Blue Wahoos Excited For Opening Night To 2026 Season
The prelude to a new season in professional baseball can almost feel like a year itself. Months of winter workouts. Six weeks of spring training. Moving day into the stadium, housing for players, coaches and staff and two more days of workouts. But now it’s here for the Pensacola Blue
The prelude to a new season in professional baseball can almost feel like a year itself.
Months of winter workouts. Six weeks of spring training. Moving day into the stadium, housing for players, coaches and staff and two more days of workouts.
But now it’s here for the Pensacola Blue Wahoos. The allure of Opening Day has arrived.
The Blue Wahoos begin their 14th season – their sixth as a Miami Marlins affiliate – on Friday night (6:05 p.m.) at Blue Wahoos Stadium in an Easter weekend homestand against the Montgomery Biscuits.
All the special experiences the Blue Wahoos seek to create in family-friendly environment begin anew.
“Opening day is always an exciting day,” said Blue Wahoos manager Nelson Prada, who returns for his second season after his 2025 team stayed in post-season contention both halves of the schedule.
“The guys are hungry to play,” he said. “They are hungry to see other teams, hungry to compete. After you work for six weeks and play for nothing, now you come out here and you’re playing for something. So, that is exciting for me.
“For me, it’s one more first game (in a career). But it’s always good to see your guys, your team out there for the first time in a season.”
This is one of the few times in Blue Wahoos club history they’ve played at home on Easter weekend. It’s happened just twice in the last decade.
Aside from the three-game series, the Blue Wahoos are hosting two staple Easter events. The annual “Eggawahooza” Easter Egg, sponsored hunt, sponsored by Marcus Pointe Baptist Church, occurs on Saturday morning outside the stadium featuring thousands of plastic egg shells with candy inside that are quickly gathered by hundreds of kids.
On Sunday at predawn, the annual “Community SonRise Easter Service” is provided by Marcus Pointe for all denominations in a service that completely fills all the seats at the bayfront stadium.
It all starts with a first-pitch Friday night at 6:05 featuring Blue Wahoos righthander Karson Milbrandt, the Marlins’ No. 10 rated overall prospect. This will be his third time getting the ball on an opening day. The previous times were 2023 and 2024 at the Class A level.
“I think it’s cool,” said Milbrandt, drafted in the third round by the Marlins in 2022 out of high school in Liberty, Missouri. “There are usually a lot of fans on opening day and I’m hoping to go out there and put on a good show.”
Milbrandt is one of five players on the Blue Wahoos roster who are ranked among the Marlins Top 20 prospects. Two others are both former New York Yankees prospects, outfielders Dillon Lewis (No 11) and Brendan Jones (No. 19). They were acquired in the off-season, along with two other Yankees prospects, for Marlins starting pitcher Ryan Weathers.
Ironically, hours earlier on Friday, the Marlins are playing in Yankee Stadium for the Yankees home opener to begin a weekend series.
The Blue Wahoos' Opening Day roster was finalized Thursday. It features 16 returning players, including outfielder Fenwick Trimble, rated the No. 20 overall prospect.
“Just looking forward to playing some real baseball again,” Trimble said. “Opening day is always fun. The energy always is real good.”
Here are three things to know as the Blue Wahoos begin their 2026 season.
- What’s New At Stadium?
Plenty. As you enter the stadium, fans will see the building on the right side which is the new indoor batting facility, It features three batting/pitching stalls, a locker room, another bathroom, wireless video capabilities. When the team is on the road, or the off-season it will add another option to the stadium as an event space.
The Blue Wahoos also have a new, much larger, more attractive lobby in their front office to greet customers and answer ticketing questions. A new party deck area is being finished behind the right field wall. There are new signs and decorative murals at the stadium.
As for food, there are plenty of new items prepared by the Blue Wahoos culinary staff, led by chef Travis Wilson.
- What kind of team might this be?
Another one with plenty of speed. Newcomer Brendan Jones led the Yankees’ entire minor league organization last season in stolen bases. He had 51 steals in 124 games, along with 69 RBI. He fits the profile of the kind of player the Marlins want in their big league lineup. Jones is one of five players making organization debuts on Friday.
- Promotional Benefits?
The Blue Wahoos will unveil their new alternate identity, the Pensacola Sky Jockeys – a tribute to the area’s rich U.S. Navy heritage – during the next homestand on April 15. The Sky Jockeys will be part of “Winging Wednesday” with wing specials and the uniform change, which has already been popular in merchandise sales.
The Tuesday games will continue to be “Doggone Tuesdays” with dogs permitted. Thursday will be continue as Pensacola Mullets night. Friday will always be a giveaway night and Saturday will be fireworks night. Sunday is Military Family Sunday with kids running the bases and military members receiving discounted tickets.