With Blue Wahoos On Road, High School Baseball Returns This Week To Bayfront Ballpark

The Pace High baseball team warms up for their March 8 game at Blue Wahoos Stadium against Paxton. High school baseball returns this week to ballpark. (Bill Vilona/Pensacola Blue Wahoos)

By Bill Vilona, Senior Writer

April 8, 2024

The Blue Wahoos will be on the road this week, playing their first, full six-game series of 2024. But there will be baseball played at Blue Wahoos Stadium. High school baseball is back with four surging area teams seeking to extend winning seasons and get a special experience at the

The Blue Wahoos will be on the road this week, playing their first, full six-game series of 2024.

But there will be baseball played at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

High school baseball is back with four surging area teams seeking to extend winning seasons and get a special experience at the bayfront ballpark.

On Tuesday, West Florida High (11-4) faces Milton (8-7) at 5 p.m. in a game that was rescheduled from earlier this season. The teams were set to play March 1 at the ballpark, but inclement weather forced postponement.

The Jaguars began their season 8-1 and currently are second in District 1-4A. Milton has battled back following a six-game losing streak to win six of its last seven games.

The Panthers have outscored opponents by a combined 64-15 during those six wins. They are currently fourth in District 1-6A.

The Booker T. Washington (blue jerseys) and Escambia High baseball teams line up for National Anthem before their March 25 game at Blue Wahoos Stadium.Bill Vilona/Pensacola Blue Wahoos

Both schools have played at Blue Wahoos Stadium in past seasons. The two teams agreed after the March 1 rainout to reschedule for the opportunity play at the bayfront stadium.

This game is listed on both teams’ schedules on MaxPreps.com as a 7 p.m. start, but it will begin with first pitch Tuesday at 5 p.m.

On Thursday at 6:30 p.m, Gulf Shores High (23-8) will face Bayside Academy (17-6) from Daphne, Ala. in a matchup of Baldwin County (Alabama) teams that have never played at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

This game will be preceded by a junior varsity game between the schools. Bayside Academy’s varsity team is ranked first in Area-1-4A in Alabama. Gulf Shores is No. 1 in Area 1-5A.

The prep games this week follow the Blue Wahoos season-opening, three-game weekend, where they swept the Mississippi Braves, the Atlanta Braves’ Double-A affiliate in a three game series for the team’s best start since 2021.

The Paxton High baseball team poses for team photo prior to their March 8 game vs. Pace at Blue Wahoos Stadium.Bill Vilona/Pensacola Blue Wahoos

The Blue Wahoos begin a six-game road trip on Tuesday against the Montgomery Biscuits – the Tampa Bay Rays affiliate – for a chance to match the best start in franchise history.

The Blue Wahoos attracted three capacity crowds of 5,000-plus during the weekend and produced 24 runs with a league-best .327 team batting average and .412 on-base percentage to start the season.

The high school games this week complete a set of five dates of high school baseball at Blue Wahoos Stadium, the most in the ballpark’s history.

WANT TO GO?

WHAT: High School Baseball.

WHO: West Florida vs. Milton (Tuesday); Gulf Shores vs. Bayside Academy (Thursday).

WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.

WHEN: Tuesday at 5 p.m.; Thursday’s varsity game is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m.

ADMISSION: $8 for each day, children 2-under free. General admission seating throughout the ballpark.

INFO: Gates will open at 4 p.m. Tuesday and 3 p.m. on Thursday prior to JV game. A reminder that Blue Wahoos Stadium is a cashless venue and there is now electronic security entrances at the gates. The box office at Blue Wahoos Stadium will be open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday for purchases.