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Praytor’s Homer In Debut Pushes Wahoos To Series Sweep
April 7, 2025
The Blue Wahoos have begun a new season in a most desired way.
After an early lead Sunday was erased in the middle innings, the Blue Wahoos’ bats reignited to power an 8-4 victory against the Biloxi Shuckers and complete a three-game sweep at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
A crowd of 4,004 on the first Military and Family Sunday watched a different kind of win. This time, the Blue Wahoos overcame four errors and used four pitchers to grind their way into a satisfying finish to their season-opening series.
“We’re relentless. We always feel like we’re in a good spot to win the game and think we showed that (Sunday),” said catcher Sam Praytor, a former Alabama Crimson Tide star, who smashed a game-changing two-run homer in the fourth inning to regain the lead.
All the better, it was Praytor’s first start in Double-A. In his second at-bat, his first hit was a towering blast over the left field wall off a 97-mph fastball.
“It was awesome,” said Praytor, who celebrated his 26th birthday Friday. “It is one of those things you think about it, and then once you get it out of the way, you’re like, oh thank God.
“Once I rounded first, I saw that it had cleared the wall,” he said. “It was a great feeling. I honestly wasn’t thinking that I had just put us ahead. I was just trying to have a good at-bat and something good happened.”
A lot of good things happened in Praytor’s collegiate career at Alabama. He led the team in home runs in his final two seasons and was first-team All-Southeastern Conference catcher in 2021. That season he played all 58 games.
It led to being a sixth-round pick by the Miami Marlins in 2021. He climbed two levels last season and was elevated to Double-A following spring training.
Praytor understands his role to start this season as the Blue Wahoos’ No. 2 catcher behind returning Joe Mack, the Marlins’ Double-A Player of the Year in 2024.
“Joe is an absolute stud,” Praytor said. “He’s a great player and a great teammate, so I am glad I get to play with Joe, but also whenever I get the opportunity just make the most of it and something good will happen.”
The win Sunday matched how the Blue Wahoos started last season – sweeping the Mississippi Braves in what became their lone series sweep.
“It’s great. I think we have a special ballclub here,” Praytor said. “We have a great locker room and everybody loves to play with everybody, so I think it’s going to be a really fun year.”
The fun times continued following Sunday’s game. This was the first Family and Military Sunday game of the year. Children 12 and under were able to run the bases, and families tossed soft baseballs in the outfield for 30 minutes.
Each Sunday home game, the first 100 active or retired military members can receive a free general admission ticket by showing a military ID at the stadium box office.
The Blue Wahoos wasted little time jumping to a lead.
Jared Serna led off the first with a single. Jake Thompson walked. Kemp Alderman reached on an infield single to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Serna. Josh Zamora’s fielder’s choice grounder scored Thompson. Shane Sasaki had a two-out single to score Alderman for a 3-0 lead.
Sasaki had a big day. He went 2-for-3 at the plate, reached on a walk in another at-bat, drove in two runs, scored a run, and made a great catch of a deep fly ball.
Serna was the team’s other multiple-hit batter, beginning the season with a .333 average.
On the mound, Dax Fulton made his first start in nearly two years. He’s battled back from injury issues that began following his previous start way back on May 11, 2023.
After missing last season while recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery, this was a moment Fulton had long awaited.
He got through the first inning while overcoming a walk and a throwing error on a pickoff attempt. But in the second inning, a leadoff walk and two singles led to the Shuckers’ first run. In the third inning, he gave up a leadoff triple that led to a second run when outfielder Mark Coley II was unable to corral a fly ball.
The Shuckers got a third run on a base hit. Fulton was lifted by manager Nelson Prada after a leadoff single in the fourth inning that led to a go-ahead run at the time. He finished throwing 72 pitches, 45 for strikes, while giving up five hits, three walks, and striking out two.
But getting him back on the mound again became a big win.
“Dax is a great pitcher and he’s a great competitor, so it was a lot of fun to be able to catch him (Sunday),” Praytor said.
The Blue Wahoos quickly answered in their half of the fourth inning. Sasaki reached on a one-out walk, raced to third on an errant pickoff attempt, and scored on Harrison Spohn’s single. Then Praytor followed with his blast.
The Blue Wahoos tacked on two more runs in the sixth inning on Sasaki’s RBI double and Johnny Olmstead’s sacrifice fly.
They also got stellar relief efforts from Ricky DeVito and Dale Stanavich, with both throwing two scoreless innings to seal the win.
After having Monday off, the Blue Wahoos will remain at home to begin a six-game series against the Montgomery Biscuits on Tuesday at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
GAME NOTABLES
Sunday’s game was the first of the season’s “Kazoo’s Reading Program” parades. Five different regional elementary schools, including one from Panama City, had children and parents attend and make a lap on the field during a pregame parade. It will be repeated throughout the early part of the season.
Blue Wahoos group sales executive Jessica Voigt performed the National Anthem.
On Sunday games, the Blue Wahoos storefronts offer a $6 value meal with a hot dog, chips, and soft drink.
The Elberta (Ala.) Youth Baseball organization attended the game with a group of 250.
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