The Pensacola Pelicans were a minor league baseball team based in

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...

. In various incarnations, they played in three different

independent baseball leagues An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball and is outside the Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated to it. The Northern League and Frontie ...

(leagues unaffiliated with

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

) from 2002 to 2010. They played their games at Pelican Park. The initial incarnations Pelicans began play in 2002 as charter members of the new, independent

Southeastern League The Southeastern League was the name of four separate baseball leagues in minor league baseball which operated in the Southeastern and South Central United States in numerous seasons between 1897 and 2003. Two of these leagues were associated wit ...

. The league folded after the 2003 season, and team owner

Quint Studer Quinton D. Studer (born 1951) is a Pensacola, Florida businessman and philanthropist, known as the co-owner of the minor league baseball team the Pensacola Blue Wahoos and founder of the healthcare consulting company, Studer Group. Early life a ...

purchased a franchise in the

Central Baseball League The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas–Louisiana League, was a independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron P ...

, moving the Pelicans to the new organization. When the CBL folded in 2004 the Pelicans joined the new

American Association of Independent Professional Baseball The American Association of Professional Baseball is an independent professional baseball league founded in 2005. It operates in the central United States and Canada, mostly in cities not served by Major League Baseball teams or their minor lea ...

. They won the Southeastern League championship in 2002. In 2010 Studer sold his American Association franchise to a group in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of Potter County. It is the 14th-most populous city in Texas and the largest city in the Texas Panhandle. A portion of the city extends into Randall County ...

as part of a move to bring Class Double-A affiliated baseball to Pensacola. The franchise became the

Amarillo Sox The Amarillo Thunderheads, formerly known as the Amarillo Sox, were a professional minor league baseball team based in Amarillo, Texas. They were members of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball, an independent baseball ...

for the 2011 season; the new team, the

Pensacola Blue Wahoos The Pensacola Blue Wahoos are a Minor League Baseball team of the Southern League and the Double-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins. They are based in Pensacola, Florida, and play their home games at Admiral Fetterman Field. In 2012, the team rel ...

, began play in 2012.http://www.pnj.com/article/20110102/SPORTS/101020315/PNJ-s-top-10-sports-stories-of-2010

History

Independent leagues

The Pensacola Pelicans were incorporated in 2002, when the

decided to place a team in the Pensacola area. Midway through the 2002 season,

and his wife Rishy Studer bought the team from the league and was approved under the Commissioner James Gamble. The 2002 season was a very successful one for the Pelicans; they had the league's best record and won the championship in an extra-innings victory against the Montgomery Wings. The 2003 season was also successful, with the Pelicans once again claiming the league's best record, but losing to the Baton Rouge Riverbats in the championship series. Before the 2004 season, the affiliated

Orlando Rays Several different minor league baseball teams have called the city of Orlando, Florida home from 1919–2003. Most have played in the Florida State League. The original Orlando franchise played between 1919 and 1924 and was alternately called the ...

of the Southern League moved to

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the coastal Plain of the Gulf of Mexico. In the 202 ...

, the location of a key Southeastern League franchise. Unable to compete with an affiliated baseball club in one of its cities, the Southeastern League folded, and the Pelicans were left without a league in which to play. In order to join the

for the 2004 season, Pelicans owner Studer purchased the rights to the Springfield Ozark Mountain Ducks franchise, and the Pelicans took that team's spot in the league. Former major league standout Bernie Carbo was the team's manager and he was aided by former major leaguer Pedro Borbon as pitching coach. The CBL folded in 2005 and the Pelicans joined the

after the 2005 season, and named

Kash Beauchamp James Kash Beauchamp (born January 8, 1963 in Grove, Oklahoma) is an American professional baseball coach (baseball), coach. He is currently the manager for the Ogden Raptors of the Pioneer Baseball League. Career Beauchamp is the son of late Ma ...

as manager. After leading the Pelicans to a 39–57 season, Beauchamp was released of his managerial duties. The Pelicans were led by Mac Seibert in 2007 and 2008, finishing 39–56 in '07 and 43–53 in '08. Seibert left after his second year to take a job in the New York Mets organization. The Pelicans won the South Division in 2009, making the championship round before losing to the

Lincoln Saltdogs The Lincoln Saltdogs are a professional baseball team based in Lincoln, Nebraska, in the United States. The Saltdogs are in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball. Since the 2001 sea ...

in 5 games.

Southern League

In 2010 Studer orchestrated a complicated series of purchases and moves to bring affiliated Class Double-A baseball to Pensacola. First, he sold his American Association franchise to a group in

, where they became the

, now known as the Amarillo Thunderheads. Then, he purchased the

Carolina Mudcats The Carolina Mudcats are a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League and the Single-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers. They are located in Zebulon, North Carolina, a suburb of Raleigh, North Carolina, Raleigh, and play their home games a ...

, a Southern League team from

Zebulon, North Carolina Zebulon is the easternmost town in Wake County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 6,903 at the 2020 census. Zebulon is part of the Research Triangle metropolitan region. Five County Stadium, home to the Carolina Mudcats minor lea ...

. To settle the deal, however, he had to facilitate the move of the

Kinston Indians The Kinston Indians were a Minor League Baseball team of the Carolina League (CL) located in Kinston, North Carolina, from 1978 to 2011. They played their home games at Grainger Stadium, which opened in 1949. The team began play in 1978 as the Ki ...

to Zebulon, where they took up the Mudcats name. Additionally, as Pensacola is within the franchise territory of the

Mobile BayBears The Mobile BayBears were a Minor League Baseball team based in Mobile, Alabama, United States. The team, which played in the Southern League, served as the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres (1997–2006), Arizona Diamondbacks (2007–2 ...

, he had to compensate that team. The arrangements cost Studer a total of $2 million. It was initially reported that Studer's team would take up the Pelicans name, but it was later announced a new name would be chosen by fan contest. Per said contest, the team was named the

; they began play in the Southern League in 2012.

References

{{reflist
aabfan.com
- yearly league standings & awards

External links

Pensacola Pelicans official site

aabfan.com Pensacola Pelicans Guide
Defunct American Association of Professional Baseball teams Pensacola metropolitan area Defunct baseball teams in Florida Sports in Pensacola, Florida 2002 establishments in Florida Baseball teams established in 2002 2010 disestablishments in Florida Baseball teams disestablished in 2010 Defunct independent baseball league teams Southeastern League teams