 

Kerr said becoming General Manager isn't a finish line for an organization still early in its story. 

“A new title doesn't magically change anything,” Kerr said. “We still have to earn people's attention. We have to earn their trust. Every time somebody walks through these gates, we have another opportunity to give them a reason to come back.”

“We've built something here. Now we get to see how much bigger it can become.”