The RockHounds announced a new identity for their participation in Minor League Baseball's Copa de la Diversión program—the Midland Amigos. This rebranding initiative replaces the Matamoscas de Midessa, the team's previous nickname since joining the Copa program in 2019.
According to a release from the Midland Rockhounds website, the aim of this transformation is to inject new energy and establish a more robust connection with fans throughout the community.
"The purpose of the Copa initiative is to expand the outreach of baseball to the Hispanic community, and we think the Amigos identity will help us do that more effectively,” said RockHounds OVG Hospitality General Manager Jeff VonHolle in the release. “It’s a name and identity that everyone can identify with."
The new artwork features "man’s best friend" (amigo), with the logo showcasing an image of Rocky RockHound sporting a sombrero in sugar skull artform.
“When we found that no other minor league club was using Amigos as its Copa identity, we jumped at the opportunity,” said VonHolle. “Not only does 'Amigos' translate to 'friends' in English, it's a universal term that conveys the message on its own."
According to the release, the creators of the Amigos logo is Torch Creative, based in Flower Mound, Texas—the same agency that crafted the RockHounds' new branding in 2021. VonHolle commended their work in the release, saying, "From the logo to the color scheme, Torch again did a great job in every element. And utilizing Rocky in sugar skull art is not only outstanding artwork, it’s also very appropriate for the Copa theme."
Copa de la Diversión was introduced by Minor League Baseball to foster the sport and establish connections between teams and their Hispanic/Latino communities, as stated in the release. Originating with four clubs in 2017, the program expanded to encompass 33 teams in 2018 and reached 72 teams, including the RockHounds/Matamoscas de Midessa, in 2019. Over 90 MiLB clubs actively participate in the program in 2024.
The RockHounds/Amigos will host six Copa de la Diversión nights during the 2024 season. To view the Copa de la Diversión schedule, visit the Midland RockHounds website.