Two-Minute Practice: Players Championship, High School Hoops Championships
The Players Championship celebrates milestone at TPC Sawgrass near Jacksonville; plus high school basketball ends this weekend.
Eleven years ago, Carl King was the head baseball coach at Edmund North High in Oklahoma when his team played at Blue Wahoos Stadium during the Tate Aggie Classic.
That experience made it easy when new head coach Tate was asked last summer to participate in a two-day, four-team series hosted by Pace that begins Thursday at Blue Wahoos Stadium. These will be the first games of 2024 at the stadium and kicks off a busy March with baseball and other events.
The Pace Patriots (1-4), who picked up their first win Tuesday against Gulf Breeze, will face Paxton (3-3) in the first game at 4 p.m. The Aggies (4-0) will play Arnold (4-0) in the second game. On Friday, the two Pensacola-area teams will switch opponents for the second day.
“I think the kids always say it’s great to play on a professional field and on artificial turf … it’s just unique in its own way,” said King, whose team’s 4-0 start includes a win last week against Pace. “But just the setting and the background and everything about it is great. I think it’s a cool experience at this level.”
When King coached Edmond North, the 2013 Aggie Classic was the first set of high school games played at the stadium. His team reached the title game that year against Booker T. Washington.
“Being able to play in something different, a new place is good,” said King, a former Oklahoma State Coach of the Year who moved to the Pensacola area in 2016 and was an assistant coach at Tate. “Playing at this venue and with Pace being there … I think our fans and community are going to love this event, so it’s a great opportunity and why not do it?”
Thursday’s preseason baseball game kicks off the Blue Wahoos’ version of March Madness.
There will be 29 college and high school games, along with five events, over the next 27 days at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“I think this is definitely the biggest March we’ve ever had,” said Blue Wahoos events manager Shannon Hanna, now in her eighth year in the front office. “When you think about it, we’re almost halfway through the Blue Wahoos home baseball schedule with the college and high school games we’ll have in March and early April.”
Baseball Gold was supposed to start last Friday March 1st. But inclement weather postponed the Milton vs. West Florida High game until April 9. That will follow the Blue Wahoos’ season opener, which begins on April 5. The Blue Wahoos will be on the road the second week of April and also have a game on April 11 featuring Gulf Shores High and Bayside Academy from Daphne, Alabama.
High school teams commit to purchase the required amount of tickets for a 2024 Blue Wahoos game, which can be sold in any way, and schools can also have a 50-50 raffle that day.
“This is the most high school games we’ve ever hosted — and it’s the first time we’ve had two teams from Baldwin County (Alabama) play here,” Hanna said. “I think that just speaks to the facility that’s been built here.
“Word is getting around. We started with some high school games a couple of years ago and I think the coaches are obviously talking and it seems like good words are being said about the stadium and the experiences here.
“We are happy to accommodate. We’re doing weekday games, it doesn’t have to be on the weekend, so we’re happy to check the calendar and pencil in teams as we go through our schedule.”
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team arrives Friday and will begin using the stadium Saturday for a nine-day set of games featuring eight other teams from six different states.
This will be the fifth year of the Blue Wahoos Challenge hosted by Whitewater, an NCAA Division III team coached by John Wodenlich, now in his 21st year as one of the winningest Division III coaches in the nation.
The university is the alma mater of Blue Wahoos owners Quint and Rishi Studer, who met after their college days. Quint Studer was grateful that the school gave him an opportunity as a freshman and gave back in a variety of ways.
“All of this is really possible for us because Quint Studer wanted to do it,” said Wodenlich, who was inducted Jan. 5 into the Baseball Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame along with former Alabama Crimson Tide coach Jim Wells and former Miami Hurricanes coach Jim Morris.
“And obviously the work and efforts of the Blue Wahoos staff should not be taken lightly either,” Wodenlich said. “Because whether we’re out there playing or not, the staff is working. So it takes extra effort on the part of the Blue Wahoos staff to make this a reality.
“It all came down to Quint saying, ‘Why don’t we do this?’ And let’s bring people into this area.
“And we’ve achieved it four years in a row. And I’m proud to say that we’ve helped the economy (in Pensacola) and things are definitely living up to expectations.”
Some of the teams bring up to 40 players to use the junior varsity team for games. Teams stay in hotels or rental homes and spend money on rental cars and meals at local restaurants.
“The big benefit is how those teams feel treated when they leave,” said Wodenlich, who has a 714-257-1 career record and his current team is ranked No. 22 in the NCAA Division III poll. “They play on a first-class field in a first-class facility. And they are treated with first class staff who make us feel very special. In the end, it’s a win for me.
“If you add up the lodging, food and rental cars, the money invested in the area is hundreds of thousands of dollars.”
Starting Monday, three to four games will be played per day among the visiting schools. Team players help with pitch preparation and scoreboard and press work.
“What Quint does for this university every year impacts so many different groups,” Hanna said. “You have players who can train here and play games here and get that experience that they wouldn’t otherwise get.
“And the teams can come down and enjoy the beach and get that family experience. And not only do they get experience on the field, but they also get memories with their teammates and families that are here.”
When Wisconsin-Whitewater tees off on March 18, the stadium will host the UWF baseball team on March 19 for a game, followed by Escambia vs. Booker T. Washington on March 25.
There will be special events, highlighted by the inaugural Building Brains Ballpark Bash on March 25, which will be a charity event open to the public with inflatable games and field competitions in a picnic-style setting. This will benefit the early brain development program the Studers founded for newborn children.
Wahoos March Madness
Thursday Friday – High School Baseball (Pace, Paxton, Tate, Panama City Arnold). Two games each day, 16:00 and 19:00. Admission is $8. All digital tickets, just like all area high school events.
March 9-17 – Blue Wahoos Challenge hosted by Wisconsin-Whitewater. Admission $10 per day.
March 19 – UWF vs. Georgia Southwestern, 5 p.m., admission $5 student/military, $7 general admission.
March 23 – Celebrities vs. Veterans Softball Game, 5:00-9:00 p.m. Admission not announced.
March 24 – Building Brains Ballpark Bash, 2-5 p.m. Admission, $5.
March 25 – Escambia vs. Booker T. Washington Baseball, admission $8
March 30 – Eggawahooza (Easter Egg Hunt for Kids), free admission, 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
March 31 – Easter Sunday Sunrise Service, 5am. until 7 in the morning. Entrance free.
Bill Vilona is a retired sports columnist for the Pensacola News Journal and now a senior writer for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at [email protected]
