Remembering When Blue Wahoos Honored Pensacola Team Breaking Little League Color Barrier 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

On an August night in 2018, Jerry Cowart had traveled more than 750 miles from West Virginia to Pensacola, so he could reconnect with special history.

He was a pitcher-infielder on the 1955 Orlando Kiwanis, an 11-12-year-old Little League team, which agreed to play the Pensacola Jaycees in a game which shook youth baseball in the southeast.

The Pensacola Jaycees were a team of all Black players. Orlando’s team was all White players. Their Florida Little League state semifinal game on August 10, 1955, at Orlando’s Lake Lorna Doone Park broke the game’s color barrier

That game, that moment, and those players, which spawned the movie “Long Time Coming: A 1955 Baseball Story,” were honored August 18, 2018 by the Pensacola Blue Wahoos prior during their game at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

It was something the Blue Wahoos and team owner Quint Studer made happen as a well to honor the moment 63 years earlier, but also remind of its significance.

As Major League Baseball celebrates the final day of Black History Month in February 2022, this story is a fitting way to recognized Pensacola’s history with baseball and great Black players in the community’s history.

“I would have never missed this,” said Cowart, who engaged in embrace with fellow 70-year-old men who played for the Jaycees. “It’s very special. I know back then, we wanted to play that game. We didn’t care. We just wanted to play baseball.

“We didn’t think one bit of the implications,” said Cowart, whose team won the game 5-0 to advance to play Miami for the 1955 state title, which Miami won 1-0. “I know (Jaycees) were scared. And we were uptight too. But it was fun. We had a good time.”

On that night in 2018, PGA Tour star and Pensacola resident Bubba Watson, a co-investor with the Blue Wahoos, returned from his busy schedule to hand out commemorative plaques to all players and show his support.

That was a joyous surprise to the members of both teams and their families. Blue Wahoos players and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp players applauded from both dugouts during the ceremony.

The cheers became louder during the second inning when a sellout crowd (5,038) had filled the seats.

“I almost wish I could have been a part of it back in that era,” said former Blue Wahoos manager Jody Davis, who grew up in Gainesville, Georgia, and went on to become a Major League All-Star catcher with the Chicago Cubs and Atlanta Braves

“But I wasn’t born until ’56, so it was just a little bit ahead of my time, but this game of baseball has kinda smoothed over a lot of rough times.

“That bunch from Orlando did the right thing, we all know that. It is historic. I was glad to be part of it and see those guys out here. I hope they had a good time.”

The Blue Wahoos wore replica home jerseys of the Pensacola Jaycees.

The players from both the Jaycees and Orlando Kiwanis gathered on the concourse that night, signing autographs, posing with fans for pictures, or just taking in the whole experience.

At one point, Escambia County commissioner Lumon May approached four of the Orlando team members and hugged each one. It was his emotional way of saying “thank you” for what they accomplished.

“It was baseball that brought it all together and baseball is doing it again here (Saturday),” said Ted Haddock, the film’s producer.

The game was eight years after Jackie Robinson, who was born in Cairo, Georgia, made his debut with the Brooklyn Dodgers to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier.

“One of our own coaches quit before we played that game, because he didn’t want to go against a black team,” Cowart said.

The Pensacola Jaycees reached the state Little League semifinals, because teams from Fort Walton Beach and Panama City both forfeited playoff games after refusing to play against black players.

“We really didn’t know, because we had baseball fields to play on,” said Willie Robinson, a shortstop on the Jaycees and nephew of former Booker T. Washington principal Sherman Robinson. “There were baseball fields everywhere in Pensacola back then.”

“But people outside of us didn’t know we could play so well. We weren’t the best ballplayers, necessarily, in the south, but other teams didn’t get the same opportunity.”

The team traveled in three cars to get to Orlando. Only one gas station company in Florida — Phillips 66 — permitted African-American travelers to use their restrooms and drink from their water fountains.

“There were some very rough towns back then … racist places,” said Rev. Freddie Augustine, a second baseman on the Pensacola Jaycees. “We couldn’t just stop anywhere.”

But they made it happen. And 63 years later, so did the Blue Wahoos.

Blue Wahoos Stadium provided a fitting venue. It was only blocks away from where the Pensacola Jaycees played at their field that once existed on the corner of Government Street and Intendencia.

“This all goes back to our covenant about bringing the community together,” Studer said that night. “But it is also to let people know we have a ways to go. We’ve always wanted to make this ballpark like a neighborhood.. an integrated neighborhood.”

The players from both teams met for the first time two years ago in Pensacola to film the documentary. It was their first meeting since 1955. It was at a ballpark near A.K. Suter Elementary School — a field that was off-limits to the Jaycees in 1955.

Neighborhood kids saw the film crews and the production. The youth players asked the former players, all now in their 70s, about what was going on.

When they found out, the kids began asking for autographs and bonded with the men in a way that touched their hearts.

“I thank the Lord for what happened,” Robinson said. “My only disappointment is that (the local African-American community) never recognized us back then. That is my disappointment.

“But I am overwhelmed now because they are finally getting to know what we did. It’s just they can’t really feel the full impact.”

Blue Wahoos Receive Sports Tourism Award At Pensacola Sports Awards Banquet 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

During the height of the coronavirus pandemic, the Blue Wahoos became innovators and award winners.

Those elements were honored Feb. 24 during the annual Pensacola Sports Awards Banquet at the Pensacola Yacht Club, sponsored by Cox Communications.

The Blue Wahoos received the Sports Tourism Award for 2020, after creating the nation’s first Airbnb experience at a ballpark in a year without baseball, along with the other creative ways to bring people to Blue Wahoos Stadium and fulfill the team’s mission to improve the quality of life in the Pensacola community.

Blue Wahoos vice president Alex Sides accepted the award on a special night celebrating the varied success stories with athletes and teams in the Pensacola area. Pensacola Sports was founded in 1955 and is the oldest sports association in Florida.

Pensacola Sports created the Sports Tourism Award several years ago as a way to recognize an organization or group of individuals who make a significant contribution to generating tourism to Pensacola and advancing the community’s awareness.

The Blue Wahoos were able to do that in a number of ways in 2020, after all levels of Minor League Baseball were cancelled prior to the 2020 season due to the first onslaught of COVID-19. The team’s front office staff went to work to transition into an events company and Airbnb experience.

In a time where family entertainment options were greatly limited, the Blue Wahoos staged more than 200 events, along with the 75 nights of Airbnb guests from 30 different states.

It earned the Blue Wahoos the Bob Freitas Award from Baseball America as the Double-A organization of the year. The Blue Wahoos also earned the prestigious Golden Bobblehead Award for best overall promotion during the MILB Innovators Summtt, held virtually in 2020.

At the Feb. 24 Pensacola Sports banquet, event emcee Dan Shugart recognized all of the achievements and provided the gathering with awareness of how the Blue Wahoos survived a year without baseball.

The team also won other awards that year.

Team owners Quint and Rishy Studer decided in April 2020 not to reduce staffing or lay off employees and were able to keep the entire front office staff employed the entire year.

The Blue Wahoos have been able to attract visitors from across the country, either to attend games, or simply visit the stadium during non-event days to browse in the team store or simply walk around and experience the bayfront stadium.

The Blue Wahoos were joined by Five Flags Speedway, winner of the 2021 Sports Tourism Award, in earning recognition for impact in the community.

Pensacola Ahead Of Its Time A Century Ago With Negro League Baseball Opportunities 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

More than 100 years ago, Pensacola was ahead of its time with opportunities in baseball.

In a downtown area now occupied by Baptist Hospital and the Pensacola Retirement Village, was site of Kupfrian Park, a ballpark built by the city as a community centerpiece for the segregated African-American population. The 500-seat venue was framed by a pond, a horsetrack, a picnic area and fairground.

This is where Pensacola in 1890 had a thriving Black baseball league and its strong community impact before American Negro League Baseball was officially founded in 1920.

Kupfrian Park was essentially the origination of Pensacola’s Black baseball history.

“Pensacola, in reality, was color blind to a degree when it came to the game of baseball,” said author Scott Brown, whose book, “Baseball In Pensacola: American’s Pastime & The City Of Five Flags,” was published in 2013 and chronicles the city’s unique heritage in the sport.

As Major League Baseball celebrates Black History Month, the existence of Kupfrian Park enabled the sport to reach all parts of Pensacola. It was spurned baseball’s growth during segregation in Pensacola, even before the 19th Century.

Only 25 years after the Civil War ended, Pensacola leaders had a vision to grow the game in the Black community. Few cities that were Pensacola’s size had anything resembling Kupfrian Park.

“One of things in my research that just blew me away was the building and usage of Kupfrian Park,” Brown said. “That was a huge entertainment arena. The fact the city and the mayor at that time, William D. Chipley, got behind the construction of a field that sat 500 people in the grandstand, which was a big stadium back then, is just amazing.

“I mean, we are talking 1890 Pensacola. And here was a Deep South city building a ballpark for early Negro League teams to use. This wasn’t just a baseball park, it was a community center completely run by African-American employees. This was huge for Pensacola.”

This is what eventually led to the Pensacola Arthur Giants in 1920 becoming part of the Southern Negro League. And it led 25 years later to Jackie Robinson playing an exhibition game in Pensacola, while with the Kansas City Monarchs at Pensacola’s Legion Field.

So much of the foundation for the future began at Kupfrian Park on North Pace Boulevard.

“Not only did the city have the insight, but they also had the understanding this was huge entertainment venue and this was a money maker for the city,” Brown said. “It was, by-design, a place to rally the community.

“That for me was the beginning of everyone in Pensacola for Negro League Baseball. The fact the white community of Pensacola back then gave place, gave property, and gave funding, to get all of this started.”

There were several other key moments and teams that carried Pensacola’s connections with various Negro League Baseball organizations.

The first were the Pensacola African Americans, who played at Kupfrian Park and competed in the Emerald Coast Negro League. Many of those players in the early 1900’s advanced to higher levels.

Once the official start of Negro League Baseball formed in 1920, Pensacola had teams in various leagues. The teams were the Pensacola Arthur Giants, the Pepsi-Cola Stars and the Pensacola Seagulls.

Legion Field was Pensacola’s ballpark for both the Negro Southern League teams like the Pensacola Seagulls and Pepsi-Cola Stars, but also the Florida-Alabama Class D League Pensacola Dons and Senators.
Photo courtesy of UWF Historic Trust

The stadiums in town evolved into Maxent Park, which became Legion Field in 1928 and was located at its present location on Gregory Street and G Street. It was Maxent Park and Legion Field where MLB teams stopped to play during spring training on train rides back to Chicago, New York, Philadelphia and Boston.

Pensacola’s Negro League teams played at those stadiums on designated days.

“While Pensacola was still playing in segregated leagues, the people I talked to who were children then and still living now, can remember when people in the white community of Pensacola would attend Negro League games and people in the black community would attend the white games,” Brown said.

“During the white games, the African American fans were restricted to the non-covered portion of Legion Field back then along the left field line.”

The Seagulls were a feeder affiliate team for the Negro Southern League. They had the longest tenure in Pensacola, later becoming an semipro, non-affiliated, integrated team, all the way into the 1970’s.

“We might not have been known as a Negro League town in the same way as cities such as Kansas City with the Kansas City Monarchs, but were turning out players who were high aptitude in the game,” said Brown, discussing his research. “That continued on to the 1960’s. We had players who had the ability to sustain themselves all the way into the major leagues.”

The best of those players was Johnny Joe Lewis. The Booker T. Washington High graduate played for the Seagulls. He was an outfielder, who then attended a Detroit Tigers tryout as a catcher.

The Tigers signed Lewis, traded him to the St. Louis Cardinals where he made his pro debut in 1959 in Wytheville, Va. Five years later, on April 14, 1964, Lewis made his MLB debut with the Cardinals and became Pensacola’s first African-American player to reach the big leagues.

“Johnny was the epitome of the kind of talent we turned out in Pensacola among African-American players back then,” Brown said.

All of this is part of Pensacola’s rich history with Negro League Baseball. It put the community in a different light from so many other places during those eras.

“It wasn’t so much that it was an answer of giving a place to play, as much as it was that Pensacola was enamored with the game of baseball,” Brown said. “Pensacola was color blind in that regard.

“From my research, it was just a natural thing to do then. We’re just going to play baseball. It was so natural for Pensacola to begin playing black baseball.”

A look at Pensacola’s three best known Negro League teams.

ARTHUR GIANTS – The team played at Pete Caldwell Field, now in an area off Fairfield Drive and Market Street that is near Pensacola Catholic High School. The team had distinction in the early 1900’s as Pensacola most accomplished Black baseball team. Team owner E.S. Cobb, a Pensacola physician, enabled the team to travel and gain interest of the national level Negro League scouts during the 1930’s. The team played into the 1940’s.

PEPSI COLA STARS – Pensacola’s team was part of a national set of Black baseball teams sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The team played an exhibition game on Aug. 9. 1942 against the Montgomery (Ala.) Brown Bombers, a team connected to the national Negro League.

PENSACOLA SEAGULLS – The team had its own bus, enabling trips to nearby cities or as far away as San Francisco, where the Seagulls once traveled to play. The ballclub was a feeder affiliate for the Negro Southern League during the 1940’s and stayed a team long past Integration in Major League Baseball. The team stayed as an amateur or adult league teams.

The Seagulls were led by catcher William “Pit” Bell, who later became a long-time employee at Armstrong World Industries. The team played at Legion Field and had exhibition games against the Indianapolis Clowns and Kansas City Monarchs, two of the most famous teams in the elite Negro National League.

It was also the team that Johnny Joe Lewis played for as an outfielder, leading into his opportunity to rise in professional baseball and become Pensacola’s first Black player to reach the Major Leagues.

Blue Wahoos To Hold Job Fair At Brownsville Community Center On February 23

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

The Blue Wahoos are hiring for the 2022 baseball season and will hold a job fair on Wednesday, February 23 at the Brownsville Community Center in Pensacola to seek candidates interested in available positions for the upcoming season. Candidates can interview on-site for positions from 4:00-6:00 PM at the Community

The Blue Wahoos are hiring for the 2022 baseball season and will hold a job fair on Wednesday, February 23 at the Brownsville Community Center in Pensacola to seek candidates interested in available positions for the upcoming season. Candidates can interview on-site for positions from 4:00-6:00 PM at the Community Center, located next to the Brownsville Church at 3200 West Desoto Street.

Seasonal positions are available in food and beverage, merchandise, cleaning services, game production, and in-game entertainment.

To complete the application form, candidates are required to bring a resume that includes their contact information, education history, job experience, and professional references. Candidates will be interviewed on-site at the event and are encouraged to dress for a formal interview and be prepared to discuss their customer service skills and experience.

MLB Pioneer Johnny Joe Lewis Leads Pensacola’s All-Time Greatest Black Baseball Players 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

Nearly 50 years later, Kevin Saucier’s amazement has grown from his unique connections with Pensacola’s history of its greatest Black baseball players.

The left-hander was making his pitching debut with the Pulaski (Virginia) Phillies in the Appalachian League. It was weeks after the Philadelphia Phillies had selected Saucier in the second round of the 1974 draft from Escambia High School.

In the opposing lineup that night for the Covington (Va.) Astros was an outfielder named Joe “JJ” Cannon, who Saucier knew from Cannon’s success at Pensacola State College, formerly Pensacola Junior College.

“He was in the top three of the batting order,” Saucier said. “I wish I could remember how I did against him, but I knew JJ could run and I didn’t want him on base. But imagine that, your first game and guy from Pensacola you’re going against.”

Both players continued incredible journeys to reach the major leagues.

Cannon was the first PJC player to be drafted and continued a trailblazing path set by predecessors Johnny Joe Lewis and Hosken Powell to be among Pensacola’s greatest Black baseball players who reached the major leagues.

Saucier, nicknamed “Hot Sauce,” rose in the Phillies organization to win a World Series title with Philadelphia in 1980.

As part of Black History Month, Major League Baseball is recognizing players who advanced the game and became inspirations as part of an initiative to recognize top Black players in the communities of minor league affiliates.

The Blue Wahoos have chosen Cannon, along with Lewis, Powell, then Mark Whitten and Adron Chambers, as five of Pensacola’s greatest.

All played Major League Baseball and overcame long odds to do so. Saucer brings perspective with knowing all of them.

“I have all the respect in the world for these guys because they had a lot of things against them to get to the big leagues,” said Saucier, whose playing career transitioned into becoming an MLB regional scouting director and works with the Blue Wahoos during their home schedule as a liaison with current scouts and MLB team executives who travel to Pensacola to attend games.

“When you look at these guys, especially guys like Johnny, Hosken and JJ, you remember there was no such thing as (youth team) travel ball in those days and the summer league opportunities for them were nowhere near the same as for white players,” Saucier said.

“They had to overcome a lot and stay with it. And these five guys were some of the best players to ever come out of Pensacola.”

Saucier played against Cannon in high school and pro ball. He pitched against Powell in spring training games. He then got to know Lewis well in his later years. He then got to know and became friends with Whiten and Chambers during his scouting career.

In honor of Black History Month, here is a look at Pensacola’s top five Black baseball players.

JOHNNY JOE LEWIS – During his prep career at Booker T. Washington, Lewis grew up less than a decade removed from Jackie Robinson breaking baseball’s color barrier.

He was signed as a free agent by the Detroit Tigers, but broke into pro ball with the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 1959. He made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in 1964. Lewis played five seasons in the big leagues, including the final three years with the New York Mets.

He had 174 hits, 24 doubles, six triples, 22 home runs with 74 RBI in the majors. One of those home runs was a historic solo homer in 1965 against the Cincinnati Reds, breaking up a 10-inning, no-hitter by Reds pitcher Jim Maloney – one of the longest no-hitters in MLB history.

Following his playing career, he became the Cardinals first Black assistant coach in 1973 and stayed with the organization for the next two decades. He died in 2018 at age 78 and is considered one of Pensacola’s most famous names in Major League Baseball.

“When I got into coaching, that’s when I really started to get to know who Johnny Joe was,” Saucier said. “He was such a great guy and everyone in the game knew who he was. He had to have such an influence on everyone at that time in Pensacola.”

HOSKEN POWELL – One of the top players in Pensacola’s prep baseball history, Powell, a Woodham High graduate and outfielder, was twice a first-round draft pick in the same year while playing at Chipola Junior College. After being chosen by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1975 as the 19th overall pick in primary draft in January, Powell was later chosen by the Minnesota Twins as the third overall pick in the June secondary draft phase.

One of his roommates at Chipola was Century High grad Buck Showalter, now manager of the New York Mets.

Powell signed with the Twins and made his MLB debut with the Twins in 1978 and played six years in the big leagues.

“I remember I was a freshman in high school (Escambia) and on the JV team and we were playing Woodham. All I heard about was this guy named Hosken Powell,” Saucier said, laughing. “Let me tell you I could not get him out. You knew then, that this guy was going to be someone special.

“He had a lot of influence on baseball in Pensacola.”

JJ CANNON – While playing prep baseball at Camp LeJuene, N.C., Cannon’s family moved to Florida and he later signed to play at Pensacola Junior College. That’s where he caught attention from pro scouts and the Houston Astros made him the 16th overall pick in the 1974 draft.

Three later, following his rookie year with Saucier in the Appalachian League, Cannon made his MLB debut with the Astros in 1977 before being traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 1979. His four-year career in the big leagues was followed by an extensive tenure as a minor league coach and manager. Cannon managed five different teams in four different leagues.

In 1991, he had a stadium in Hanover, Maryland named in his honor.

“The Appalachian League back in the 70’s was not an easy way to break into professional baseball for young black players,” Saucier said. “So I know JJ had to go through a lot.”

MARK WHITEN

Former Pensacola High football coach Leo Carvalis convinced Whiten to become a two-sport athlete and try out for the baseball team. His progression earned him a baseball scholarship at PJC and he chose that route as opposed to trying college football.

In 1986, Whiten was drafted in the fifth round by the Toronto Blue Jays. That organization became one of nine different MLB teams that Whitten played for during his 11 year career. While with the Phillies in 1993, he hit four home runs in a game and now is among 18 players in MLB history to attain that feat.

Whitten’s four homers resulted in 12 RBI which is tied for the all-time record in MLB history. He embraced the nickname of “Hard-Hittin’ Mark Whiten.”

“When Mark was in high school and PJC, he had a heck of an arm as a rightfielder,” Saucier said. “He had talent, but was raw as heck back then. And he just kept getting better.”

The Blue Jays scout who signed Whiten had to convince his director that it was a worthy choice. Whiten finished his career in 2000 with the Cleveland Indians and his career numbers included a .259 batting average with 105 home runs and 423 RBI.

ADRON CHAMBERS

A star quarterback and defensive back at Pensacola High, who led the Tigers to a state semifinal appearance in 2004, Chambers signed a football scholarship at Mississippi State. He then turned to baseball and joined Pensacola State College where he earned a pro opportunity during a tryout camp in 2007 with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Four years later, Chambers became part of the Cardinals’ World Series march and earned a championship ring with the Cardinals in 2011. In a four-year climb through the minor leagues, Chambers went from hitting .238 in Low-A in 2008 to .290 in Triple-A with the Memphis Redbirds in 2010.

That earned him a place on the Cardinals’ 40-man MLB roster. He spent parts of the 2012-13 seasons with the Cardinals and minor league affiliate, then played with the Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays organizations. He signed a free-agent deal with the Chicago Cubs before the 2015 season and was a teammate of former Cubs’ shortstop and Pace High grad Addison Russell that year.

“It is so amazing when you consider that Adron did not even play baseball at Mississippi State,” Saucier said. “And then he stayed with it (after 2011) to play several years in the minors.

Dynamic Didi, Record Holder Hamilton Lead Top Black Players In Blue Wahoos History 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

In celebration of Black History Month, throughout the month of February, teams across Minor League Baseball are taking a look back at five of the best Black players to suit up for their club.

While some of these standout performers went on long and illustrious Major League careers, others simply had great Minor League careers or, in some cases, just incredible one incredible season that went down as “a year for the ages.”

Here is a look at five of the best Black baseball players ever to suit up for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos.

DIDI GREGORIUS

In the same year he made his major league debut, Didi Gregorius was part of the Blue Wahoos inaugural Opening Day lineup at shortstop on April 5, 2012 in the team’s historic first season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

After signing an international contract at 18-years-old with the Cincinnati Reds, the Amsterdam, Netherlands native had already built acclaim before arriving to Pensacola.

He began that season as the Reds’ No. 6 prospect by Baseball America and was known for being able to speak eight different languages. He played 81 games for the Blue Wahoos in 2012, captivating Pensacola fans with his defensive wizardry, along with speed on the basepaths.

He batted .279 with 31 RBI for the Blue Wahoos, along with eight triples, 11 doubles and a home run. He was named a Southern League All-Star. He quickly became a fan favorite and often engaged with fans during pregame, along with signing autographs.

Gregorius was elevated to Triple-A Louisville in the second half of 2012 and made his MLB debut with the Reds on Sept. 4, 2012 against the Philadelphia Phillies.

Ironically, he was acquired by the Phillies in 2020 and remains under contract with that team.

BILLY HAMILTON

When Gregorius was promoted in 2012, Billy Hamilton joined the Blue Wahoos from the Cincinnati Reds’ High-A affiliate in Bakersfield, Calif. for the second half of that season.

When he got to Pensacola, Hamilton was already well on his way to breaking the Minor League Baseball stolen base record. Anticipation and fan interest then grew with every game, each successful stolen base.

History happened on August 21 at Blue Wahoos Stadium against the Montgomery Biscuits when Hamilton recorded his 146th stolen base, breaking the mark set in 1983 by former St. Louis Cardinals star Vince Coleman when he played for former affiliate Macon (Ga.) Redbirds.

Hamilton’s chase and record-setting feat provided the Blue Wahoos with national attention. It gave the team notice on ESPN and MLB Network and other national media outlets.

Hamilton, a second-round pick by the Reds in 2009 from Taylorsville, Miss., finished with 155 stolen bases in 2012, including 51 with the Blue Wahoos. He played 50 games for Pensacola, batting .286 with five triples, four doubles and one home run that was an all-time memorable inside-the-park HR during a Sunday home game at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

He then returned to loud ovations in 2015 for three games, while on a injury rehab assignment with the Reds.

PHILIP ERVIN

After joining the Blue Wahoos in the second half of the 2015 season, Philip Ervin helped the team make its first post-season appearance under first-year manager Pat Kelly.

The following year, Ervin played 123 games as a versatile outfielder and was a big part of why the Blue Wahoos attained their first winning season in franchise history. He was a key part of the team that won both half-season, division titles in the Southern League before losing in the playoffs.

Ervin, who was the Cincinnati Reds’ first round selection in 2013, collected 100 hits with 45 RBI in 2016 with 13 home runs. He also stole 36 bases. The games he played often had a family contingent of fans. He grew up in Leroy, Alabama, a tiny town 55 miles north of Mobile and played three sports – football, basketball and baseball – at his high school.

During his career at Samford, he was named the MVP of the Cape Cod League, following his sophomore year in 2012. He began 2013 as a preseason All-American and MVP of the Southern Conference.

Ervin made his MLB debut in 2017 with the Reds and played four seasons in the big leagues.

AMIR GARRETT

As part of the Blue Wahoos talented starting rotation in 2016, Garrett put together one of the best years by a pitcher in team history.

Chosen by the Reds in the 22nd round of the 2011 draft out of St. John’s University, the left-handed hurler from Victorville, Calif. rapidly progressed in 2016 to become the Reds Minor League Pitcher of the year, as well as a Southern League All-Star for the Blue Wahoos.

Garrett, a 6-foot-5, former basketball player at St. John’s, compiled a 5-3 record in 12 starts for the Blue Wahoos, but he allowed just 20 runs in that span with only 15 earned runs. He did not allow a home run in any appearance. His 1.75 earned run average with the Blue Wahoos led all Reds’ minor league pitchers that season.

He played in the Sirius-XM Futures Game after being promoted to Triple-A Louisville on June 17 that season. He threw two hitless innings in the game.

Garrett made his MLB debut in 2017 and figures to again be part of the Reds starting rotation in 2022.

SHED LONG

The Blue Wahoos championship season in 2017 included outfielder Shed Long, who then returned in 2018 to have a big year in the team’s final season as a Cincinnati Reds affiliate.

Long, a Birmingham native, was a 12th round selection by the Reds in 2013. He bypassed a potential college football career to play professional baseball. In 2018, Long batted a team-high .261 in 126 games and his 56 RBI were second-best. He was a Southern League All Star selection that year.

He finished the season leading the Blue Wahoos with most at-bats, runs scored (75), hits (118), doubles (22), triples (5) total bases and walks (57). His 19 steals tied for team best.

Following the 2018 season in Pensacola, Long became an Arizona Fall League All-Star. He was then traded by the Reds to the Seattle Mariners in a three-team deal with the New York Yankees.

After spending parts of the past three seasons in the major leagues with the Seattle Mariners, where Long made his MLB Debut in 2019, he is now a free agent.

Blue Wahoos Join “The Nine”, A New Initiative To Celebrate, Engage, And Welcome Black Fans

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

Minor League Baseball® (MiLB™) today announced the launch of “The Nine,” a new, Black-community focused outreach platform specifically designed to honor and celebrate the historic impact numerous Black baseball pioneers made on the sport, provide new opportunities for youth baseball and softball participation, further diversify the business of baseball, and embrace millions of passionate fans throughout MiLB’s 120 communities nationwide.

Named for the number Jackie Robinson wore during his only season playing in MiLB with the Triple-A Montreal Royals in 1946, The Nine will connect MiLB teams’ existing, Black-community focused development efforts with new national programming and future special events in a coordinated and centralized campaign. The new inclusion initiative follows MiLB’s Copa de la Diversión Latino fan engagement platform introduced in 2017 that included 76 MiLB teams in 2021.

The Nine will recognize and honor numerous Black pioneers and trailblazing civil rights leaders in all 120 MiLB communities, ensuring the heroes of the past and their contributions continue to be celebrated through ceremonies and events at MiLB ballparks and in the community. Recent tributes and celebrations have included Negro Leagues commemorative games honoring the Austin Black Senators in Round Rock (TX), the Bradenton (FL) Nine Devils, and Page Fence Giants near Lansing (MI). Additional tribute games are being planned for the 2022 season and beyond.

“The Nine will shine bright spotlights on these successful initiatives and transform them into national campaigns reaching more fans and communities, further showcasing our teams’ commitment to representing, honoring, and welcoming all fans to MiLB’s unique brand of fun,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “The Nine is just the latest example of MiLB teams being true community champions.”

In addition to player- and team-related content, The Nine will focus heavily on creating new opportunities for youth participation among young Black boys and girls, particularly in communities where youth baseball and softball programming is either nonexistent or difficult to access.

Central to this youth-focused push is a planned expansion of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) Program throughout MiLB’s national footprint. New competitions in MLB’s Pitch, Hit & Run and Junior Home Run Derby event series will also debut in MiLB markets beginning in 2022.

MiLB teams will continue to build relationships with local Black-owned and operated businesses, local artists and entertainers in an effort to embrace Black culture and make MiLB ballparks a hub for culturally relevant concerts, shows, and community events.

With several MiLB teams having a Historically Black College or University (HBCU) in their community, opportunities will be provided for those schools to start internship and mentorship programs with their local team, creating opportunities for on-the-job experience for students prior to entering the job market. Additionally, MiLB recently partnered with TeamWork Online to create a more inclusive virtual job fair and ongoing talent pipeline that aims to recruit and position qualified and ready-for-hire candidates from across the country for potential management- and executive-level roles within MiLB team front offices.

Blue Wahoos Job Fair: Tuesday, January 25 – 4:00-7:00 PM

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos and Studer Family of Companies will host their annual Job Fair on Tuesday, January 25 to hire seasonal staff for the 2022 Blue Wahoos baseball season as well as positions within the Studer Family of Companies. The event will take place from 4:00 PM-7:00 PM at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Interviews will be held on-site and candidates are encourage to bring a resume and come prepared to discuss their experience and qualifications.­­

Positions available within the Studer Family of Companies include:

Blue Wahoos: Internship & Trainee positions available in Box Office and Ticket Sales, Community Relations, Corporate Sales, Media Relations, Graphic Design, Merchandise, and Stadium Operations. Food and Beverage staff including cooks, prep staff, and cashiers. Creative Services staff including in-game entertainment team, camera operators, and control room positions. Operations staff including ushers, cleaning crew, and grounds crew.

StadiumDrop: Food and Beverage positions for Blue Wahoos games including delivery staff.

Bubba’s Sweet Spot: Candy Shop Sales Associate

Oyster Bay Boutique Hotel: Hotel Front Desk & Concierge

Bodacious Shops: Barista, Café Sales & Service Staff, Event Server, Cook

5Eleven Palafox: Special Events Intern

The Blue Wahoos season begins Friday, April 8th and continues through September 18th with the possibility of additional playoff games being held in Pensacola.

Applicants unable to attend the job fair can apply for available positions at QuintStuder.com/Careers.

Read With Ballplayers January 15 At The Bodacious Bookstore!

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

In conjunction with Fish Fest at Blue Wahoos Stadium, Miami Marlins prospects Jordan McCants and Jeff Lindgren will visit the Bodacious Bookstore and Café on Saturday, January 15 for a morning of family-friendly fun at Books With Ballplayers! From 11:00 AM until noon, McCants, Lindgren, and Blue Wahoos mascot Kazoo will read with children in attendance and participate in a question and answer session. The event is free to the public. Interested participants are encouraged to arrive early as space is limited.

In accordance with Major League Baseball health and safety protocols, face masks are required for all guests at Books With Ballplayers.

The Bodacious Bookstore and Café opened in August 2019 at 110 E. Intendencia Street in downtown Pensacola offering a wide selection of books for both children and adults, a children’s area highlighted by a replica lighthouse, and a full menu of coffee, tea, smoothies, and café-style food.

Following the Books With Ballplayers event, McCants and Lindgren will head to Blue Wahoos Stadium for the first annual Fish Fest event at Blue Wahoos Stadium. Held from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, the event will feature autographs, question and answer sessions, a yard sale, behind-the-scenes tours, and more. Free tickets to Fish Fest and more information on the event can be found AT THIS LINK.

Blue Wahoos Partner To Help Provide Holiday Meals For Those In Greatest Need 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

A volunteer enthusiastically greeted Angie Ishee, the executive vice president of the Waterfront Rescue Mission, while she stood on the sidewalk entrance to Blue Wahoos Stadium.

“This kicks off a right kind of Thanksgiving, doesn’t it?” Ishee said.

A nod of approval became the common theme.

For the first time, the Blue Wahoos played a significant role in helping feed thousands of needy people on Thanksgiving Day as part of the facility’s “Feeding Of The 5,000” quest.

After executive chef Travis Wilson and sous chef Carl Sackman prepared more than 50 turkeys, a team of volunteers worked Thanksgiving Day morning to add complete dinner meals, then box the food into Styrofoam containers for delivery into the community.

“This is basically using our resources for the greater good,” Wilson said. “We have the high powered ovens, we have the space to do this. It is the least we can do to help.”

The stadium’s Better Homes & Garden Lounge became staging area for a unified effort to help people in need throughout the Pensacola area.

The initial efforts for Thanksgiving may be followed with help for Christmas meals that Waterfront Rescue Mission provides.

“It is a massive undertaking,” Ishee said. “The Blue Wahoos have been wonderful. This (stadium) provide a central location for our team of volunteers to come day and get the food prepared, loaded and sent out to places we are serving.”

It was the 72nd year that Pensacola’s Waterfront Rescue Mission has provided Thanksgiving meals to homeless, elderly shut-in people and others within the community in need.

The facility has done it with partnership of the Appleyard Agency. Company president Dick Appleyard said he got involved 35 or 40 years ago while his father, John Appleyard, was the company CEO and has stayed actively involved every year.

“I was part of trying to solve the problem,” Dick Appleyard said. “We knew the problem then and now the problem is front and center in the community.

“These guys at Waterfront Mission have been doing this now for nearly 75 years. They know their stuff. And at the end of the day, they are going to be part of the solution to help alleviate this problem of homelessness.”

Sackman said the Blue Wahoos kitchen area and the massive ovens enabled them to cook 41 turkeys at once.

“With turkeys, especially since they come frozen, thawing them is always what takes the longest,” said “When you have so many big turkeys together, they are basically giant ice cubes, so it keeps each one more frozen. These were all together.

“It takes over a week to thaw them out effectively.”

In 2020, Sackman and Wilson combined efforts to create takeout holiday meals the Blue Wahoos provided for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It enabled people to pre-order their family dinners, then pick up the food before each holiday.

“This time, they approached us and asked for our help and we said, sure we can make some turkeys,” Wilson said. “We have the space here to do things like this and the amount of ovens to use.”

All of the food and costs were donated. Appleyard said the plan will be to follow suit for Christmas meals.

“(Blue Wahoos) were a godsend to us,” he said. “The facility can be used for so many things. It is so fantastic.

Blue Wahoos Providing Trick-Or-Treat On The Diamond Friday In Halloween Event 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

Returning a Halloween-themed event to Blue Wahoos Stadium a year ago provided organizers with a new idea.

What about having Trick-or-Treat stations on the field, thus giving children a more wide-open, space and place to run around?

That will happen Friday night, beginning at 5 p.m. when the Blue Wahoos host a Halloween celebration night, sponsored by T-Mobile, and complete with popcorn, candy stations set up by area businesses, a Walt Disney movie, and a fireworks show above the stadium for families to enjoy.

Admission is $5 for the event and gates will open at 5 p.m. Friday to start the Trick-or-Treat procession.

“I love offering the stadium as a safe space for parents to have an alternative from, say, going door to door (in neighborhoods) for Halloween,” said Shannon Reeves, the Blue Wahoos events director. “I feel having businesses giving out candy in an open community space, still checks the boxes for kids to ‘Trick or Treat’, but also brings some comfort for wary parents who might not want kids to go door to door.”

The movie “Hocus Pocus” will be shown at 6 p.m. on the stadium video board. Ticket holders can either sit on the field (blankets only, no chairs), or utilize the stadium bowl seats to watch the film. Fireworks will follow. T-Mobile is providing popcorn bags for the first 500 people.

Following the movie, there will be a fireworks display to close out the event.

“To me, Hocus Pocus is your perfect, family, Halloween movie,” said Reeves, who wanted to ensure a movie did not contain violence or rough language. “It is a cult favorite and I think always will be. It is a fun, family movie.”

The Blue Wahoos have partnered with 30 area businesses, who will set up their stations along the perimeter of the field. A year ago, the Halloween night at the stadium utilized the concourses for Trick or Treat stations.

This time, it will enable people to purchase beverages and food at concessions areas without crowding the area.

“We’re excited about the plan to have everything on the field,” Reeves said. “The concourse is not super conducive to a Trick or Treat type of event with the main gate stairs in the middle. We wanted to give people the opportunity to go here, there, or everywhere and not be stuck in a line.

“Kids can run from booth to booth and have free reign of the stadium which I know parents will love. Get treats and then watch the movie.”

Incorporating local businesses was a popular pitch, she said.

“It gives those businesses a chance to come out, free of charge, and to have their businesses showcased in front of a large amount of people,” Reeves said.

“I think people really appreciated that. We were offering a chance to be part of a community event without having to pay anything.”

The Blue Wahoos held Halloween events in their early part of the team’s history. A year ago, the concept was brought back and revised during a time when the ongoing coronavirus pandemic cancelled many indoor Halloween events.

From that experience, the Blue Wahoos made the current revision.

“We had such a great turnout, such a great response,” Reeves said. “People were very grateful for it. We did it with a movie, which we had not done before in previous Halloween events.

“This gives us a chance to fulfill our mission again in the community. When we talked about this year, we decided on how to make this an even smoother, even better event.

“We’re just trying to give families a safe place to come, and give kids a safe place to come in their costumes. And not worry about traffic. Or not worry about running in the street.”

Friday’s event closes out a busy October at the stadium. In addition to a variety of smaller private events, Blue Wahoos Stadium has been a venue for the Soul Bowl youth football event, the Nitro Circus stunt bikes show, the First City Art Pumpkin Patch, along with two UWF football games.

‘It has been a banner October,” Reeves said. “We have seen probably the most diverse group of events in this stadium than I have ever seen. All of these events have brought in different audiences and demographics. And (Friday) will be a great finale to the month.”

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: Blue Wahoos Halloween Night

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

WHEN: Friday, gates open at 5 p.m.

ADMISSION: $5 apiece.

FORMAT: Trick or Treat for children begins at 5 p.m. on the field with area businesses setting up stations. The Walt Disney movie, Hocus Pocus, will be shown at 6 p.m., followed by a fireworks display. Sponsor T-Mobile will provide popcorn bags.

TICKETS: Available online at www.bluewahoos.com or at the stadium box office.

PARKING: Available at stadium main lot, as well as the addition lots across street from ballpark.

Soul Bowl Return To Blue Wahoos Stadium Brings Welcome Community Boost 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

For the first time in its three decades, the Soul Bowl didn’t happen in 2020. Another unfortunate event cancellation amid the coronavirus pandemic.

That void has created an emotional backdrop for Saturday’s 29th annual youth football showcase at Blue Wahoos Stadium, which organizers were determined to make happen.

“It was extremely important we have the Soul Bowl,” said Lumon May, long-time director of the Southern Youth Sports Association, along with serving on the Escambia County Commission.

“I have been around sports all my life,” said May, 51, who has been part of this event since the first one was staged. “And so to not have the Soul Bowl… something as significant, particularly to the African-American community in Pensacola as this is… it was very sad, very odd last year.

“This year, all the coaches, all the parents, they were not worried about cancelling the season. They said, ‘If we don’t play any other games, if we don’t play any other Saturday, let’s just play the Soul Bowl. Even if we can’t finish the season, we want to go down to the Wahoos Stadium and play the Soul Bowl.’

“That’s what the Soul Bowl has meant.”

The event will feature five games among five different age divisions between the SYSA Tigers and Albritton & Gant East Pensacola Rattlers. This will be the first football played on the newly resodded Blue Wahoos Stadium, after last Saturday’s scheduled game with the University of West Florida was cancelled.

The continued concern and effect of COVID-19 in the community has led to alterations for this year’s Soul Bowl. There will be Soul Food vendors outside the stadium — a decision reached Thursday — but not the mass variety as before.

The Unity Circle celebration in early afternoon Saturday will instead be a solemn memorial to those with ties to the Soul Bowl who passed away from complications involving the horrific virus.

“We’ve lost coaches, cheerleader coaches, volunteers who had been part of this game for a long time,” May said. “So it’s going to be emotional.

“We know we will have some hiccups. But if we can just get the kids out there to play, that’s the biggest win. We may not have the Soul Food trucks and all the outside activity we’ve have had in the past.

“But I thought it was important for the community to have this and most important for the children involved that we do something for them.”

May said there was some debate on whether to put on the Soul Bowl this year. But after talking with Blue Wahoos owner Quint Studer, who led the way 10 years ago for the Soul Bowl to move into Blue Wahoos Stadium from its previous two neighborhood park venues, it reaffirmed a push to stage the 2021 event.

The day-long event is made possible through sponsorship of attorney Troy Rafferty, shareholder in the Levin, Papatonio, Rafferty Law Firm, along with Cox Communications, the Blue Wahoos and other sponsors.

“Quint said, ‘Let’s do it,’ and that was great,” May said. “.And thanks to Quint Studer it has become the signature event for inclusion in downtown Pensacola.”

With favorable weather forecast, the expectation Saturday is for a festive atmosphere and celebration of youth football, which includes parents and spectators setting up tailgate tents inside the stadium and picnic-style atmosphere around kids playing football.

“It’s just a fun thing to see,” said Shannon Reeves, the Blue Wahoos events director who has coordinated as stadium host the past four Soul Bowl games. “The stadium is packed, the music is loud, little kids are everywhere, parents are taking pictures, parents are excited.

“And it really has found its niche here. I feel like people expect it to be here. It’s a well oiled machine from their side (Soul Bowl organizers) of things. Parents know what to expect, coaches know what to expect.”

29th SOUL BOWL YOUTH FOOTBALL

WHO: Southern Youth Sports Association (SYSA) Tigers vs. Albritton & Gant East Pensacola Rattlers

WHEN: Saturday, games are at 9:00 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 12 p.m.. 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m.

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium

ADMISSION: $8 general admission (good for all games) if purchased Thursday or Friday; $10 on Saturday. Children 3-under admitted free.

FORMAT: Games begin with teams ages 6-under, then 8-under, 10-under, 12-under, 14-under for final game. Stadium gates will open at 8 a.m.

RESTRICTIONS: Food purchased outside at one of the food vendors will be permitted inside stadium. But no other outside food or beverage will be permitted to be brought into stadium. Concessions will be open before the first game.

Wahoos Octoberfest Is Month-Long Array Of Popular Community Events 

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

The field transformation at Blue Wahoos Stadium into a football venue has ushered another change, which has evolved in recent years.

It’s now viewed in a different realm as a fall events place.

From the annual Soul Bowl youth football event on Saturday (Oct. 2), it begins the stadium’s own version of an Octoberfest.

Events in the month include a specialty Bingo Night on Oct. 7, the First City Art Center Pumpkin Patch on Oct. 9, a first-time appearance by the Nitro Circus motorcycle stunt riders on Oct. 14, the Light Up Learning gala on Oct. 21, a Halloween weekend event (Oct. 29), along with University of West Florida football games on Oct 16 and Oct .23, plus high school homecoming parties.

“There’s not a weekend — from now until the end of the year — that we don’t have something going on,” said Shannon Reeves, the Blue Wahoos events manager. “Either on a Friday, a Saturday, a Sunday or on multiple days the same weekend.

“I see more people interested in booking something at the stadium. It’s become a place where a lot of people can get together in a safe way.”

It’s now approaching 20 months into the coronavirus pandemic and its effect and reshape of the entertainment and sports world. After making a quick pivot a year ago in a 2020 summer without baseball, the Blue Wahoos have continued to find the ballpark viewed as a safe haven for events.

A full October calendar at the stadium is proof of that.

“COVID showed us a lot about what we can do here,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith. “We were doing movie nights, dinner nights, bingo nights, trivia nights (in 2020) and I think it gives people an option during COVID as far as having a place to go that is outdoors and a safe environment.

“I think that is still a thing for us. Especially among a lot of non-profit organizations, who are having their events here. You don’t get any more open air than Blue Wahoos Stadium.

“Even in our version of a suite area, the Hancock Whitney Club, it is open air. So no matter where you are, as far as a event, this is a great place to have that. And having Shannon Reeves to drive that has been great.”

Whether it’s through baseball games or special events without connection to sports, the stadium has provided the Blue Wahoos options to meet the quest for year-round activities.

It is something baseball team owners Quint and Rishy Studer wanted to ensure when pitching a multiuse stadium project more than a decade ago.

“Quint built the stadium as a community space and my job is to keep it a community space and pack these events in here,” Reeves said. “With our Blue Wahoos staff, we have all these fantastic minds coming together about. ‘let’s do this or have that.’

“Just super creative minds in the community to bring these events to our stadium.”

The First City Art Center Pumpkin Patch event moved to Blue Wahoos Stadium last year. Thousands of pumpkins were sold. It was the first time all pumpkins were sold. This year, a couple thousand people are expected for the day-long Oct. 9 event.

“I started here four years ago, and really not a lot of people knew about our events,” Reeves said. “In the last four years our team has come together and we’ve turned the stadium into a space where we’re holding everything under the sun here.

“And with that comes different audiences. When you host a variety of events, it brings a variety of new eyes, new audiences and this new awareness of, ‘Oh my gosh, look at what they can do here.’

“So it’s not just seen as a baseball stadium. We’ve really worked to make it a year-round events center.”

WAHOOS OCTOBERFEST

Biggest public events in October at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

Oct. 2 – Soul Bowl Youth Football (All day).

Oct. 7 – Bingo Night (6-10 p.m.)

Oct. 9 – First City Art Center Pumpkin Patch (2-6 p.m.)

Oct. 14 – Nitro Circus (7-9:30 p.m.)

Oct. 16 – UWF Football Homecoming Game vs. West Georgia (4 p.m.)

Oct. 21 – Light Up Learning Fundraiser Gala (5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.)

Oct. 23 – UWF Football vs. Shorter (4 p.m.)

Oct. 29 – Halloween Trick-or-Treat, Movie Night, Fireworks (5 p.m.-9 p.m.).

Tickets/Info: www.bluewahoos.com and www.goargos.com.

Blue Wahoos, SFOC Team To Help Pensacola Habitat For Humanity

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

Undeterred by thick humidity, or the soaking from two rain showers, several Blue Wahoos employees extended the team’s community impact Monday in a special way.

The group, which included team vice president Donna Kirby, joined with members from entities within the Studer Family of Companies to help construction of two homes in a partnership with Pensacola Habitat for Humanity.

The adjacent homes were on 48th Street near New Warrington Road. The three bedroom, two bath homes will soon be ready for first-time homeowners.

“It was a really fulfilling and rewarding experience,” said Anna Striano, the Blue Wahoos community relations and merchandise manager. “I know everybody was super tired. We had just worked a six-game homestand (which ended June 21 against the Montgomery Biscuits), but it was a lot of fun.

“A lot of hard work and the weather was not the greatest, of course, but everyone I think felt a sense of accomplishment when we left that day.”

The SFOC group combined to help construction on the roof, front porch, installing and fastening hurricane reinforcement rods and other parts of the home.

The team began at 7:30 a.m. that morning, which followed the Blue Wahoos completing a six-game homestand about 36 hours earlier. Members from the Bodacious Café and Shops along with SFOC finance joined the effort.

“I think it is always fun to give back to the community, especially something like this, when you are physically making a difference… it is very rewarding,” said Gracey McDonald, in her second full year as the events sales specialist at 5eleven Palafox, a multipurpose events venue and part of the SFOC entities.

McDonald, a Milton High and University of West Florida graduate, worked the past several years in the Blue Wahoos front office handling a variety of roles.

Her sister, Betsy, is part of the team at Pensacola Habitat for Humanity.

“She mentioned to me one day that she was going out to help build, because they are able to go out and build whenever they want to and I thought that would be so much fun,” McDonald said. “So, she set me up with the person who sets up all their coordination and volunteer efforts and it just kind of steamrolled from there.”

This is the 40th anniversary for Pensacola Habitat for Humanity. The non-profit organization has built more than 1,400 homes in Escambia and Santa Rosa County.

“As far as I know, this is our first project with them,” said Striano, a California native and graduate of Grand Canyon University, now in her fifth year with the Blue Wahoos. “They have come out for fundraisers at our games, but this may be a first for us working to help build two homes.

“It was real special for me. My dad was a home builder and always talked to me about Habitat for Humanity and how much he appreciated what they were doing,” she said. “He always wanted to do a build, but there were not any options where we live, so this has a personal connection.”

The efforts were part of the Blue Wahoos continued outreach in the community.

Striano said in 2020, the Blue Wahoos worked a combined 1,012 hours in various community service projects or one-day events. With baseball returning this year, the availability is more limited, but she is able to take requests and determine if the time fits or not.

One added element with the home building project is the SFOC group worked alongside a homeowner for one of the homes as she was helping build her house.

“We got to know her a little bit and that kind of made it more personal,” Striano said. “You are working with the person who is actually going to be living in that house.

“A lot of what we have done recently has been restoration and cleanup efforts. This was definitely a little different than what we were used to, but I felt like it was so rewarding.”

Blue Wahoos, FDOH-Escambia Partner To Offer Four Vaccine Clinics In June

Here is a link to the original story on the team's website.

 

The Pensacola Blue Wahoos, in partnership with the Florida Department of Health in Escambia County, will offer free COVID-19 vaccines to fans at their games on June 5, June 6, June 19, and June 20.

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines will be administered to eligible fans ages 12 and up. Recipients of the Pfizer vaccine will be scheduled to receive their second dose at FDOH-Escambia the week of Monday, June 28. Single-shot Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines will also be available to eligible participants ages 18 and up.

No appointments will be necessary for fans attending the games.

Fans interested in attending the Blue Wahoos games during which vaccines will be administered can secure their tickets at BlueWahoos.com.

For more information about FDOH-Escambia and COVID-19, fans may visit EscambiaHealth.com.