Tate High’s Lucas Williams Signs College Basketball Scholarship
May 25, 2024
Lucas Williams, a three-year varsity basketball player at Tate High School, recently signed a full-ride scholarship with Owens Community College (Perrysburg, Ohio) recently.
Williams was named PNJ All-Area First Team and to the Pensacola Sports’ All-Star Basketball Game. Named the Aggies’ MVP, the point guard led the team in points, assists, and steals.
Photos by Tate High School Yearbook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos’ Tough Luck At Plate Continues In 2-1 Loss To Smokies
May 25, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
For a split-second, the capacity crowd Friday at Blue Wahoos Stadium was instantly energized as leadoff batter Joe Mack connected on a ninth-inning pitch with a resonating crack.
Alas, his laser drive smacked right into the glove of Tennessee Smokies right fielder Cole Roederer as the stadium groaned.
Nothing more typified the Blue Wahoos’ night at the plate, as the Tennessee Smokies took a 2-1 victory and extended the home team’s recent trend of offensive struggles.
Four Smokies pitchers held the Blue Wahoos to three hits in a loss that knocked Pensacola into second place in the Southern League division standings. It was the sixth time in the last 10 games the Blue Wahoos were held to two or less runs.
The only inning when the Blue Wahoos had two runners on base happened in the seventh. That’s when the 5,038 at the ballpark on Giveaway Friday became most excited.
Cody Morissette sliced a pitch down the left field line. The ball, however, bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double that scored Mack, but thwarted Zach Zubia from scoring the tying run while rounding third base.
Reliever Cam Sanders then struck out Harrison Spohn to end the inning. The Blue Wahoos went down in the order in the eighth and ninth innings.
Blue Wahoos starter Evan Fitterer overcame a rocky first three innings to deliver another quality start. His only blemish happened in the third inning when the Smokies’ Kevin Alcantara and Luis Verdugo connected on back-to-back doubles. The latter was a bouncer that hugged the third-base line.
Fitterer absorbed the loss after working six innings, allowing six hits with four strikeouts. The Blue Wahoos bullpen arms of Lincoln Henzman and Raffi Vizcaíno tossed three shoutout innings, allowing just one hit.
The win enabled the Smokies (25-18) to take a 3-1 lead in the series that now shifts to
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Tennessee Smokies vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Saturday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Wahoos Combine For Three-Hitter In 1-0 Win Over Smokies
May 24, 2024
by Erik Bremer
Four Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout in a 1-0 win over the Tennessee Smokies on Thursday night.
Angel Macuare, Adam Laskey (W, 1-0), Anderson Pilar and Chandler Jozwiak (S, 1) faced just two batters over the minimum as the Wahoos got back in the win column against the defending Southern League Champions.
Sean Roby, activated from the injured list earlier in the day, hit a solo home run in the third inning off Smokies starter Matthew Thompson (L, 1-1) to account for the only run of the night.
One night removed from ninth-inning heartbreak, 4,085 fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium almost saw Pensacola fall to a similar fate. Against Jozwiak in the ninth, Smokies catcher Pablo Aliendo sent a drive destined for a game-tying blast before Blue Wahoos left fielder Jorge Caballero leapt at the wall for a home run robbery.
The game took place in a brisk 1 hour and 56 minutes, the fastest nine-inning game of the season for the Blue Wahoos and just two minutes shy of tying a team record for the fastest game in team history.
The Blue Wahoos will look to make it two wins in a row against the Smokies on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05,
Tate High’s Neal Croom Inks College Baseball Scholarship
May 23, 2024
Neal Croom, a pitcher with the Tate Aggies, recently signed a full-ride scholarship with Palm Beach State College. Croom led the Aggies in strikeouts and innings pitched this past season. An honors student and member of student council, Croom was named to the Pensacola Sports All-Star team. Photos by Tate High School Yearbook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Honor State Champ Jay Royals Before Comeback Rally Is Spoiled
May 23, 2024
by Blll Vilona
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos honored the 1A state championship Jay High Royals baseball team Wednesday night.
The Wahoos were an out away from their best comeback win so far this season.
And then a gut-punch happened.
Reliable closer Austin Roberts, the league saves leader, was unable to protect a two-run lead just delivered for the ninth inning, leading to the Tennessee Smokies celebrating a 6-5 victory Wednesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 4,144 saw plenty of fireworks before the actual show – the first Wednesday school’s out display of the season. But in this case, the Smokies produced the grand finale.
After the Blue Wahoos, who were held to one hit the first seven innings, exploded with a 5-run rally in the eighth inning, a probable win turned the other way in the Smokies’ final at bat.
After yielding a one-out walk, then two-out single that put runners on the corners, Roberts left a fastball too much over the plate and Tennessee first baseman Haydn McGeary crushed it deep into the night sky for a no-doubt, three-run bomb over left field. McGeary is one of 12 players on this team ranked among the Chicago Cubs’ top 30 prospects.
He jumped on Roberts’ first pitch for the game-deciding moment. It was Roberts’ first blown save after producing eight saves this season.
The stadium went from anticipated winning cheer to silence. The Blue Wahoos were retired in order in the bottom of the inning and sustained their sixth loss in the past eight games.
But the crowd then saw the Jay High School baseball team, honored for winning the school’s first state championship in 54 years, come on the field a second time Wednesday to help the countdown and ignite the fireworks display
The Royals’ players spent hours before the game watching both teams take batting and fielding practice and were recognized at home plate in pregame ceremonies.
When the game began, Smokies starter Kyle McGowin, a former Major League reliever with the Washington Nationals, was in command. He retired the first 12 Blue Wahoos batters in order, before Zach Zubia drew a one-out walk. McGowin struck out Harrison Spohn with the bases loaded to end the threat.
Meanwhile, Blue Wahoos starter Luis Palacios had a strong outing, save for one mistake curveball. Shortstop Josh Rivers blasted that pitch for a 3-run homer in the fifth inning.
After McGowin exited following the seventh inning, the Blue Wahoos lit up reliever Michael Arias. Four of the first five batters he faced reached base. Jacob Marsee had a one-out RBI single. Joe Mack followed with the Blue Wahoos’ biggest hit, a two-run double to tie the game. Jacob Berry then hit a go-ahead single to further electrify the crowd.
Cody Morissette, who had the Blue Wahoos first two hits, was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a fifth run.
But it didn’t stand. The Smokies now have a 2-0 lead in the series that shifts to Mullet Thursday with the Blue Wahoos taking on their alternate identity as the Pensacola Mullets for a game that begins at 6:05 p.m.
GAME NOTABLES
— Senior Ethan McDonald, a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and baseball) for Jay HS, threw out a ceremonial first pitch, after his baseball teammates lined the field, along with five coaching staff members. McDonald was a leader in Jay’s championship run that included semifinal wins against higher ranked Class 1A teams.
The players all were able to be on the field during both teams’ batting practices to study how high-level professionals prepare for a game.
“It’s meant the world to them,” said second-year head coach Duane Raley. “It’s been awesome. It’s opened their eyes, because their starting to understand that ‘hey you (Raley) said that. You said if we do this it would work.’ It was kind of neat because they saw we do the same thing in practice (as two pro teams).’
— The Bayside Academy baseball team in Daphne also attended the game with a fundraiser event after playing at the stadium earlier this spring.
— State senator Doug Broxson also was part of the group of ceremonial first pitch throwers and he visited with Jay’s team.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Tennessee Smokies vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Thursday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Brett McCullough Named New Tate Aggies Baseball Head Coach
May 22, 2024
The Tate Aggies have named Brett McCullough as their new head baseball coach.
McCullough is a Class of 2002 Tate High School graduate. He has six years of head coaching experience. He also has seven years experience as an assistant coach for the Aggies.
McCullough compiled a 79-53 record at Pine Forest High School from 2018-2022. He was an all-state first team pitcher at Tate before pitching for Lipscomb University, Alabama Southern and the University of West Florida.
It’s an honor and absolutely privilege! Excited to get to work,” McCullough said in a social media post Tuesday night. ‘I’m extremely lucky because alot of people call their profession a job, I get to call mine home! Aggie nation it’s time to get to work!”
Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Tate High’s Labron Baldwin Signs Football Scholarship With Mississippi College
May 22, 2024
Tate High School’s Labron Baldwin recently signed a football scholarship with Mississippi College
Baldwin played football (offensive line) all four years at Tate High School while also competing in weightlifting and track and field. An honors student, Baldwin was a member of Student Council and will graduate with a 3.3 GPA
He plans to study computer science.
Photos by Tate High School Yearbook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Blue Wahoos Continue Hitting Struggles, Fall To Smokies In Series Opener
May 22, 2024
written by Bill Vilona
The Blue Wahoos spent the past week in Montgomery unable to find steady production at the plate.
Their return home Tuesday didn’t bring good fortune, either.
Five pitchers combined on a shutout as the Tennessee Smokies took a 3-0 victory Tuesday night, thus keeping a crowd of 3,845 with few moments of cheer.
The game on a “Doggone Tuesday” began a six-game homestand against the Smokies, the Chicago Cubs affiliate, making their only appearance this season at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The crowd included a group of 287 mothers and their sons from Elberta (Ala.) Elementary School who attended the game on a “Mother-Sons Date Night.”
It was also a night where ticket holders could bring their beloved dogs to attend the game.
The Blue Wahoos (22-18) had six hits, four of those singles. They were only able to get the leadoff batter on base twice in the game. The second time occurred when Jacob Berry led off the ninth with a line-drive single. But Smokies reliever Frankie Scalzo Jr, their fourth used in the game, retired the final three batters in order to gain his fifth save.
The Smokies (23-17) boast 12 of the Chicago Cubs’ Top 30 prospects, including three of the top four batters in their lineup Tuesday night.
This game also marked a return of both teams’ last meeting in Pensacola when the Smokies clinched the Southern League title to end a drought of 45 years without an outright championship. The Blue Wahoos won the league title at Tennessee in 2022 in their 10th anniversary season.
Just as they struggled in Montgomery, scoring only 13 runs in the six-game series against the Biscuits, the Blue Wahoos couldn’t generate base runners for a big inning.
Nathan Martorella had a first-inning double with one out and Joe Mack drew a two-out walk, but that became the only time Smokies starter Chris Kachmar allowed two baserunners until the sixth inning. Bennett Hostetler led off that inning with a single and Jacob Marsee followed with a one-out, perfectly-placed, bunt single.
But reliever Blake Weiman entered and induced a pair of ground balls to end the threat. Trey Supak followed with two scoreless innings to earn his first win.
The teams will play the second game of the series on Wednesday – the first mid-week Fireworks Wednesday – with area schools now out for the summer.
GAME NOTABLES
— The group from Elberta Elementary followed the school’s participation in one of the Blue Wahoos’ two Education Day games.
“We had a connection with the school and they mentioned they do a mother-son event every year at their school or somewhere else,” said Steven Unser, a Blue Wahoos group sales executive. “Their assistant principal reached out and said they would like to do that event here.”
“They originally planned to buy 150 tickets, because they said that is usually the show rate for this kind of event. But the day they had the cutoff, 285 tickets were sold. Because of it being one price day on Tuesday, they also were able to each receive a hot dog, chips and a drink.”
— The Foley (Ala.) High School Choir performed the National Anthem.
WANT TO GO?
WHO: Tennessee Smokies vs. Blue Wahoos
WHEN: Wednesday, 6:05 p.m.
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium
Tate High’s Ward O’Brien Commits To University Of Memphis Track And Field
May 21, 2024
Tate High Schools’ Ward O’Brien has committed to University of Memphis Track And Field. Photo for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Three Tate Aggies Track And Field Athletes Place At State
May 20, 2024
Three Tate High School track and field athletes placed in the FHSAA 4A state championships Saturday in Jacksonville.
In women’s shot put junior Tina Lett placed third in Florida with a distance of 12.30 meters.
In men’s javelin, senior Ward O’Brien placed third in the state with 55.76 meters.
In the men’s 400m hurdles, senior Lattrell Dukes placed 10th in the state with a time of 55:58.
Pictured top: Tate High School held a send-off for Lett, O’Brien, and Dukes on Friday. Photo by Tate High School Yearbook for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.