As Pensacola’s mayor, D.C. Reeves knows the importance of lobbying.
Being a Florida State University graduate, he has been seeking to convince the Seminoles' baseball team to play in Pensacola at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
“Every time I would see the (FSU) athletic director (Michael Alford) at a football game, I would say, ‘What do we need to do get FSU to play a game here?’ That was almost right when I started (as mayor), a year and a half ago," Reeves said.
Now, it will soon happen.
Fresh off their remarkable return to national prominence – reaching the final four stage at last month’s College World Series – the Seminoles will play a fall exhibition doubleheader against the Auburn Tigers on Oct. 12 at Blue Wahoos Stadium.
The first-time visit by FSU was announced Wednesday by the Seminoles baseball program and the Blue Wahoos. Auburn has played before at Blue Wahoos Stadium, the last time in 2016.
“It has been a long time coming,” said Reeves, smiling, during a media gathering at Blue Wahoos Stadium. “We had conversations and they would start and stop and start and stop.
“I started texting with head coach Link Jarrett and same thing. … We tried to put something together with a mid-week game in the spring," Reeves said. "Finally, we got to this point, where we said, ‘What about coming to play a game in the fall?’ I’m very, very excited for this to happen.”
The unique event, featuring two seven-inning games beginning at noon, will occur on a Saturday when both the FSU and Auburn football teams are not playing. Tickets will go on sale Aug. 1 to the general public. Blue Wahoos’ season-ticket holders will have ability to purchase their same seats for this event, prior to Aug. 1.
The Blue Wahoos are hoping to create a tailgate style experience outside the ballpark. There is also a quest to have an alumni event for both universities at the stadium on Oct. 11.
“It should be a fun event,” said Blue Wahoos president Jonathan Griffith. “We want to make this a big time college event, not just a baseball game.
“So, I think that will be something a little different than a Blue Wahoos experience. People will be able to come out a little bit earlier (for tailgate parties) and be able to do those things as well.”
Auburn and FSU have a baseball series history that began 70 years ago in 1954, not long after FSU was founded as a university. The teams have met 120 times in official games. The last meeting was in 2022 at an NCAA regional at Auburn.
Florida State’s Link Jarrett, 52, was a former star shortstop for the Seminoles under legendary coach Mike Martin. Jarrett helped FSU reached the College World Series in three of the four seasons he played,
As a head coach, he’s been equally successful. He led Notre Dame to the College World Series in 2022, before taking over at his alma mater in 2023.
After enduring a rough first year at FSU with a 23-31 record, the first losing season in program history and first time in 44 years that FSU did not reach the NCAA regionals, Jarrett quickly restored the program in 2024 back to national elite status.
The Seminoles, who finished 39-14 in 2024, had two of their star players, James Tibbs III and Cam Smith, chosen back-to-back last Sunday in the first round of the Major League Baseball Draft. Eight FSU players were drafted, the team’s most since 2017.
Auburn finished 21-22, but had a strong recruiting class that will feature 17 new players in the fall, including 11 ranked in the top 250 overall for that recruiting period.
The October event will be the first major-college baseball matchup since Blue Wahoos Stadium hosted Virginia and Oklahoma in a weekend series in February 2020, right before the initial wave of the coronavirus pandemic hit and wiped out the rest of the college season.
“Once I felt like we had enough steam to make (the matchup) happen, I knew the Blue Wahoos would help get it done,” Reeves said. “I know that (Blue Wahoos) understand how important these type of events are to a community and they are so community driven that we aren’t worried about numbers and costs.
“To have these two programs, we expect to have a big turnout. This is a community first idea and we got amazing team and organization (efforts) to help execute it.
While attending various meetings Wednesday, Reeves jokingly revealed that colleagues were asking him about a potential emergency situation after hearing Reeves’ cell phone constantly buzzing with messages.
“I said, ‘No, it’s just about FSU baseball coming to town to play Auburn (in October).’ So, very exciting," Reeves said.
Griffith said the Seminoles were in discussion about playing their final regular-season home series May 16-17 against Georgia Tech at Blue Wahoos Stadium, after a tornado hit Tallahassee the previous week and damaged FSU’s Dick Howser Stadium. Enough repairs were made, however, to have the matchup remain at the Seminoles home ballpark.
“We were the backup if that didn’t happen,” he said.
The quest with the Oct. 12 doubleheader is to showcase the experience for future games. As Reeves pointed out, FSU has played games in Jacksonville and Tampa on a frequent basis.
“And I think we should be on that list, too,” Reeves said. “They know they have a huge fan base here and have a huge recruiting base here.
“Maybe this can lead to a mid-week game during the (regular) season. That is why I am as excited about the future as I am (for Oct. 12 event) right now.”
Want to go?
WHAT: Fall Collegiate Baseball Event
WHO: Auburn Tigers vs. Florida State Seminoles
WHERE: Blue Wahoos Stadium.
WHEN: Oct. 12, doubleheader starting at 12 p.m.
TICKETS: Will be priced at $30 for Regions Club seats (first rows behind home plate), $20 for reserved and box seats, $15 for standing room, $60 for the Hancock Whitney Club level.
ON SALE: Beginning Aug. 1 through www.bluewahoos.com/tickets and at stadium box office.
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