Blue Wahoos Stadium Reaches Finals For National Championship Of Best Of The Ballparks
July 7, 2020
Pensacola’s Blue Wahoos Stadium has reached the national championship round of the 2020 Ballpark Digest Best of the Ballparks contest.
In the final round, Blue Wahoos Stadium is competing against Amarillo’s “Hodgetown”, the defending Best of the Ballparks champion, for the title of Best Double-A Ballpark. The title will be decided by a national online fan vote, which is open until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, July 8. Fans can vote once daily per device at this link (scroll down near the bottom of the page).
“The support we’ve received from our fans to reach the championship round has been incredible,” team president Jonathan Griffith said. “We’re excited for the chance to bring recognition to the beautiful city of Pensacola and hopefully win a title in a year when there’s no baseball.”
The annual contest run by Ballpark Digest is Minor League Baseball’s most popular ballpark ranking competition, with the 2019 contest receiving over 400,000 votes from fans including over 110,000 in the Double-A bracket. Blue Wahoos Stadium previously won the contest in 2016.
Opened in 2012, Blue Wahoos Stadium has established itself as one of the nation’s premier Minor League facilities. A three-time recipient of the Southern League’s Ballpark of the Year, the stadium has ranked first or second in the league in attendance five times in eight seasons. The multi-use facility is utilized year-round, hosting Blue Wahoos baseball, University of West Florida football, and over 200 total events throughout the calendar year.
NEP Ducks Win Coach Pitch Championship
July 6, 2020
The NEP Ducks won a recent coach pitch championship. Pictured are players and coaches. Submitted photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
No Wahoos Ball This Year; Minor League Baseball Season Officially Canceled.
July 1, 2020
The Minor League Baseball season has been canceled for 2020.
“These are unprecedented times for our country and our organization as this is the first time in our history that we’ve had a summer without Minor League Baseball played,” said Minor League Baseball President & CEO Pat O’Conner. “While this is a sad day for many, this announcement removes the uncertainty surrounding the 2020 season and allows our teams to begin planning for an exciting 2021 season of affordable family entertainment.”
“It’s unfortunate and saddening that there will not be Blue Wahoos baseball at Blue Wahoos Stadium this season. However, the health and safety of our community is our number one priority, and we fully support the efforts by Major and Minor League Baseball to keep fans, players, and staff safe in communities throughout America,” the Pensacola Blue Wahoos said in a statement. “We will continue to be creative and innovative to create affordable, family-friendly stadium events to allow our fans to continue to enjoy unforgettable ballpark moments safely at Blue Wahoos Stadium until Blue Wahoos baseball is able to return.”
The Blue Wahoos will respond to questions about tickets, sponsorships and group outings at the Blue Wahoos Stadium on a case-by-base basis. For more information, email tickets@BlueWahoos.com or call (850) 934-8444.
Northview High School Names 2020-2021 Cheerleaders
June 27, 2020
Friday, Northview High School named their 2020-2021 cheerleaders. They are:
VARSITY
Anna Adams
Naudia Carach
Shelby Cotita
Presley Dortch
Caitlin Gibson
Olivia Gibson
Emma Gilmore
Sarah Hetrick
Hannah Hughes
Paige Lassiter
Ragan Lassiter
Megan Mcghee
Taylor Mcminn
Madison Peterson
Kenna Redmond
Leila Sanders
Anna Spence
Emily Stabler
Jessica Stabler
JUNIOR VARSITY
Raegan Abbott
Rebekah Abbott
Sarah Bailey
Nakya Brown
Chloe Criswell
Carsyn Dortch
Raleigh Gibson
Maggie Godwin
Ava Gurganus
Leah Hetrick
Saniyah Hixon
NorthEscambia.com file photo.
Tate High Graduate Matthew Johnson Signs With US Merchant Marine Academy
June 26, 2020
Tate High School Football’s Matthew Johnson has signed to continue his academic and athletic career at the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Johnson graduated from Tate Tuesday night. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
New Law Provides Heat Stroke Protections For Florida Student Athletes
June 25, 2020
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday signed a bill that will require schools to do more to protect student athletes from heat strokes.
Known as the “Zachary Martin Act”, the bill requires health illness training and life saving equipment like AEDs for all schools that are members of the Florida High School Athletic Association.
Zachary Martin died in July 2017, after he suffered a heat stroke following summer high school football practice in South Florida heat. His mother, Laurie Giordano spent two years lobbying Florida lawmakers and the FHSAA for the protections.
The law goes into effect on July 1 requiring public schools to have a tub or other container that is full of cold water on the sidelines at all practices and games. Defibrillators will be required, and school personnel will be required to learn how to recognize heat illnesses including heat strokes and take immediate life saving actions.
Pictured: Washington at Tate, October 2019. NorthEscambia.com photos, click to enlarge.
Check Fishing Regulations, ID Your Fish With New FWC App
June 19, 2020
Out fishing and need to check the rules for your location?
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced a new partnership with the Fish Rules App to make that easier.
Right now, the app only contains Florida saltwater fishing rules, by FWC says freshwater information should be added later this summer.
Fishing regulations change depending on your location. Enable location services in Fish Rules App and the app will automatically show you regulations for your actual location. The app is also partnering with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council and the Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council that manage fisheries off Florida in federal waters.
Unsure of what species you’ve caught? The app also helps with fish identification. Swipe left or right on pictures of fish to see more pictures and clues on how to identify a fish. You can even sort fish by name or by picture.
UWF’s Pete Shinnick Named Gulf South Conference Coach Of The Decade
June 17, 2020
In four years of competition, it’s safe to say the UWF football program has been a difference maker in Division 2 college football. More proof of that came to fruition on Tuesday when the Gulf South Conference named its Football All-Decade Teams for the 2010s, which featured three Argonauts and head coach Pete Shinnick being named the Coach of the Decade.
Marvin Conley was named to the First Team, while Tate Lehtio and John Williamson were voted onto the Second Team.
Shinnick has been the architect of one of the most inspiring startups in the history of college athletics, taking UWF to the NCAA D2 Playoffs twice in the first four years of the program. The Argonauts reached the title game in their second year and won the national championship last December in year four – becoming the second-fastest startup to win a football title in NCAA history.
The Argonauts are 35-17 all-time and own the highest postseason winning percentage in NCAA history at .900 with a 9-1 record with a minimum of 10 games. Shinnick was named the National Coach of the Year by multiple outlets in both 2017 and 2019.
Conley is a 2-time All-America selection from Tampa, Fla. who is UWF’s career leader in interceptions, interceptions returned for a touchdown, solo tackles and pass break-ups. He is second with 212 total tackles and was a 2018 First Team All-GSC selection when he had 62 tackles, two interceptions and three PBUs.
Lehtio ended his career as the program leader in receptions with 215 and receiving yards with 2,463, including 70 catches for 733 yards and seven touchdowns in postseason play. He is second with 4.13 receptions per game, 14 touchdowns, and 90 points scored. He was a 2019 All-Region and First Team All-GSC honoree. The Parkland, Fla. native finished national
championship season with 1,120 receiving yards and 80 yards per game. He was also 3-time GSC Fall All-Academic selection, a CoSIDA Academic All-District choice and a NFF Hampshire Honor Society recipient.
Williamson was one of the most dominant defensive linemen of the decade. He started for two seasons at defensive end for UWF, compiling 110 tackles, 32 tackles for loss and a school-record 21.0 career sacks, which ranked fifth in GSC history at the time (currently seventh). He was particularly nasty in the 2017 national runner-up season when he set the league single-season sacks record with 14.5, earning him All-America, All-Region and All-GSC honors. The Stockton, Ala. native was a 2-time CoSIDA Academic All-District and 2-time GSC Fall All-Academic performer.
Rogan Wells of Valdosta State and Tavarius Wilson of North Alabama were named the Offensive and Defensive Player of the Decade, respectively.
High School Football Teams Begin Conditioning
June 16, 2020
High school football workouts got underway for the first time Monday under guidelines due to COVID-19.
Players and coaches will follow social distancing guidelines, as many activities as possible will be held outdoors, and there will be extra cleaning of indoor facilities.
Pictured top and bottom photo: Football workouts at Tate High School. Pictured first two photos below: Workouts at Tate High School. Photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
UWF & Texas A&M-Commerce Announce Home-And-Home Football Series
June 16, 2020
UWF and Texas A&M-Commerce have announced a home-and-home football series between the programs for the 2020 and 2021 seasons on Monday.
The teams will open the 2020 season on Thursday, Sept. 3 in Pensacola in a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Division II National Championship Game. The schools will also play Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021 in Commerce, Texas.
For UWF, the game replaces the game with West Virginia Wesleyan after the Mountain East Conference chose to play a conference-only season this year. A&M-Commerce was slated to play Simon Fraser – the only Canadian D2 member – in week one.
“Following Florida Tech’s announcement to drop football and then the MEC’s decision to play only conference games, we felt it was very important to our student-athletes and fans to get a fourth home game back on the schedule,” UWF Director of Athletics Dave Scott said. “With the addition of Texas A&M-Commerce, not only do we get to play an opponent our fans are familiar with, but we now have one of the most attractive home schedules in our history.”
UWF went 13-2 and won its first NCAA Division II Football National Championship last season. The Argonauts have won 30 games in the last three seasons with a 9-1 mark in two NCAA Playoff appearances.
UWF is ranked No. 1 nationally in preseason polls by both Street & Smith’s and Lindy’s Sports magazines in their college football preview editions.
“I am very thankful for the hard work done by both athletic directors to get this done on short notice,” UWF head coach Pete Shinnick said. “It will be great to open the season at home against one of the best teams in the country.”
A&M-Commerce is ranked No. 3 by Street & Smith’s and No. 8 by Lindy’s Sports. The Lions have qualified for the NCAA Division II Football Championship the last five seasons, which is the third-longest active streak in the division.
UWF’s 2020 home schedule also includes three Gulf South Conference games – Shorter on Sept. 26, Valdosta State – ranked No. 5 & 3 in the two publications as well – on Oct. 10 and West Georgia on Oct. 31.