Florida Sports Wire

  J ACKSONVILLE – Tristan Gray  and  Marty Costes  each blasted a home run as the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp notched an 8-4 win over the Norfolk Tides for their first home series win of the season Sunday afternoon at 121 Financial Ballpark. With the game tied at four, the Jacksonville (12-9) took control in the sixth. With one out,  Troy Johnston  doubled and  Jonah Bride  reached on a fielding error charged to Norfolk (9-12) first baseman  Coby Mayo . With runners on first and second,  Dane Myers  singled home the go-ahead run to make it 5-4. A  Griffin Conine  walk loaded the bases. Costes then doubled home two runs, pushing the lead to 7-4.   The Jumbo Shrimp plated their final run in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, Costes (2) blasted a solo home run to give Jacksonville a four-run cushion, 8-4.   Norfolk took the first lead of the game in the top of the second. With one out,  Peyton Burdick  walked and two batters later  Ryan McKenna  (2) walloped a two-run homer off  Patr

Photo by Nancy Delander Beecher/Florida Sports Wire  JACKSONVILLE (Florida Sports Wire) - The second game of the ECHL Southern Division semi-finals between the Jacksonville Icemen and Florida Everblades went into overtime.  Matt Wedman scored at the 11:06 mark of overtime to give Florida a 2-1 win and tie the series. Josh Ho-Sang and Will Reilly assisted on gthe game winner.  After a scoreless first period, Derek Lodermeier's power play goal gave the Icemen an early lead in the second. Christopher Brown and Brandon Fortunato picked up assists on Lodermeiers's second goal of the playoffs.  The Everblades' Sean Josling tied the game. Ho-Sang recorded his second assist of the contest. Cam Johnson made 26 saves for the Everblades. Matt Vernon stopped 26 shots. With no goals in the final period, the teams headed into overtime before 7,643 at Veterans Memorial Arena.

 J ACKSONVILLE -   Miami Marlins’ right-handed pitcher JT Chargois will begin an injury rehabilitation assignment for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in Sunday’s 3:05 p.m. contest against the Norfolk Tides from 121 Financial Ballpark. Chargois appeared in 46 games in 2023 for Miami. The righty was slated to be a part of the Marlins 2024 Opening Day roster before a neck injury placed him on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to March 25).  A native of Sulphur, La., the Marlins acquired Chargois and Xavier Edwards on November 15, 2022 in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for Marcus Johnson and Santiago Suarez. Chargois appeared in 46 games with Miami last season, going 1-0 with a 3.61 ERA in 42.1 innings. He also made three rehab appearances with Jacksonville in 2023, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings.   Chargois was originally selected in the second round of the 2012 draft by the Minnesota Twins. He made his debut in June of 2016 with Minnesota and pitched in 25 games that season.

JACKSONVILLE   –   Former Jacksonville Jumbo Shirmp right-handed pitcher Roddery Muñoz made his MLB debut Saturday for the Miami Marlins against the Chicago Cubs in game two of the doubleheader. Muñoz is the 997th player to don both a Jacksonville uniform and play in the major leagues, including the 160th former Jumbo Shrimp. The history of minor league baseball in Jacksonville dates back to 1904.    Muñoz started the finale of the doubleheader at Wrigley Field. The right hander hurled five innings of two-run ball, surrendering two hits and striking out seven Cubs hitters.   The Marlins received Muñoz on December 20, 2023 in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The 24-year-old had began the season with Jacksonville, fanning seven hitters over 10.2 innings across three appearances.   Originally signed to a minor league contract by the Atlanta Braves on June 11, 2018 out of Santo Domingo, D.R., Muñoz spent time with the Dominican Summer League Braves in July of that same year. He was pro

  SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The   ECHL   on Wednesday announced that the Jacksonville Icemen are the 2023-24 recipient of the League’s Hockey Operations Department of the Year Award. The award is presented annually to the team judged to have the best hockey operations department in the league and is determined by a vote of  ECHL  coaches.   The Kansas City Mavericks finished second in the voting, followed by the Idaho Steelheads, Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Toledo Walleye.   Jacksonville finished the 2023-24 regular season with a record of 42-23-7 to finish in second place in the South Division. The Icemen earned their third consecutive berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs while also reaching the 40-win plateau for the third straight season   ECHL  Hockey Operations Department of the Year Award 2023-24           Jacksonville Icemen 2022-23           Idaho Steelheads 2021-22           Toledo Walleye  

  SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The  ECHL  on Wednesday announced that Andrew Lord of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits is the 2023-24 recipient of the John Brophy Award as the league’s Coach of the Year. The John Brophy Award is the trophy presented annually to the  ECHL  coach selected to have contributed the most to his team’s success as selected in a vote of  ECHL  coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members. The trophy is named for  John Brophy , who won a record three  ECHL  titles with Hampton Roads in 1991, 1992 and 1998, and was inducted into the  ECHL  Hall of Fame  in 2009.   Tad O’Had of Kansas City finished second in the voting, followed by Adirondack’s Peter MacArthur, Pat Mikesch of Toledo and Jacksonville’s Nick Luukko.   The winner of the Nick Vitucci Goaltender of the Year Award will be announced on Thursday.   Lord led Greenville to a 44-23-5 record in the regular season and the club’s first South Division title since the 2010-11 season. The Swamp Rabbits have

  SHREWSBURY, N.J. – The ECHL on Friday announced that Brandon Hawkins of the Toledo Walleye has been selected as the  Warrior Hockey ECHL Most Valuable Player  for 2023-24. The  Warrior Hockey   Most Valuable Player award is presented annually to the player selected to be the most valuable to his team as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members.    Patrick Curry of Kansas City finished second, followed by Wheeling’s Taylor Gauthier, Erik Bradford of Kalamazoo and Maine’s Alex Kile.    Named to the  All-ECHL First Team  for the second consecutive season, Hawkins led the ECHL during the 2023-24 season with 40 goals, 93 points, 34 power-play points and 346 shots on goal, while he was tied for the league lead with 15 power-play goals, was tied for sixth with 54 assists and tied for 10th with six game-winning goals.   Hawkins, who represented the Walleye at the 2024  Warrior Hockey / ECHL All-Star Classic, recorded at least one point i

  JACKSONVILLE –   Despite a seventh-inning homer from  Griffin Conine , the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp couldn’t overcome an early deficit in their 4-1 loss to the Norfolk Tides in front of 6,184 fans Friday night at 121 Financial Ballpark. Norfolk (8-11) took the early lead in the top of the first against Jacksonville (11-8) hurler  Matt Andriese  (L, 0-1).  Connor Norby  led off with a single and went to third on a base hit from  Heston Kjerstad . In the ensuing at-bat,  Coby Mayo  hit into a double play, but Norby scored from third to give the Tides the early lead.   The Tides kept their offense going in the fifth. With two outs, Kjerstad (10) blasted a solo shot to give Norfolk a two-run advantage.   Norfolk’s third unanswered run was plated in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs,  Daniel Johnson  walked and scored on a double from  Maverick Handley , giving the Tides a three-run cushion.   Norfolk’s final tally came in the top of the seventh. With one out, Kjerstad blasted h

 Photos Gallery by Jim Brady/Florida Sports Wire