Biloxi Shuckers celebrate military through the dog days of the season

This article is part of Minor League Baseball's ‘Celebrating Our Heroes’ content series, presented by T-Mobile.

There is probably no place better to see working dogs and military celebrations than a Minor League Baseball game. Earlier this month at Keesler Federal Park in Biloxi, Mississippi, fans were treated to both.

The Shuckers’ Sept. 5 game against Pensacola was dedicated to the club’s neighbors at Keesler Air Force Base. The efforts to celebrate these military heroes included first pitches thrown by the base’s commanding officers and the presentation of the colors by the Keesler AFB Honor Guard.

There was also a special visit and community demonstration from Basso, a military working dog. Basso was born at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas and has served in the military since 2018. Before the game, Basso, Keesler AFB technical sergeant Ryan Wood, and two other MWD handlers from Keesler AFB showed off some of their daily patrol and training work during an on-field presentation along the first-base line.

“I love coming out to do these community demonstrations,” Wood said. “It reminds us that the community supports us and really values what we do and values our hard work.”

Of course, the Shuckers’ own team dogs, Barqs and Shuck, were also in attendance for the event.

Throughout the season, the club honors military heroes through ticket discounts, specialty uniforms and special recognition of members of the Armed Forces during Wednesday home games. There was even a more extensive Military Appreciation Night at the ballpark on July 25.

That game featured all of the Shuckers’ regular military appreciation efforts as well as a Gold Star Family presentation, in which white roses were presented to the families of deceased military members. The event also raised funds for the veterans support group, 5th Squad.

But the Sept. 5 contest was more specific to their neighbors at Keesler AFB.

According to the club, the base bought more than 500 tickets to that game, the second-annual Keesler Appreciation Night, in addition to the 1,000 tickets donated to Keesler by the team. Members of Keesler AFB were also on the field before the game holding a giant American flag during the National Anthem while others set up information booths for fans on the concourse.

“It’s one of our top focuses [and] initiatives every year is to continue to strengthen our relationship [with Keesler AFB],” said Shuckers community development manager David Blackwell.

Keesler AFB plays a role in the unofficial start of the Shuckers’ season each March. The ballpark hosts a softball game featuring two teams from the base: the Chiefs and the Eagles. There was more than 3,000 people in attendance at this year’s game.

The club also sponsored and funded trips for a local joint military softball team, the Gulf Coast Shuckers, that plays in tournaments across the country, and raised funds for the local Veterans Affairs office and youth center through its Heart of the Shucker community fund.

Members of the club’s front office, some of whom were given honorary commander titles by the base, participate in community service work alongside Keesler AFB personnel, including new initiatives that focus on mental health resources for retired and active duty military.

“We’re really just trying to thank [Keesler AFB] for their work and their training and we’ve really tried to bring them as close in as we possibly can,” Blackwell said. “We really do feel like we work well with each other and support each other not only financially but with other resources, [like] volunteers and really just doing everything we can to make their time here in Biloxi memorable.”