After hurricane damage, Blue Wahoos rally to host Alabama-Georgia Tech
· Yahoo Sports
The Blue Wahoos announced the Georgia Tech vs. Alabama fall baseball exhibition game on Saturday at 12 p.m. will be a special community gathering event, recognizing Hurricane Isaias restoration efforts throughout the region.
The Blue Wahoos will distribute complimentary tickets to Florida Power & Light employees, City of Pensacola, Escambia County and Santa Rosa County employees, along with Escambia County Utilities Association (ECUA) employees to attend the game.
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The tickets for those employees are available at the Blue Wahoos Stadium box office by showing a company ID badge.
In addition, tickets for Saturday’s game remain available to the general public. Seats can be purchased either through the Blue Wahoos online site at www.bluewahoos.com, by phone at (850) 934-8444 or at the stadium box office.
'Relief and entertainment' during recovery
The nine-inning, exhibition game was originally part of three consecutive Saturdays of “Fall Ball” showcase games at Blue Wahoos Stadium. But Hurricane Isaias, which made landfall on Oct. 9 in Northwest Florida, canceled the Florida State vs. Auburn game on Oct. 10.
The bayfront stadium sustained some wind damage, but Alabama and Georgia Tech agreed to travel to Pensacola and play the exhibition game event as scheduled. The Florida Gators vs. Troy Trojans game on Oct. 24 will also be played.
“I think it’s going to be amazing to have a place for people to come and have some relief and entertainment,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith. “It provides a way to break free from exhausting efforts of hurricane recovery.
Both Alabama and Georgia Tech are coming off historic seasons. The Crimson Tide reached the 2026 Men’s College World Series in June for the first time since 1999.
The Yellow Jackets produced the best record (48-9) in school history, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and ACC Tournament championship, before falling in the NCAA Regionals. Many of the top players on both teams are returning for the 2027 season, including several Major League Baseball prospects.
How the Blue Wahoos are getting ready for first pitch
To make Saturday’s event happen the Blue Wahoos front office staff along with city employees worked this week to repair damage. The severe winds from Hurricane Isaias collapsed and destroyed the outfield panels and padding from the left field foul pole to centerfield.
Only bent-up, black metal framing remained.
Wnds caused a giant oak tree behind the outfield wall to crash into the field and also tore up the black screen, known as the batter’s eye, in center field, along with ripping apart the banners on each foul pole.
Temporary fencing has been installed. The black screen is being replaced and minor repairs throughout the stadium area have been made.
“It’s not necessarily going to be the normal Blue Wahoos Stadium,” Griffith said. “But it will be the best we can do to make a fun environment. We weren’t seeking perfection when we decided to play this game, as it was scheduled...We are just making it work the best we can, just like our whole community is doing right now.”
A collaborative effort from the Blue Wahoos staff helped make it possible. Several staff members alternated using chain saws to remove the oak tree and all the thick branches that were part of the left field warning track.
The playing field itself handled the wrath from the hurricane and flying debris that was left behind. The synthetic surface was designed to drain up to 16 inches of water per-hour and quickly dried after the hurricane passed.
The pitching mound and home plate areas were covered by heavily anchored tarps, which protected those two areas.
“When I got here (Saturday morning) I knew what to expect,” said Blue Wahoos head groundskeeper Willie Lawrence. “My reaction came from the photos that I was seeing prior to getting here.
“There’s a lot to be said about events helping the community get through something like this. It doesn’t matter to me what the weather has been. At first pitch (on Saturday), 5,000 people don’t care, that’s the world I live in. Make it happen.”
The ability to attract premier teams and arrange three games on consecutive weekends in October was ignited by the success of the first “Fall Ball” game at Blue Wahoos Stadium in 2024 featuring FSU-Auburn. It was FSU’s first time playing at Blue Wahoos Stadium and the game sold out in 12 hours.
A similar scenario occurred in 2025 when FSU played Mississippi State.
Bill Vilona is a retired Pensacola News Journal sports columnist and now senior writer for Pensacola Blue Wahoos. He can be reached at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: After hurricane damage, Blue Wahoos rally to host Alabama-Georgia Tech