Blue Wahoos Stadium Provides Positive Vibe For Florida JUCO Teams After Hurricane Affected Lives 

His players were scattered across the state, having sought shelter, when Brian Henry, head baseball coach at Tallahassee State College, sent a welcome message.

Hurricane Helene had sideswiped Tallahassee on Sept. 25. There was no catastrophic damage as feared. The campus was intact and the baseball facilities were fine.

Henry surveyed his players to see if they wanted to quickly regather and travel to Pensacola for the Panhandle Conference Baseball Sophomore Showcase.

“I texted each guy individually and asked, ‘do we want to do this?’ and it was overwhelmingly yes,” said Henry, a former ACC pitcher of the year at Florida State, who is now in his third year as the TSC head coach. “We had guys as far down as Orlando and Miami, so for them, it was a matter of getting through that I-10 corridor (damaged part of the area) and they were able get back, so we made it work.”

They were grateful to make it happen.

The Eagles were among five teams, including two other schools, Gulf Coast State College in Panama City and Chipola College in Marianna, that were also in the projected path of Hurricane Helene. Northwest Florida State in Niceville and host school, Pensacola State College, completed the group.

The players went through a variety of drills, then played a 10-inning game that was decided in the final inning with each side getting five batters per-inning. The two teams were formed by dividing players from the five schools for each dugout.

When the game ended, the West Florida Baseball Academy travel ball organization took the field. Founded by former Major League infielder/outfielder Phil Hiatt, a Pensacola Catholic graduate, along with his wife Misty, the WFBA had more than 30 area high school stars working out for collegiate scouts.

This is the second year Blue Wahoos Stadium has hosted the dual event. But this time, it carried a different kind of special meaning, after what everyone feared could happen with a hurricane bearing down on the Gulf Coast to make landfall.

“The first thought (before the storm hit) was players’ safety and getting them out of Tallahassee,” Henry said. “We practiced Tuesday (Sept. 24) and got everybody out. With the forecast we saw, (Sunday) wasn’t even on our radar.

“We were just hoping to get through the storm and hopefully have a facility to come back to. As (hurricane) skirted east and missed us, we assessed there was no damage at all, then this (Showcase event) became a possibility if we could get guys back in time.”

The coaches in the Panhandle Conference opted two years ago to avoid hefty travel costs to Lakeland, where an event like the one at Blue Wahoos Stadium was held annually, but with teams from all four junior college conferences in the state.

Because the other three conference were in far closer proximity to Lakeland, there was little desire among those schools to rotate the sites.

For the Panhandle Conference, it has found a home at Blue Wahoos Stadium and with far less expenses. Collegiate coaches who watched the game included an FSU assistant coach and Florida A&M head coach Jamey Shouppe, who has been the Rattlers head coach since 2013, after working under FSU legend Mike Martin Sr. for 21 years.

“It’s something we look forward to do and the same with the coaches who attend,” said Henry, 39, who grew up in Tallahassee. “It’s awesome for them to play here and for them to get in front of these college coaches and to play on this type of field.

“Some of them may never reach this (pro) level and this could be the best field they ever play on… so it was like, we have to do it. At the end of the day, it’s all about getting them in front of every possible (higher-level college) coach that we can… and it’s something we want to do.”

Blue Wahoos Stadium provides memories for Henry, along with a unique perspective.

In 2012, the inaugural Blue Wahoos season, Henry completed against the Blue Wahoos while being a starter with the Mobile BayBears, then an affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

After his decorated career at FSU – a three-time All ACC pitcher – he was drafted by the Diamondbacks in 2007 and worked his way to Double-A level. He returned Sunday with distinction of playing and coaching teams in Blue Wahoos Stadium.

“I love it here,” he said, smiling. “And I tell the same story every time, on how the wind is blowing from the water (on Pensacola Bay) and you can get ball out of here when that happens, and yet I managed to give up a home run here when the wind was blowing in.

“But we also won a division title at this stadium when I was with the BayBears. So it’s fun to relive that and gives you credibility with the players, because they just think I’m old and haven’t played.”