Plans revealed for professional baseball team, stadium in Murfreesboro

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WSMV) - A professional baseball league made its first pitch to the Murfreesboro City Council on Thursday, why it hopes to bring an expansion team to the growing Rutherford County city.

The team would be a member of the American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB), an independent and partner league with Major League Baseball (MLB).

The league’s commissioner, Josh Schaub, and project developer, Jason Rose, told the overflow crowd at Thursday’s city council workshop, that Murfreesboro would be an ideal location for an AAPB team. Their initial plan is to build a 4,500-seat stadium downtown, near the historic landmark, Cannonsburgh Village. The plan would have to be approved by the city council.

“Combining an athletic campus with such an important site of cultural heritage could make this one-of-one in the United States,” Rose said.

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition online, fearful that a new stadium would disrupt Cannonsburgh Village. Dozens of people attended Thursday’s meeting carrying signs reading, “Don’t Move Cannonsburgh.”

Rose emphatically told the council and crowd, he and the AAPB had no intentions, or desire, to move or destroy Cannonsburgh, but instead make it a part of the fan experience.

“Taking visitation at Cannonsburgh from 8,000 or 10,000 or 14,000 to 250,000 struck me as a pretty special opportunity,” Rose said.

Murfreesboro resident Shauna Yancey attended the meeting after Murfreesboro Mayor Shane McFarland posted to Facebook, suggesting it might be productive to discuss relocating Cannonsburgh.

He pledged to the crowd on Thursday, that he would like a written memorandum in any future baseball talks, to “save Cannonsburgh,” and even said he would sign the online petition.

There are currently 12 teams playing in the American Association. Schaub believes a team in Murfreesboro will help revitalize the downtown area, much like it has in other cities with an AAPB team.

“Restaurants, retail, offices, a park that just came alive with people because they moved so much foot traffic through,” Schaub said.

Others though, have concerns hosting a professional baseball team, isn’t right for the city, considering its current size.

“Continued growth, traffic, parking, all of that is just still a concern, it’s difficult to go anywhere in Murfreesboro on a Saturday,” Yancey said. “Ultimately our goal was to save Cannonsburgh and as we just heard the Mayor said he wanted that put in the memorandum, and so we were pleased to hear that.”

The plan, as reiterated during Thursday’s meeting is in its very early stages and will be discussed at numerous meetings going forward. AAPB is hopeful if the plan is approved, for an Opening Day in the spring of 2026.

You can read more about the American Association, here: https://aabaseball.com/league/history/.

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