We are seeing plenty of change in Zebulon for the 2026 summer-collegiate season: the Zebulon Devil Dogz (Coastal Plain League) will be playing out of Nomaco Park, as the original Five County Stadium moniker is no more.
Minor League Baseball departed the small North Carolina city after the 2025 season, with the Carolina Mudcats relocating to a new ballpark in nearby Wilson. That left the Zebulon market and ballpark open for the Coastal Plain League, already a major presence in North Carolina.
The new CPL team, owned by league owner Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC), is the Zebulon Devil Dogz, which began play Friday night. According to a CPL press release, “the name connects the town’s local textile history and a personality built on toughness and character with the fierce temperament of Tasmania’s native devils from Australia. The Devil Dogz roster will feature Australian players in a unique partnership with Oz Ball Australia.”
Also unveiling Friday: the renaming of Five County Stadium to Nomaco Field. The Five County Stadium name dates back to the launch of the franchise, which entered MiLB as a Southern League team in 1991; the move was designed to put the former Columbus Mudcats close to the rapidly growing Raleigh-Durham Research Triangle. But the growth in the market didn’t quite make it some 20 miles east to Zebulon from Raleigh. That Mudcats franchise was sold to Quint Studer and moved to Pensacola, while a High-A Carolina League team replaced the Class AA team, keeping the Mudcats name and staff. The Milwaukee Brewers bought majority interest in the Mudcats in October 2017 and engineered a move of the MiLB licensee to nearby Wilson. (Ironically, the Mudcats played during their first season at Wilson’s Fleming Stadium while Five County Stadium was under construction.)
Five County Stadium featured one of the more interesting–and quirky–ballpark designs in baseball, with a steeply raked grandstand more reminiscent of a football stadium than a ballpark, sitting atop sheltered seating and a sit-down restaurant, as well as team spaces and clubhouses.
Nomaco is a Zebulon-based foam-engineering firm. It’s the first naming-rights deal for the ballpark.
“This partnership is about much more than naming rights,” said CBC Sports Vice President Mike Birling via press release. “Nomaco has been part of the Zebulon community for decades, and their leadership team immediately stood out for their vision, passion, and long-term commitment to the region. They were the right partner to help us build something truly special for the future of Zebulon and Eastern Wake County, and we’re proud to officially welcome fans to Nomaco Park.”
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