Article by: The Arkansas Travelers
The Arkansas Travelers are proud to announce they will pay tribute to the Little Rock Nine during the 2025 season during the weekend of August 21-23. The Travs will honor Melba Pattillo (Beals), Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls (LaNier), Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray (Karlmark) and Thelma Mothershed who were the nine brave students who desegregated Little Rock Central High School in September of 1957.
As part of the weekend, the Travelers will wear specially designed Little Rock Nine jerseys and hats for three games. The game-worn jerseys will be available in an online auction during the weekend with proceeds going to the Little Rock Nine Foundation, benefitting The Clinton School of Public Service.
“When I began high school back in the fall of 1957 – entering Central High School accompanied by over a thousand members of the 101st Airborne – I never could have anticipated or even imagined what being one of the Nine would come to mean for the rest of my life,” said Carlotta Walls LaNier, the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine. “And here we are, 68 years later, and our team of nine is being celebrated by another team of nine, the Arkansas Travelers, the hometown team! This is another unexpected honor that will be exciting to see and participate in.”
“The Arkansas Travelers are honored to represent the Little Rock Nine this season,” said Travs General Manager, Sophie Ozier. “They are an integral part of our history in Central Arkansas, and we’re proud to continue sharing their story through baseball.”
“Nine” not only represents the number of students who desegregated Little Rock Central, as it also holds significance in baseball with nine defensive players in the field and nine players in each team’s batting lineup. Additionally, “The Nine” is a Black-community focused outreach platform from Minor League Baseball specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport. It is named because nine was also the jersey number worn by Jackie Robinson in his lone season in the minor leagues playing for the Montreal Royals.
The marks for the on-field identity were developed in conjunction with Eric Rob & Isaac, a branding and marketing firm based in Little Rock. The cap logo design integrates the numeral “9” into the Travs’ long-held “LR” monogram, which dates back to the team’s original name of the Little Rock Travelers. The identity features the Little Rock Central High School colors of black and gold, with the uniform’s all-black cap decorated with metallic gold thread.
More details about Little Rock Nine Weekend and related festivities will be announced throughout the season. Tickets for all Travelers home games at CHI St. Vincent Field at Dickey-Stephens Park are available for purchase at travs.com/tickets.