Two local players, Blake Voyles and Gunnar Griffin helped the Southeast Bluesox, a fifteen-and-under travel baseball team to finish second out of sixteen teams at a tournament held in Jupiter, Fla.

The Bluesox are comprised of players from across South Georgia and North Florida. The Bluesox are a culmination of several teams with select athletes from each of the areas. Voyles, a rising sophomore, played third base and was the designated hitter for many of BHS’ varsity games last season. Griffin, also a rising sophomore, pitched and played first base for the BHS junior varsity baseball team this past spring.

The Bluesox competed in the sixteen-and-under Under Armour Memorial Day Classic wooden bat tournament in Jupiter, Fla. Sixteen teams competed in the tournament, from West Palm Beach, Orlando, Jupiter, Tampa, Ft. Myers, Miami, Jacksonville and the Bluesox, who are based in Tallahassee.

The tournament was played at the Florida Marlins Roger Dean Minor League and Spring Baseball Complex in Jupiter. The Bluesox lost by a score of 2 to 1 in the championship game.

The Bluesox played five games—34 innings in all—allowing only eight runs, while scoring fifteen runs.

“What was really amazing was to hear about the teams and coaches,” said Coley Voyles, father of Blake Voyles and the PA announcer for the Bearcats at their spring home games. “Several teams were coached by former MLB players and some playesr’ dads were current major league players.

“Baseball tradition runs deep with many of these South Florida baseball organizations,” Voyles remarked. “Many are supported by major sponsors.”

The Bluesox are scheduled to play in six major tournaments this summer to be hosted in places such as Boca Raton, Ft. Myers, East Cobb and St. Augustine. The tournaments are sponsored by some of the biggest baseball organizations in youth baseball, including Perfect Game, Prospect Wire, Under Armour and Triple Crown.