Nashville Outlaws

Lore & Background

The Nashville Outlaws began in 2010 as an expansion team of the collegiate summer baseball Prospect League, founded by three former Nashville Sounds executives: Brandon Vonderharr, Jason Bennett, and Chris Snyder. The team's name derived from Nashville's association with country music, specifically the outlaw country genre of the late 1960s and 1970s. Their first game was a 10–3 loss to the Terre Haute Hoots on the road on June 4, 2010. Their first home game, at Vanderbilt University's Hawkins Field on June 8, resulted in a 4–2 win over the Springfield Sliders. At the end of the first half, the Outlaws held a 14–14 record, third in the Central Division. Three players—pitchers Matt Fitton and Navery Moore and catcher Doug Joyce—were selected for the East Team in the 2010 Prospect League All-Star Game, which ended in a 3–3 tie. Heading into the final doubleheader of the regular season, Nashville was tied with the Terre Haute Hoots for first place. The Outlaws swept both games, clinching the second-half pennant. They finished the second half at 16–10, with an overall record of 30–24 (.556), placing second in the division and fourth in the league. That second-half title earned them a spot in the league championship playoffs, but they were eliminated in the first round by the Danville Dans, 4–2.

Reader's Guide

The Nashville Outlaws represent a brief but notable entry in the history of collegiate summer baseball, specifically within the Prospect League. Their significance lies in their connection to Nashville's cultural identity, being named after the outlaw country music genre, and their role as an expansion team that quickly achieved competitive success, winning a second-half pennant in their inaugural season. The Outlaws also produced two future Major League Baseball players: Shae Simmons (Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners) and Bruce Maxwell (Oakland Athletics). Their legacy is tempered by their short existence—only two seasons—and their eventual folding after 2011. The team's history illustrates the challenges of sustaining a summer collegiate franchise, even in a baseball-rich market like Nashville. Their home fields, Hawkins Field at Vanderbilt and Ken Dugan Field at Lipscomb, reflect the use of college facilities common in the Prospect League. The Outlaws' story is a footnote in baseball history, but one that highlights the intersection of local culture, amateur player development, and the transient nature of minor-league and summer-league teams.

Did You Know?

• The Nashville Outlaws were named for the outlaw country music genre popular in the late 1960s and 1970s.
• The team played its home games at Hawkins Field in 2010 and Ken Dugan Field at Stephen Lee Marsh Stadium in 2011.
• Two Outlaws later played in Major League Baseball: Shae Simmons and Bruce Maxwell.
• The Outlaws clinched the second-half pennant in 2010 by winning a doubleheader against the Terre Haute Rex.