Pictured: Paul Skenes warming up before a start against the Lakeland Flying Tigers on August 15. Photo by Steve Nesius for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

August has nearly come and gone, but that doesn’t mean that baseball has left the Gulf Coast. In the Florida State League, the Bradenton Marauders are knocking on the door of the playoffs with just 12 games left in the regular season. The Marauders are in need of a major hot streak, however, if they want to make it into the postseason–they are currently 4.0 games back from the Lakeland Flying Tigers for the lead and the final playoff spot in the Florida State League West division.

Due to the hurricane, the Marauder’s have pushed the start of their final homestand of the season against the Palm Beach Cardinals to Thursday, August 31. The original game scheduled for Tuesday, August 29 will be made up in a double header on Thursday and Wednesday’s game will be made up as part of a double header this Saturday.

In other news surrounding the team, Paul Skenes, the dominant right-handed pitcher out of Louisiana State University and the Pirates’ number one selection overall in this year’s MLB Amatuer draft has moved on from the Single-A Marauders. Skenes, MLB’s no. 3 ranked prospect, was promoted to Double-A Altoona after just starting just one game in the Florida Complex League and two games in the Florida State League. Skenes, a true power pitcher with a fastball known to reach triple digits, was clocked at over 98 mph four times in his last outing with the Marauders, striking out two over two no-hit innings. Although Skenes struggled in his initial outing with the Double-A Altoona Curve, the future could not be brighter for the 21-year-old, with the thought that Skenes could reach the big leagues as soon as 2024.

LECOM Park, 1611 9th St W, Bradenton, FL 34205

Pictured: Paul Skenes warming up before a start against the Lakeland Flying Tigers on August 15. Photo by Steve Nesius for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

To learn more, visit