The West Florida baseball team produced its best season in just about a decade, posting 20-plus wins for the first time since 2015.
The Jaguars, one of the top-ranked teams in Class 3A in the FHSAA, suffered a heartbreaking defeat in Game 3 of the Region 1-3A semifinals against Suwannee, ending the Jaguars’ 2025 season with a 25-6 record.
Ashton Bailey, a senior for West Florida, was solid on both sides of the baseball all season long, posting a .309 batting average with 25 hits (2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run) along with 16 RBIs and 30 runs. He also recorded 14 innings on the mound with 16 strikeouts and a 2.50 ERA.
However, during the week of April 21-26, Bailey pushed the Jaguars to a series sweep over Paxon in the Region 1-3A quarterfinals. Bailey provided some solid offense for West Florida, including a double with a run and an RBI in Game 1, plus a triple with four RBIs and two runs in Game 2. He also threw one inning with a strikeout in the second game.
For his efforts, Bailey won the PNJ Athlete of the Week award for that week, sponsored by Florida Power and Light, after mustering 46.54% of the poll’s votes the following week on the PNJ’s website. Each weekly winner is awarded a one-of-a-kind PNJ Athlete of the Week shirt.
Here’s a question-and-answer session with Bailey after she spoke with PNJ Sports Reporter Ben Grieco.
Q&A with West Florida baseball’s Ashton Bailey
PNJ: Starting broadly, what was your final year of high school baseball like at West Florida?
Ashton Bailey: “It was great to come back for a fourth year here. I really looked forward to our team. I knew we had big plans ahead of us and do stuff that West Florida hadn’t done in awhile. It was good to start 9-0 on the year, then took a tough loss, but we powered forward through the rest of the year.”
PNJ: What was different about this team at the beginning of the year. What did you notice?
AB: “A lot of times, you have what you would call a ‘cancer’ on your team, someone who might drag your team down. This year, we all had the mindset to win and do whatever it took to get there.”
PNJ: What was it like being on one of West Florida’s top teams in the last decade or so?
AB: “It’ll be a memory I can keep forever. High school baseball is something you won’t forget. Having all the countless memories, that’s great. And the cool thing about this year, it was always a different guy (who stepped up) in every game. It wasn’t like you were counting on one guy to do everything.”
PNJ: Was that the most unique thing about this team?
AB: “Everyone played a crucial role on this team, and it was good for our team bond.”
PNJ: The week you won Athlete of the Week, it was the week you guys swept Paxon in the quarterfinals. First off, as a player, how did you feel about the new best-of-three series?
AB: “I think it was really good for teams like us, where we didn’t necessarily have a guy that was dominating. The series brought it back to a team effort. … To get that sweep over Paxon, it set us up good.”
PNJ: How did you feel about your own individual performance that week?
AB: “It felt good. I caught a lot of barrels early that didn’t drop. They finally started falling and I had a lot of fun.”
PNJ: I know it was an increase in pitching for you this year. Did you expect that increase as someone who’s also in the field a good amount?
AB: “I was told I was going to pitch more, but didn’t really expect it. I pitched a lot more than I did last year. That was a big step up, especially in the Gulf Breeze game on the road.”
PNJ: Now your senior year, in general, is wrapping up. Is it weird that high school’s almost over?
AB: “It feels weird. All these friends you’ve had for four years, we’re going to have to actually work to see them now. I’m excited to take the next step in life, though. So there’s good and bad to it.”
PNJ: Do you have college baseball goals?
AB: “I’m looking for a home still.”
PNJ: Any offers on the table?
AB: “I have an offer in south Georgia then one in Daphne, as of now, as well as a couple walk-on spots.”
PNJ: Awesome. Now for some quick ones. Do you have any pre-game superstitions or traditions that you follow?
AB: “I usually don’t like eating the pre-game meal here, depending on what it is. Sometime I just won’t eat. I like running on an empty stomach.”
PNJ: Well, I guess that answers my next question. Do you have any sort of go-to pregame meal or snack?
AB: “I like to go to the gas station and get a Gatorade and a candy bar, just something little.”
PNJ: Do you listen to any type of music before a game?
AB: “It depends on the game. If I’m in a slump, I’ll listen to music. Usually, I’m just bouncing around in the cages with the boys, having fun and getting rowdy.”
PNJ: Is there a dream baseball field you’ve always wanted to play on?
AB: “I feel like playing at Fenway Park with the Green Monster would be fun. Then also the Dream of Fields.”
PNJ: I’ll ask this question a couple different ways. If you were at the plate, is there a dream pitcher you’ve always wanted to go against?
AB: “If I had to go against one famous pitcher, it’d probably be Chris Sale. … Maybe Paul Skenes, too, because he’s basically the face of the MLB.”
PNJ: Now, maybe you’ve never though about this, is there someone you’ve always wanted to catch for?
AB: “I’d like to catch Shohei Ohtani, when he gets back on the mound.”
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: West Florida baseball’s Ashton Bailey wins PNJ Athlete of the Week award
