Blue Wahoos Provide Unique Experience With MLB PlayBall Weekend Youth Clinic

For a few hours on June 6, current Blue Wahoos players and part of Pensacola’s vast alumni of former major league players, together relived childhood memories.

They joined as volunteers to help direct the annual Fred Waters Youth Baseball Camp at Blue Wahoos Stadium. In two, 90-minute sessions of different age groups – ages 5-9 and 10-12 – the free clinic reached 500 youth participants. It was part of Major League Baseball’s “Play Ball Weekend” initiative at MLB and Minor League Baseball stadiums across the country.

With 10 Blue Wahoos players involved, their first time meeting former MLB players from decades ago who grew up in Pensacola, this year’s event provided a unique feel to the clinic. It gave Pensacola’s contribution to Play Ball Weekend a special element.

“I think it was so outstanding,” said former pitcher Kevin Saucier, an Escambia High graduate and two time state champion (1972, ’74) who went on to MLB fame as part of the Philadelphia Phillies historic 1980 World Series championship team, the first in the club’s history.

“I told our (Blue Wahoos) players, all these kids look you as big leaguers,” said Saucier, now a part time employee with the Blue Wahoos. “It was great to see so many of our guys involved and you see the smiles on these kids faces… That's what makes it so great. I think this might be the biggest one we ever had."

Saucier was a committee member and annually part of the original Fred Waters Clinic more than 35 years ago, which was held in January at the University of West Florida’s baseball field and featured MLB players of that time.

The clinic honored Fred Waters, the beloved long-time former high school baseball coach and Minor League Baseball manager, who was well-known across professional baseball. That clinic was free as well.

​

At the urging of Blue Wahoos owner Quint Studer, the Fred Waters clinic was revived in 2023 at Blue Wahoos Stadium and made part of the MLB Play Ball Weekend.

“I still have guys coming up to me to this day remembering the old Fred Waters Clinic,” Saucier said. “They never forget that. And you look at now, these kids we had on this field will remember this for the rest of their lives.”

The morning clinic on June 6 featured a good portion of the Blue Wahoos pitching staff: Nigel Belgrave, Gabe Bierman, Elizar Dishmey, Orlando Ortiz-Mayr, Colby Martin, Jacob Miller, Jack Sellinger and Logan Whitaker, along with outfielder Brendan Jones and infielder Eric Rataczak.

It also featured UWF infielder Zach DeJesus, who was part of the Argos team that won the Gulf South Conference and advanced to the NCAA Division II Super Regionals in the program’s final year before moving to the NCAA Division I level in 2027.

The alumni group include three former players from Pensacola who went on to compete in a World Series: Greg Litton, Adron Chambers and Saucier. It included former first round draft picks from Pensacola: JJ Cannon and Dennis Lewallyn. The group also included Phil Hiatt, Darell McCall and Randy McGilberry, who grew up in the Mobile area and went on to play two MLB seasons.

Former Pensacola State College baseball coach and athletic director Bill Hamilton, who essentially arranged for the Pensacola Pelicans to form and have a home field in their inaugural 2002 season, has been a long-time supporter of the past and present Fred Waters Clinic, along with current PSC coach and athletic director Brian Lewallyn.

David Angeron, the Pelicans first general manager in 2002, who went to become co-founder of John Melvin University with locations in Louisiana and Pace, was part of the clinic as well.

Mike Russell, a Gulf Breeze resident and MLB scout for more than 38 years -- a member of the Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame -- was the organizer of the clinic’s set-up with various stations of instruction and ensuring the kids rotated to each one across the field.

Alexis “Scrappy” Hopkins, who played softball at Fort Walton Beach High and signed a one-year contract with an Independent League team in Kentucky in 2022, has been part of the clinic all four years at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

All of these volunteer instructors worked with the kids and made the clinic a memorable experience.

“I’ll be mad if you ever forget to invite me to this,” said J.J. Cannon, speaking to Saucier afterward. “You know I love working with these kids.”

Said Saucier: “When you hear that from our former players, it just makes me feel so good. This is what it’s all about, giving back to these kids.”

The PlayBall weekend ended Sunday June 7 with every MLB and Minor League Baseball team hosting a Play Ball event.