In Zebulon, the team played in Five County Stadium and won Southern League championships in 1995 and 2003. In 2010, Quint Studer, owner of the Pensacola Pelicansindependent baseball team, acquired the Mudcats franchise in a complicated series of moves and purchases designed to bring affiliated Double-A baseball to Pensacola. First, he sold the Pelicans to a group in Amarillo, Texas, where they became the Amarillo Sox in 2011. Studer then bought the Carolina Mudcats franchise. To settle this purchase, he had to facilitate the move of the Kinston Indians to Zebulon, where they assumed the Carolina Mudcats name and branding. Additionally, as Pensacola is within the franchise territory of the Mobile Bay Bears, Studer paid that team an undisclosed sum of money. The arrangements cost a total of $2 million.[4][5]
The Blue Wahoos nickname was decided in a fan contest run by Wendy's in conjunction with the Pensacola News Journal. It refers to the wahoo (Acanthocybium solandri), a local fish species. Their team colors are Neon red, Gulf Coast royal, Blue Angel navy, and Tin Roof tin. It was officially announced on May 23, followed by the logo and colors on November 18.[6][7]
Following the inaugural season that saw Billy Hamilton break the all-time professional baseball single season stolen base record, the team was named the Southern League's Organization of the Year. Two-time Masters Champion Bubba Watson became co-owner in January 2015.[8]
In 2016, the Blue Wahoos were chosen by Baseball America as the Double-A winner of the prestigious Bob Freitas Award as the best overall franchise among the nation's 30 affiliates at this level. It was announced at the Baseball Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C.
They entered into a two-year PDC with the Minnesota Twins that ran from 2019 to 2020.[9] The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before ultimately being cancelled on June 30.[10][11]
Starting in 2021, the Blue Wahoos were affiliated with the Miami Marlins.[12] In a further result of Major League Baseball's restructuring of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Blue Wahoos were organized into the eight-team Double-A South.[13] In 2022, the Double-A South became known as the Southern League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[14]
Television and radio
All Pensacola Blue Wahoos games are televised live on MiLB.TV. The Blue Wahoos are also televised on delay Monday through Thursday on Cox Sports and Friday through Sunday on Blab-TV (WFBD). All Blue Wahoos games are broadcast on radio on WTKE/1490 and TuneIn Radio.
Season-by-season records
Pensacola Blue Wahoos
Year
Regular Season
Postseason
Record
Win %
Finish*
Record
Win %
Result
2012
68–70
.493
7th
–
–
–
2013
59–79
.428
T-8th
–
–
–
2014
60–80
.429
T-7th
–
–
–
2015 ¤
63–75
.429
8th
0–3
.000
Won South Division Second Half Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 3–0
2016 ¤
81–59
.579
2nd
1–3
.250
Won South Division First & Second Half Lost South Division Championship Series vs Mississippi Braves, 3–1
2017 †
74–66
.529
3rd
3–0
1.000
Won South Division First Half Won South Division Championship Series vs Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, 3–0 Southern League Championship cancelled Southern League Co-Champions
2018 ¤
69–68
.504
4th
1–3
.250
Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 3–1
2019 ¤
76-63
.547
4th
2–3
.400
Lost South Division Championship Series vs Biloxi Shuckers, 3–2
Won South Division First Half Won South Division Championship Series vs Montgomery Biscuits, 2–1 Won Southern League Championship vs Tennessee Smokies, 2–1 Southern League Champions
2023 ^
79–57
.581
1st
2–2
.500
Won South Division First Half Won South Division Championship Series vs Montgomery Biscuits, 2–0 Lost Southern League Championship vs Tennessee Smokies, 2–0
2024
71–65
.522
T-3rd
–
–
–
Totals
825–799
.508
–
16–16
.500
2 Southern League Championships
Note: * Finish denotes their position in the overall league standings.