Blue Wahoos Provide Glorious Stage For Florida State, M-State Fall Baseball Showcase 

The first indication of a memorable day at Blue Wahoos Stadium occurred two hours before the first pitch.

Fans began arriving, ticket-holders milling outside the main gate, the sidewalks and grass area fronting the ballpark. Both Florida State baseball fans and a large turnout from Mississippi State came dressed in favorite team apparel.

So, it was already festive before the main gates opened for this matchup in a “Fall Ball” exhibition event on Oct. 18 that did not count. It did not contain a free giveaway for early entrance. And it did not disappoint.

Before a sellout crowd of 5,038, which included hundreds gathered on the outfield berm, along with a perfect-weather day, the teams split the pair of seven-inning contests. MSU won the first seven innings 4-1 and FSU taking the second scrimmage 5-2.

Beyond the scores, however, and beyond the strong performances from two of the nation’s premier baseball programs, it was the experience, the atmosphere that captivated.

“This was awesome,” said Mississippi State’s new coach Brian O’Connor, who spent his previous 22 years at Virginia building the Cavaliers into a baseball power.

“The support for both schools… obviously the community came out, but also the rabid fan bases of both schools is really impressive,” he said. “That was a lot of fun. After a period of time, you get tired of playing against each other (in fall practice). And it’s nice to play someone in a different uniform.”

FSU’s fan base throughout Northwest Florida helped produce another packed, sellout crowd in the Seminoles’ consecutive-year return to Blue Wahoos Stadium for a fall baseball exhibition.

Just like FSU’s first-time visit to Pensacola in the 2024 twinbill against Auburn – the Tigers winning both contests – the capacity crowd of 5,038 on this day filled the seats, the concession store fronts and concourse areas. Included were 28 scouts from 18 different Major League Baseball teams.

This time for FSU, the ending became more pleasing.

After dropping the first seven-inning game, the Seminoles got a go-ahead, run-scoring single from Kelvyn Paulino Jr. in the sixth inning of the second game, then clutch relief in the seventh from freshman Manny Lantigua to seal a split in the extended scrimmage.

“I wanted to walk out of here (Saturday) with a good feeling,” said FSU coach Link Jarrett. “You all (media members) are evaluating what we do. Major League Baseball is evaluating. It means a lot to me that we come out and play well.

“The expectation in this program is you find ways to win competitive games,” Jarrett said. “These things count whether the game goes on the record or not.

“For me, watching them perform, if you come out on top, you’ve probably out-executed what’s going on at the other side. That’s important, whether it’s in this (matchup), or a regular game, or intrasquad. It does matter.”

In a post-game media interview with 10 out-of-town outlets, Jarrett saluted Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith and events manager Shannon Hannah, along with Pensacola mayor D.C. Reeves for their efforts in producing the event.

Griffith presented Jarrett a $20,000 contribution during a between-inning moment, then a $7,500 contribution to MSU’s baseball program as the visiting team for participating in the event.

Reeves, an FSU graduate, who tossed out a ceremonial first pitch, had lobbied Jarrett and the FSU athletic administration, prior to gaining a commitment in 2024 for FSU to play Auburn in the Seminoles’ first-ever appearance at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

In both years, the Seminoles’ fans at Blue Wahoos Stadium included a large group seated behind the home team dugout from FSU’s famed “Animals of Section B.”

The group is a special, devoted element of the fan base that organized in 1977 at the original Section B location of FSU’s original Dick Howser Stadium and has since entertained with playful chants and taunts at Seminoles home games.

“I want to start by thanking the city of Pensacola and the mayor, D.C. Reeves. This was something we discussed before we got into it last year,” Jarrett said. “I thought (last year) was phenomenal. I like to play one (Fall Ball) game on the road and one game at Howser.

“Jonathan, and Shannon… the Wahoos’ organization… to open up like this and let us have free run of the place for our fans, for the ‘Animals’ to sit out here for five and half hours like we’re at home, like we’re at Howser, they continue to add a dimension that is pretty rare and pretty cool in college baseball.

“Not just for us, to everyone involved, I think it creates another dimension to the game that is pretty unique.”

FSU’s other connection to the Blue Wahoos is former football great Derrick Brooks, a Pensacola Booker T. Washington High graduate, is part of the Blue Wahoos ownership team. As All-American linebacker, he helped the Seminoles win their first national championship in 1993 with legendary coach Bobby Bowden at the helm.

Mississippi State’s O’Connor also had a connection. In 2020, his Virginia Cavaliers team faced Oklahoma in late February in a three-game series at Blue Wahoos Stadium.

The following week, the first onslaught of the coronavirus hit the U.S. and led to a complete cancellation of sporting events for months, including the Blue Wahoos entire schedule.

“When Coach Jarrett called me and asked to play this game, it kind of put a smile on my face, remembering back to 2020,” O’Connor said. “We played and the whole world got shut down.”

Both seven-inning games featured strong pitching and defense from two teams who began practicing in late September for month-long early fall period.

By rule, the NCAA permits college teams to schedule two fall scrimmage events on separate dates with each one up to 14 innings.

After the first seven innings Saturday, there was a 30-minute break. After FSU clinched the second seven-inning contest, the teams still played through the bottom of the seventh inning with FSU tacking on two more runs for the final margin.

In the 2024 fall game, a combined 18 players from FSU and Auburn were selected in the 2025 MLB draft, including four FSU players chosen by the Miami Marlins. The projection is this past matchup contained another large pool of draft-eligible players.

That was evident by how well both seven-inning games were played Saturday despite a strong wind blowing off Pensacola Bay from the Gulf.

“I thought these were two good teams that went at it,” said Jarrett, whose team will play Alabama-Birmingham on Oct. 25 in Tallahassee for its second fall ball game. “I think you are starting to see bits and pieces of what makes these teams good. I was impressed with the power arms (MSU Bulldogs) have… very impressive. They are capable and physical.

“It was clearly a tricky day with wind blowing at 20 to 25 (mph). It was interesting playing in this. I thought the outfielders fought through a lot of stuff.”

In the first game, Mississippi State’s first two pitchers, Ryan McPherson and Tomas Valincius, held FSU without a hit and struck out a combined five batters. Their next pitcher, sophomore Ben Davis, left an impression on scouts with his 100-plus MPH fastball and location.

The Bulldogs got runs a two-run, ground-rule double by James Nunnallee, another run on a wild pitch, then another on a errant throw to second on a delayed steal, which scored the runner on third base.

FSU sophomore Noah Sheffield, the son of former MLB superstar Gary Sheffield, had two of FSU’s five hits and drove in their only run.

In the second game, FSU senior Eli Putman hit the only home run of the day with his solo shot in the fourth inning. Paulino drove in Putman with a first-inning single, then his bloop single to right field in the sixth inning was the game-winning hit. The Seminoles tacked on two runs in the bottom of the seventh for the final margin, after both teams had agreed to play seven full innings no matter the score.