MADISON — And then there were five.

The five finalists in the name the team contest have been announced by BallCorps, LLC, owner of the Southern League baseball franchise to be relocated from Mobile to Madison.

The final five names were those receiving the highest number of votes from more than 15,000 online ballots cast for the top 10 names between July 26 and Aug. 16. All team names were nominated by residents of the Tennessee Valley.

The top five names in alphabetical order are:

• Comet Jockeys: A celebration of our brave astronauts who explore outer space.

• Moon Possums: A scavenger at heart, these local critters are known for hanging around and having a good time with their family – just like going to a ballgame.

• Space Chimps: A tribute to Miss Baker, one of the first animals safely launched into space. She is buried on the grounds at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

• ThunderSharks: Mix the powerful thunder of North Alabama’s storms with the ultra-strong, sleek determination of the shark and you end up with the personality of our community.

• Trash Pandas: (Slang for raccoon) Our community is known for engineering, and no creature in our galaxy is as smart, creative, determined and ingenious a problem solver – dedicated to the challenge at hand.

The voting for the five finalists is underway at NorthAlabamaBaseball.com and will extend through noon Labor Day, Sept. 3.

The final team name will be announced at a public event on Sept. 5 at 6 pm at Rocket Republic Brewing Co., 289 Production Ave, Madison.

Working with Brandiose of San Diego, the Minor League Baseball industry’s premiere branding partner, the nominated names were selected based on uniqueness and how each name relates to the characteristics of Madison and surrounding communities. The names were chosen to further BallCorps’ objective of providing affordable fun to families in North Alabama and southern Tennessee.

At the top of the list in merchandise popularity in Minor League Baseball are numerous Brandiose-branded teams including the El Paso Chihuahuas,Hartford Yard Goats, Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, Lehigh Valley IronPigs, New Orleans Baby Cakes, Reading Fightin Phils, Omaha Storm Chasers, and Frisco RoughRiders.