Community
The Pensacola Blue Wahoos announced Wednesday that Saturday’s noon baseball exhibition between Georgia Tech and Alabama will become a community gathering in recognition of hurricane restoration efforts across the region.
Who gets in free: The team will hand out complimentary tickets to employees of the following:
- Florida Power & Light
- City of Pensacola
- Escambia County
- Santa Rosa County
- Escambia County Utilities Authority (ECUA)
Those employees can pick up tickets at the Blue Wahoos Stadium box office by showing a company ID badge.
Game details
- When: Saturday, 12 p.m.
- Where: Blue Wahoos Stadium, Pensacola
- Public tickets: bluewahoos.com, (850) 934-8444, or the stadium box office
A Stadium Still Under Repair
The damage was real. Hurricane Isaias made landfall in Northwest Florida on Oct. 9. The winds collapsed and destroyed the outfield panels and padding from the left field foul pole to center field. Only bent-up black metal framing remained.
- A giant oak tree behind the outfield wall crashed onto the field.
- The black batter’s eye screen in center field was torn up.
- The banners on each foul pole were ripped apart.
The fix is temporary but functional. Blue Wahoos front office staff and City of Pensacola employees spent the week on repairs. Temporary fencing is up, the batter’s eye screen is being replaced, and minor repairs have been made throughout the stadium area. Several staffers took turns with chain saws to clear the oak and the thick branches that covered the left field warning track.
“It’s not necessarily going to be the normal Blue Wahoos Stadium. But it will be the best we can do to make a fun environment.” Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith
The field itself survived. The synthetic surface drains up to 16 inches of water per hour and dried quickly after the storm passed. Tarps anchored over the pitching mound and home plate protected those areas.
- Head groundskeeper Willie Lawrence said he knew what to expect from the photos he saw before arriving Saturday morning. “At first pitch, 5,000 people don’t care,” he said. “That’s the world I live in. Make it happen.”
Why Play at All
Griffith’s reasoning is simple. “I think it’s going to be amazing to have a place for people to come and have some relief and entertainment,” he said. “It provides a way to break free from exhausting efforts of hurricane recovery.”
- He framed the game as one more recovery moment: a chance to get out of the house for a while. The goal, he said, was not perfection but getting the basics right, from replacing an outfield fence to getting the scoreboard working again.
Fall Ball Takes a Hit
One game is gone. The Isaias landfall canceled the Florida State vs. Auburn game scheduled for Oct. 10. The Saturday exhibition was originally one of three consecutive Saturdays of “Fall Ball” showcase games. The Florida Gators vs. Troy Trojans game on Oct. 24 will still be played.
- The teams are worth the trip. Alabama reached the 2026 Men’s College World Series in June for the first time since 1999. Georgia Tech posted the best record in school history at 48-9, won the ACC regular season and tournament titles, and then fell in the NCAA Regionals. Many top players on both rosters return for 2027, including several Major League Baseball prospects.
The series has a track record. The first Fall Ball game in 2024, FSU vs. Auburn, sold out in 12 hours. FSU’s 2025 matchup with Mississippi State drew a similar response.
