In 2007, citing declining attendance, the team moved to Midland, Michigan and became the Great Lakes Loons.

Brown Stadium had been constructed in 1989 for amateur baseball, and it was substantially improved prior to obtaining the Midwest League franchise.

The only player from the 1996 team who went on to a long major league career was their weak-hitting shortstop, Rafael Betancourt (who hit just .167); he would later find success as a relief pitcher.

They nevertheless qualified for the playoffs as a wildcard team, but they lost in the first round to the Lansing Lugnuts two games to one.

[9][10] In the first half of the 1998 season, the Battle Cats went 36–36 and finished in fourth place in the Eastern Division.

For the overall season they finished tied for second place in the standings for the entire league, four games behind the West Michigan Whitecaps.

Shea Hillenbrand moved to catcher and hit .349 with 19 home runs, leading the league with a .546 slugging percentage.

[11][12] In 1999, the Michigan Battle Cats switched their affiliation from the Boston Red Sox to the Houston Astros.

Previously, the Quad City River Bandits had been the Astros' Midwest League affiliate.

Second baseman Aaron Miles hit .317 with 10 home runs and was named, along with McNeal, to the post-season all-star team.

In the championship round they swept the Beloit Snappers in three straight games to become the Midwest League champions.

[15][16][17] The next season the Battle Cats finished the first half in second place in the division with a 38–30 record, two games behind.

Pitcher Chad Qualls tied for the league lead in victories, going 15–6 with a 3.72 earned run average and 125 strikeouts.