Northview Football Youth Camp Begins Tuesday
July 17, 2017
Northview Football Youth Camp begins Tuesday, and there is still time to register.
The camp will be held July 18 and 20 from 5-7 each evening for players entering kindergarten through the eighth grade. Players will receive instruction from Northview High School Chief players and coaches. Participants will be coached in offensive and defensive position groups. There will also be daily drills and competitions.
Camp fee is $25; all participants will receive a camp t-shirt.
Click here for a registration form (pdf).
For more information, contact Coach Marshman at (850) 377-2504.
Wahoos Tie Series With Mississippi
July 17, 2017
Nick Senzel smacked his first walk-off base hit in a Pensacola Blue Wahoos uniform, when he hit a sharp single back up the middle to score Joe Hudson with the winning run.
Senzel, the top prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization, said he was “lucky” to hit the fourth straight slider he saw from Mississippi Braves reliever Devan Watts that gave Pensacola a, 4-3, victory Sunday in front of 4,123 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“I wanted to put a good at-bat together,” Senzel said. “They were all sliders. The best pitch I got to hit was his first one. That’s his go-to pitch. The last one, I put the barrel on it and luckily it went through.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly felt comfortable having the Blue Wahoos’ hottest hitter at the plate with the outcome of the game on the line. His 22-year-old third baseman Sunday tied Jackson General’s second baseman Kevin Medrano for the longest hitting streak in the Southern League this season with 16.
“The right guy was up at the right time,” Kelly said. “Watts has good stuff. He had four tough sliders. That last one was up and Senzel got it through that hole.”
The second walk-off this series, after Tyler Goeddel hit one Friday, and fifth this season tied the five-game series, 2-2, with the final game played at 6:35 p.m. Monday.
“This has been a fun series,” Senzel said. “That’s a good club on the other side and they will be ready to play every day and so will we.”
The ninth inning rally started with a sizzling ground ball single to right field by left fielder Josh VanMeter with one out. Hudson followed with a walk and then centerfielder Tyler Goeddel drilled the first pitch into center field to score VanMeter and tie the game, 3-3.
It was the fourth time since Tuesday that Goeddel, who is hitting .249, has come through with a clutch hit. He has two-game winners and two hits that have tied the game against the Chattanooga Lookouts and Mississippi.
Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan followed Goeddel with a walk to bring up Senzel. The second overall pick in the 2016 draft is hitting .383 (23-60) during his hitting streak with four doubles, two home runs and 12 RBIs.
Mississippi loaded the bases in the seventh inning on Pensacola middle reliever Alex Powers, who threw a wild pitch with two outs that allowed center fielder Connor Lien to score and put the Braves on top, 3-2.
In the eighth inning, Hudson kept Mississippi off the bases when he fired to Blue Wahoos first baseman Gavin LaValley to pick off Braves left fielder Tyler Neslony at first after his base hit. Mississippi second baseman Travis Demeritte reached first on an error by Trahan, Pensacola’s shortstop, but was gunned down by Hudson. This year, Hudson has thrown out 16 of 39 runners, or 41 percent, trying to steal on him this season.
Another big hit in the game came when Pensacola right fielder Gabriel Guerrero hit a two-out, line drive double to the opposite field in right that drove in Trahan and third baseman Senzel to tie the game, 2-2, in the sixth inning. Guerrero hit 3-4 for his 27th multi-hit game and it is the sixth time this season that the 23-year-old Dominican has had three hits total. He leads the ballclub with a .272 batting average.
Kelly said that Mississippi was trying to keep Guerrero from getting a pitch to hit.
“I don’t think you can pitch around Guerrero,” Kelly said, chuckling. “That ball was a foot outside and he hit it to right field.”
Mississippi scored two runs in the fourth to go up, 2-0. Neslony doubled to the wall in right center to drive in third baseman Austin Riley. Demeritte hit a high fly ball to right field that allowed Braves first baseman Joey Meneses tag up from third and score.
In the third start for Rookie Davis in Pensacola, who started the season in the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation, he pitched his most innings (five) and threw his most pitches (85).
Davis stood in the tunnel leading to the Blue Wahoos clubhouse after the game and gave all of his teammates a high-five. A Pensacola starter last season, he is 0-0 with a 4.61 ERA. Davis has pitched 13.2 innings total and allowed 12 hits, seven earned runs, walked six and struck out 11.
The 24-year-old retired 10 of the first 11 Mississippi batters he faced before running into trouble when he gave up two runs on four hits, including three in a row in the fourth inning. Davis, who has filled a void as one of Pensacola’s five starters, retired the side in the fifth inning.
“He’s getting better,” Kelly said. “It still comes down to fastball command. For him to be effective, he’s got to get the ball down.”
Pensacola evened its record at 12-12 in the second half. The South Division first half champions are 52-42 overall. Mississippi fell to 6-17 in the second half and 40-53 overall.
Molino’s Gindl Has Contract Purchased By The San Francisco Giants
July 16, 2017
The San Francisco Giants have purchased the contract of Caleb Gindl from the Lancaster (PA) Barnstormers.
Gindl, 28, was batting .281 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 71 games played this season. The Molino native also contributed 15 doubles and two triples. He had slugged four homers, including a game winner at Long Island, and knocked home 10 runs in the last eight games prior to the Atlantic League All-Star break.
The left-handed hitter was spending his second year with Lancaster. He batted .295 with 10 home runs and 72 RBI for the Barnstormers in 2016 and was named to the Atlantic League’s year-end All-Star Team. He was also the MVP of the 2016 Atlantic League All-Star Game, held in Lancaster.
Following the season, Gindl was signed by the Chicago White Sox. He was released by Chicago near the end of spring training
Gindl has prior Major League experience with the Milwaukee Brewers. He batted .242 with five home runs and 14 RBI for Milwaukee in 2013, hitting a walkoff home run against the Miami Marlins.
“Caleb was a very valuable player for us on the field and in the locker room,” said Barnstormers manager Ross Peeples. “We will miss him, but he deserves this opportunity.”
The Lancaster Barnstormers are an American professional baseball team based in Lancaster, PA. They are a member of the Freedom Division of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
Mississippi Beats Pensacola
July 16, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos starter Deck McGuire turned in what is becoming a normal start for him this season.
Mississippi scored one unearned run off McGuire in his seven innings of work and went onto win, 2-0, in front of a sellout crowd of 5,038 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. It was Pensacola’s 13th sellout this season.
So far this series, Pensacola has won once, 2-1, and lost twice to Mississippi, 2-0.
“I was joking with Derrick Lewis, their pitching coach, that the first one to two (runs) wins,” said Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly. “It’s worked out that way all three games.”
McGuire threw 23.1 scoreless innings this month and has allowed just four earned runs in his last 45 innings for a 0.80 ERA.
The 6-foot-6 McGuire, a former first round pick in 2010, earned the hard-luck loss and is 8-7 with a 2.61 ERA. He entered the game 2-0 against Mississippi this season, pitching 13 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out 18.
Good news for Pensacola was Nick Senzel extending his hitting streak to 15 games when the Cincinnati Reds top prospect hustled for a double on a blooper to left center to start the seventh inning.
The 22-year-old, who had one of Pensacola’s three hits in Saturday’s game, is one game shy of tying Jackson General second baseman Kevin Medrano for the longest hitting streak in the Southern League this season.
“He keeps swinging it,” Kelly said. “I wish I had a couple more of him. We might score some more runs.”
The M-Braves scored in the fifth inning to go up, 1-0, when Braves first baseman Jonathan Morales reached first on an error by Pensacola shortstop Blake Trahan. He then scored from first when center fielder Stephen Gaylor ripped a sharp line drive that landed just inside the left field foul line for a double.
The Braves got another run in the eighth on Blue Wahoos reliever Carlos Gonzalez to take a 2-0 lead when center fielder Stephen Gaylor singled to start the inning. He then raced to third just ahead of Pensacola right fielder Aristides Aquino’s throw after Aquino fielded a Tyler Neslony ground ball single. It was his first hit in Double-A after going 0-8 in his first two games in the Southern League. Gaylor finally scored when Mississippi right fielder Keith Curcio grounded out into a double play.
Mississippi looked like it would score in the first inning, too, after back-to-back singles by right fielder Keith Curcio and shortstop Dylan Moore. But McGuire then struck out the next three batters and proceeded to have seven Ks for the game.
Meanwhile, Braves starter Wes Parsons shut down the Pensacola lineup. Normally a reliever, Parsons had a no-hitter for 4.1 innings before Blue Wahoos second baseman Shed Long hit a grounder past the first baseman into right field for a base hit.
In his sixth spot start this season, the 24-year-old Parsons pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked one and struck out a season-high eight batters.
Pensacola dropped to 11-12 in the second half. The South Division first half champions are 51-42 overall. Mississippi improved to 6-16 in the second half and 40-52 overall.
Photo by Barrett McClean Photography/Pensacola Blue Wahoos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Register Today For Tate Football Camp
July 16, 2017
A Tate Youth Football Camp will be held 5-8 p.m. July 17-19 at Pete Gindl Stadium.
The camp will be directed by Tate football coaching staff with assistance from Tate football players. It is an opportunity for youth to work on fundamentals, practice agility, run through drills and learn about being part of a team. No football equipment will be needed. Cleats are recommended, but not required.
The camp fee is $65 preregister online at tatehighfootball.com by midnight Sunday or $75 first day of camp (checks made payable to Tate Quarterback Club). Each camper will receive a camp t-shirt, daily snack and drink and a pizza party at the end of camp.
To download a camp brochure and registration form, click here (pdf).
To register online, visit https://www.tatehighfootball.com/shop by midnight Sunday for the discounted rate.
Wahoos Top Braves
July 15, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos left fielder Tyler Goeddel smacked a double into the left field corner to score shortstop Blake Trahan for the first walk-off hit in his six-year professional career.
The run gave Pensacola a 2-1 victory Friday over the Mississippi Braves in front of 4,221 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. The five-game series is tied, 1-1.
“That was nice,” Goeddel admitted, as his teammates mobbed him at second base. ”My previous at bat, he attacked me with a lot of fastballs. I wanted to be aggressive early in the count.”
Goeddel ripped the ball into the left field corner where Mississippi’s Tyler Neslony picked it up and rocketed it to the cutoff man who dropped the ball allowing Trahan to score from first base. It was the Blue Wahoos fourth walk-off this season.
Goeddel has been the batter Pensacola wants at the plate with the game on the line. He drilled a double to center field Tuesday against the Chattanooga Lookouts that propelled the Blue Wahoos to victory. The next day the 24-year-old smoked a line drive over the left field wall to tie the score, 3-3, to lead off the seventh inning. It was his fifth homer of the season.
He has seen his batting average plummet from a high of .292 to a low of .247 in the opener of the five-game series Thursday against Mississippi. Despite going 9-45 in July and 5-33 in his last 10 games, Goeddel said he feels comfortable at the plate. That would explain his two home runs and seven RBIs this month.
“This is the first slump in my life where I still feel good at the plate,” Goeddel said. “I’m just missing pitches. I hope to get a nice streak to finish (the season) off.”
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly said Goeddel was one of the best hitters in the Southern League two years ago when he played for the Montgomery Biscuits, hitting 12 homers, driving in 72 RBIs and batting .279. Last year, Goeddel played 92 games with the Philadelphia Phillies and hit .192 in 213 at bats.
“Tyler is a good hitter,” Kelly said. “He’s been going through a tough stretch…but got that big hit tonight.”
Pensacola right-hander Jesus Reyes also came through for the Blue Wahoos Friday in his first Double-A start. The 24-year-old Dominican worked five scoreless innings, allowed two hits, walked two and struck out five.
In 15 starts this season for the High-A Daytona Tortugas, he compiled a 6-5 record and 3.78 ERA. This month, Reyes was 0-2 for the Tortugas but posted a 2.13 ERA.
“I was really impressed,” Kelly said. “His first time out in Double-A, I thought he would be a little anxious and nervous. But he had a good three-pitch mix.”
Mississippi threatened to blow the game wide open in the eighth inning when it loaded the bases with no outs against Pensacola middle reliever Robert Stock. However, Stock got Braves third baseman Austin Riley to ground out into a double play. Mississippi center fielder Steven Gaylor, who lead off the inning with a ground ball past the second baseman into center field, scored to knot the game, 1-1. Stock then struck out first baseman Joey Meneses, who entered the game hitting .298, to end the inning.
“To get out with one run, that was super,” Kelly said.
Pensacola went ahead, 1-0, in the fifth inning when catcher Joe Hudson scored on third baseman Nick Senzel’s chopper to third base that didn’t draw a throw and was ruled a single. Senzel, that MLBPipeline.com ranks as the Cincinnati Reds top prospect, extended his hitting streak to 14 games.
Although Mississippi left-handed starter Tyler Pike walked seven batters, he had not allowed a base hit until Trahan laced a single to left field in the fifth inning. Pike walked a career-high eight in 2.1 innings against the Chattanooga Lookouts in his June 28 start.
Trahan went 3-4 in the game and scored the winning run. Kelly said Trahan has worked hard on his hitting with Cincinnati Reds roving instructors Hall of Famer Barry Larkin and Eric Davis. The 23-year-old is batting a career-low .218.
“Blake did a really good job,” Kelly said. “I’m pleased he took what he learned into the game.”
Pensacola evened its record at 11-11 in the second half. The South Division first half champions are 51-41 overall. Mississippi is 5-16 in the second half and 39-52 overall.
Chiefs End ‘Turbulent Thursday’ With Trip To NAS Museum
July 14, 2017
The Northview Chiefs capped off a great week of workouts with “Turbulent Thursday” with a trip to the Naval Air Museum. The players learned about the history of aviation and the military, the Blue Angels and more. Submitted photos for NorthEscambia.com, click to enlarge.
Mississippi Wins Pitching Duel 2-0 Over The Blue Wahoos
July 14, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos fans were treated to a pitching duel between Keury Mella and Mississippi Braves Mike Soroka.
Mississippi and Soroka ended up getting the win, 2-0, over Pensacola to snap a four-game losing streak.
Pensacola manager Pat Kelly credited the 23-year-old Mella and the 19-year-old Soroka on their performances Thursday in front of 4,497 in Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“Those were two good young pitchers right there,” Kelly said. “Soroka got the best of him but Mella really competed.”
Mella, ranked the No. 19 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds organization, pitched his best game at home, Kelly said, and his best since his last victory June 15 against the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. He worked seven innings, only the second time he has done that this season, and gave up two earned runs on six hits, had no walks and struck out six, which was one shy of his season-high.
“He was solid,” Kelly said of Mella. “He was very aggressive with his fastball and had good use of his breaking ball.”
Mississippi, which have now won two of its last 15 games, scored its first run in the third inning when center fielder Connor Lien scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by right fielder Keith Curcio. Curcio also hit a two-out homer into the Hill-Kelly Dodge berm in right field for the M-Braves second and final run.
Mella, who has yet to win a start in Blue Wahoos Stadium, retired the last seven batters he faced.
Meanwhile Soroka, who pitched seven scoreless innings, allowed four hits, had no walks and struck out six. He is now 2-0 in three starts this season against Pensacola, allowing just one run in 19.2 innings for a 0.47 ERA.
A Canadian who chose baseball over being a goalie in hockey, now has 10 wins to lead the Southern League and his 2.37 ERA is only behind Pensacola starter Austin Ross, who has a 1.44 ERA.
Soroka is ranked as the No. 33 prospect in Baseball America’s midseason re-ranking lists and the 13th best pitcher.
“For a 19-year-old, he has a great feel for pitching,” said Kelly, who said Canadian baseball players are usually a year behind in development because the weather doesn’t allow them to play year-round.
Pensacola had an opportunity to score in the third inning on Soroka with runners on first and second and two outs but third baseman Nick Senzel struck out. Soroka mowed down the last eight Blue Wahoos batters he faced. Pensacola got just one more hit in the last four innings of the game when second baseman Josh VanMeter hit a bloop single to left field to start the ninth inning.
Senzel increased his hitting streak to 13 games, going 1-4 with a double off of Soroka in the third inning. The Cincinnati Reds top prospect is now 19-50 during the streak for a .380 batting average. The 22-year-old Senzel has hit in 15 of his 19 games with the Double-A team since being called up June 22 from the High-A Daytona Tortugas.
Pensacola is 10-11 in the second half. The South Division champions in the first half are 50-41 overall. Mississippi is 5-15 in the second half and 39-51 overall.
Pensacola is almost done playing 20 games in a row before getting a day off July 18 after the series with Mississippi is finished. Kelly said it isn’t easy.
“Twenty-game stretches are tough in this league with this humidity,” Kelly admitted. “It’s a good challenge for the players. We just have to be smart. This is July and this is in the South.”
Kelly also reported that Nick Longhi, who was playing in his seventh game for Pensacola after being picked up by the Reds in a trade with the Red Sox, complained about soreness in his throwing arm and said it affected his swing. Longhi is hitting .316 with a homer and seven RBIs for the Blue Wahoos.
“It was precautionary to get him out,” Kelly said.
Chattanooga Beats The Pensacola Blue Wahoos In 12 Innings
July 13, 2017
Pensacola Blue Wahoos manager Pat Kelly sees the positive side of his team’s matchup against the Chattanooga Lookouts.
The Blue Wahoos have taken three of the last five games from the Lookouts, although they lost Wednesday’s game, 5-3, in front of 4,423 at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In the three head-to-head series, Pensacola is 3-11 against Chattanooga, which is the first half North Division champions and own the best record in the Southern League.
“Every game we play against Chattanooga is like this,” Kelly said. “They seem to find the holes and we don’t. We can play head-to-head with them. We beat them three of the last five times.”
Pensacola left fielder Tyler Goeddel smoked a line drive over the left field wall to tie the score, 3-3, to lead off the seventh inning. It was his fifth homer of the season for the Blue Wahoos. Goeddel also played the hero in Tuesday’s game, drilling a bases-loaded double to left field to propel Pensacola over Chattanooga.
But the Lookouts scored two runs in the top of the 12th inning when DH Andy Wilkins hit a line drive double down the left field line to score shortstop Nick Gordon to put Chattanooga up, 4-3. First baseman Jonathan Rodriguez then scored on a sacrifice fly by Max Murphy that made it a 5-3 game.
Pensacola dropped to 1-6 in extra-inning games and are 10-10 in the second half. The South Division champions in the first half are 50-40 overall. Meanwhile, Chattanooga improved to 15-5 in the second half and 57-33 overall.
Chattanooga went up, 3-2, in the fifth inning on a controversial call. The Lookouts started a two-out rally when second baseman Alex Perez hit a double on a fly ball down the left field line that was ruled a fair ball. Perez then scored when Gordon, the Minnesota Twins top prospect, singled to center field with two outs. Lookouts left fielder LaMonte Wade, the Twins No. 12 prospect, then hit a soft liner to left field that drove in both catcher Dan Rohlfing and Gordon.
Kelly said the call changed the momentum of the game. He also expressed dissatisfaction that the No. 9 hitter batting .141 followed with a walk.
“It didn’t have to be a three-run inning,” Kelly said.
Pensacola right fielder Gabriel Guerrero lead off the fourth inning with a double off the left field wall and then scored on a chopper by catcher Chad Tromp to make the score, 2-0. Chattanooga third baseman T.J. White looked Guerrero back to the bag and then threw to second baseman Alex Perez for a force out. Perez saw Guerrero sprinting home and threw it on the mark but Guerrero slid wide of the plate for the run. Guerrero was 2-6 with two doubles off the wall in left center field for his team-leading 26th multi-hit game of the year.
Pensacola scored in the first inning to go ahead, 1-0, when third baseman Nick Senzel smacked a two-out grounder up the middle to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. First baseman Gavin LaValley earned a walk and then Blue Wahoos left fielder Nick Longhi blasted a single to center field that drove in Senzel from second base.
Senzel, the Cincinnati Reds top prospect, was 3-6 with a run scored and now has five multi-hit games this season. He is hitting .318 for Pensacola since being called up June 22 from the High-A Daytona Tortugas.
Chattanooga right-hander Felix Jorge was starting in his first game back with the Lookouts after making two starts with the Minnesota Twins. Jorge, the Twins eighth-ranked prospect, made his Major League debut July 1 and earned the win.
Against Pensacola, he worked six innings, giving up two runs, one earned on five hits and three walks, while striking out three. He is 8-1 on the season with a 3.14 ERA.
Pensacola had a chance to win its third straight game against Chattanooga in the eighth when it loaded the bases with one out against Lookout relievers Raul Fernandez and Todd Van Steensel. The Blue Wahoos loaded the bases when catcher Chad Tromp was hit in the head with an 84-mph breaking ball, knocking him flat on his back.
But Aristides Aquino came in to pinch hit after that and struck out and then Goeddel hit a chopper to third base that allowed the Lookout’s White to make the force out at second to end the scoring threat.
Kelly reported after the game that Tromp passed all the concussion tests but said he would probably hold him out of the next two or three games.
Northview Grad Bates Signs Transfer To LSUA Generals
July 12, 2017
A 2015 Northview High School graduate is one of four junior college transfers to the LSU-Alexandria Generals.
E’Layzha Bates, a 5′10″ forward from Molino, joins the Generals from Baton Rouge Community College.
Last season with the Bears, Bates started all 13 games she appeared in, averaging five points per game on 41.5 percent shooting from the field in 28.5 minutes played each time out. A key feature to her game will be rebounding, where she grabbed just over five boards per contest last season, which was second on the BRCC squad.
Bates also boasted the highest GPA on her team and was named a team captain.
At Northview, Bates was also team captain and most valuable player of her high school squad. She plans on majoring in kinesiology at LSUA.