Meet Orion and the Sugar Land Space Cowboys!

We’re going to miss Swatson, but there’s a new mascot at Constellation Field — along with new uniforms, new colors and a newly rebranded baseball team.

Orion has been named mascot of the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, formerly known as the Sugar Land Skeeters. The rebranding comes as the Skeeters officially became a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. The name aligns the team with Houston, known as home to the Johnson Space Center and celebrated for its cowboy heritage.

Orion is a fluffy blue space dog — species “Canis Cosmicus” who says his favorite foods are Milky Way Bones, Biscuits and Gravy and Astronaut Ice Cream. He clearly is kin to Houston Astros’ mascot Orbit. And similarities between the two teams don’t end there. The Space Cowboys’ colors use Astros orange and navy while adding in a light blue for its own identity. There are also notes of gray and black. Also like the Astros, two of the new Space Cowboys’ uniforms have either the team name or city emblazoned across the front while the front of the third uniform has an icon of a cowboy wearing a blast shield representing the team. Two of the uniforms also have gradient stripes of the team colors. 

The “mission patch” that will appear on hats and uniforms is a cool mix of a rocket ready to launch with elements of the Texas flag in the background.

Fans will get their first look at the newly styled team — and meet Orion — March 28 when it plays an exhibition game against the Houston Astros. The two-game face-off continues the following day at Minute Maid Park. The full season kicks off in April.