Saturday, September 5, 2026
By Mark Jurkowitz | Outer Banks Voice on July 27, 2026
After winning the first game of a playoff doubleheader on Sunday July 26, the Outer Banks Swinging Mullets’ season came to an end with an 11-1 loss to the Edenton Steamers in the nightcap.
In its first season as the latest version of the summer collegiate baseball franchise on the Outer Banks—one which began in 1997 with the Outer Banks Daredevils—the Swinging Mullets helped reinvigorate the sport here. In recent years, that franchise had been wobbly, rebranding as the Outer Banks Scallywags in 2023 and then again in 2025, as the Outer Banks Flying Dutchmen.
In an interview with the Voice before the season began, Swinging Mullets owner Jim Price outlined his view that “baseball on the Outer Banks should feel accessible, fun and rooted in the community.” That philosophy played out at the First Flight Baseball Complex in Kill Devil Hills with large, energetic crowds and a series of distinct touches—including an eclectic variety of hitter walk-up music, kids running on the field to “high five” the team’s outfielders, and the Mullet toss featuring a young fan attempting to throw a dead mullet (the fish) into a nearby bucket.
Playing in the Tidewater Division of the Old North State League, the Mullets ended the regular season with a 16-13 record in that six-team division, finishing third behind the Tarboro River Bandits (28-2) and the Edenton Steamers (19-9).
After having a Friday, July 24 home playoff game postponed due to inclement weather, the Swinging Mullets traveled to Edenton on Sunday for two games. In the 1 p.m. opener, the team shut out the New Bern Southpaws, who finished last in the division, by a 3-0 score. But in the second game, a strong first season ended at the hands of the Steamers.
