By MATT PIKE
After winning their 10th MINK league championship last season, the St. Joseph Mustangs are set to open the 2026 season next week, in search of number 11.
Mustangs General Manager and owner Ky Turner says every day since the championship, they’ve been planning how to do things even better.
“The championships are a lot of fun for us, they’re a great reflection of what the players can do on the field, and we’re very proud of Johnny Coy and what he’s done managing the team,” Turner says on the KFEQmunnity show. “It’s really incredible to see the group of guys he puts on the field, and what’s really incredible too is the guys and how much they fall in love with St. Joe and this community, and so my role is to continue to grow and innovate the guest experience, fan experience if you will.”
Turner says he likes to say the Mustangs are like a circus with a scoreboard when it comes to the fan experience. What could that look like in 2026?
“We want to make sure every fan, every person inside the game, feels like they could be next,” Turner explains. “Not everyone can suit up for Johnny, he’s got a pretty talented roster, but our job is to make sure that everyone feels like they’re involved and part of the Mustangs experience and that’s a lot of fun for us.”
One aspect fans will notice right away when it comes to fan experience is the new seating at Phil Welch Stadium which was improved over the offseason.
“We have brand new seating throughout the facility, and so that means brand new box seats which are three inches wider, so a little bit more room to store a hot dog in each pocket if you want,” Turner jokes. “And then also our new bleacher seats as well, so those are a little bit more comfortable for everybody.”
On the field, a roster constructed by Coy will be filled with a bevy of talented players, many of those coming from right around the St. Joseph region.
“I think we’ve got every, if not pretty darn close to every local high school represented on the Mustangs roster this summer, which is pretty neat for us,” Turner says. “These kids grow up though wanting to play for the Mustangs, and that’s really neat for us to have that, and now they can, and so we’re very lucky that this area of the globe is very talented in baseball and so they’re able to take their next level of skills with the Mustangs.”
Fans will get their first opportunity to meet players just before the season starts on Tuesday, as once again the team will host Mustangs FanFest at Phil Welch Stadium.
“FanFest is 100% free to come in, we want to give everyone a little flavor of the Mustangs experience, so it’s free for us for people to come in, chance to meet the players, get some autographs,” Turner explains. “They’re going to be on and off the field so very approachable, that’s the beauty of baseball at this level, these guys are there and would love to sign autographs.”
Mustangs FanFest will run from 5:30pm to 7pm with gates opening at 5pm. The regular season begins for the St. Joseph Mustangs on Wednesday against the Kansas City Monarchs with first pitch at 6:30pm.
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