We have a Minor League Baseball rebranding to pass along: The Springfield Cardinals are now the Ozarks Springbirds (Double-A; Texas League).
It’s not a dramatic change — a cardinal is a cardinal is a cardinal — but branding the team with a regional designation is certainly more inclusive, and as a Cardinals farm team for the foreseeable future, dropping the Cardinals link would not have been smart. And it’s really not that new: broadcaster Ned Reynolds frequently referred to the team as Springbirds in his game calls.
“We are extremely excited to launch our new brand identity today,” Springbirds General Manager Dan Reiter said via press release. “Our new name and logos were created with three things in mind: our city, our region and our birds to create something we can all be proud to call our own. We can’t wait to see the Springbirds take the field in 2027.”
From the team:
The new primary logo features the new team name atop a brand new Cardinals-inspired bird to continue a strong relationship with the parent club. It also features three prominent components of the Springfield Flag: the top of the compass crown, the three stars and the light blue background. The crown is a reference to Springfield’s nickname: the Queen City of the Ozarks. The three four-pointed stars represent three elements of the city: innovative spirit, connection with nature and Ozarks culture. A light blue background represents tranquil Ozarks waterways.
The franchise selected “Ozarks” as its new geographical identifier to unify the fanbase, which supports this team from all over the region. The primary logo prominently features a beautiful green landscape, vibrant waterways and tree branches to outline the shield to display the beauty of Southwest Missouri….
The secondary logos include an all-new Springbird Feather S, Ozarks O-Bird and Batbird. Three new jerseys will be in use for 2027: a home white, victory blue and alternate/road red will be in rotation for the Springbirds inaugural season. Three corresponding on-field hats will also be worn: red, victory blue and navy blue. Additionally, Ozarks will have a batting practice hat featuring the O-Bird. The Springbirds will continue to have Louie and Fetch as their two mascots moving forward.
Images courtesy Ozarks Springbirds.