Take a ride down Kennedy Drive in New Town, roll down your window and hear the sounds of locals at play: the clack of the bat, the click of the cleats, the pop of the glove, the squelch of the PA system, the chants of the fans, the calls from the umpire, and the laughter of the kids.

These are the sounds of the season…baseball season in Key West.

If you’re lucky you’ll hit a red light and catch a minute of play at the Clayton Sterling youth baseball complex (the big boys play at the Rex, the new Key West High School stadium a few hundred yards down the road).  Kennedy Drive is baseball country, far from the shenanigans of Duval Street. Close to 600 kids signed up to play little league ball this season. Who said baseball is a dying sport? Baseball will never die in Key West, we won’t allow it. There’s a code amongst us. It’s Conch Pride, and baseball is in our blood.

While much of Key West has changed over the years, Conchs hold tight to baseball traditions. Former players, coaches and longtime fans of Conch Baseball are committed to sharing the stories and love of the game from one generation to the next. Whether on the field or in the stands, we each have our part in preserving and protecting the tradition of Conch Baseball.

A half block down from the little league fields, just past Rosa Hernandez (the Girls Softball Fields) you’ll find Rex Weech Field Home of the Conchs, nicknamed The Rex, where the high school baseball team has earned 11 State Titles, tied for most in the state with Westminster Christian from Miami. The fighting Conchs regularly field nationally and state ranked rosters. Players work hard year round to earn a spot and the opportunity to wear the famed Conchs jersey. They know playing for Conch Baseball gives them a legitimate shot at college scholarships, and the dream of being drafted into the pros.

Hundreds of Conchs have made it to the minor leagues, and our little island has proudly sent several players to the big show, most notably Boog Powell who played 16 MLB seasons, primarily with the Baltimore Orioles, where he was a World Series champion, American League MVP, and four time all-star. 

Former MLB pitcher Bronson Arroyo was born in Key West, played little league, and eventually moved to central Florida for high school, after which he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates and later went on to win the 2004 World Series with the Boston Red Sox. Bronson’s got that Conch blood!

Conch players Randy Sterling and Khalil Green were both MLB first round draft picks. Richie Garcia may be the toughest Conch to make it in the big leagues, he umpired for more than 25 years. Take note of this name, Antonio Knowles, who is currently pitching with the Dodger AA team and has already had his unhittable slider, nicknamed, “The Conchinator” by the team’s play-by-play commentator. Vic Albury was a southpaw  for the Twins in the 1970’s.

Baseball has been played on our island since the late 1800’s. Initially, there were fun pickup games played on Sunday afternoons, then semi-pro teams and leagues were established. The teams were roughly segregated by Cubans, Cuban-Americans, and Americans playing each other on teams sponsored by the cigar factories. Word spread of the highly competitive games and soon leagues out of Tampa and Havana were visiting Key West to play ball against our talented clubs including Team Fe, Club Habana, and the Key West Reds. 

Long after the cigar factories closed the men’s league continued competing on the island, entertaining baseball fans at the sandlot in Bayview Park. US Military teams got in on the games while in port. Most notably in December, 1897, the USS Maine baseball team won the Navy championship against the USS Marblehead team. Tragically months later in February1898, the USS Maine exploded and sank in Havana harbor sparking the Spanish-American War. Remember the Maine? Despite the tragic end to the USS Maine team, military teams continued to play baseball in Key West through the years. To this day, military families stationed on the island are an active part of our baseball family.

The Key West Coconuts were active players in the Negro League for several years. Conch Roosevelt Sands was a dominant catcher in the league, but declined a try out for the bigs to stay home and start his family. Another Conch and graduate of the segregated Douglas High School, James “Rocky” Portier played for the Negro League from 1956 to 1958. After hanging up his cleats Rocky umpired games for decades at Clayton Sterling Complex and the men’s leagues. Rocky travelled with the Southernmost Trappers 12U team to Cooperstown, New York in 2018. He umpired several games during the tournament and became part of the Cooperstown Fields of Dreams Hall of Fame in recognition of his support of youth baseball.

Over the years Key West has been home to several minor league teams including the Padres, the Cubs, the Conchs and the Sun Caps. Local baseball fans packed Wicker’s Field Grandstand with a capacity of over twenty-five hundred fans cheering on the teams.

Today, Conchs fans are easy to spot. We proudly rock the interlocking KW logo wherever we go. Baseball hats, golf shirts, car license plates–you have to admit, the KW looks good with anything. That’s Conch Pride 101. Don’t leave home without it. On game day you’ll hear the old-timers at the corner coffee shops comparing this year’s team and players to those of years past. They’ll remind you to get there early to catch up with friends before the game starts. The Friday night concession stand special is a homemade favorite: Cuban roast pork, black beans & rice with a Natilla for dessert–same thing we were eating at the games a hundred years ago!

Becoming a part of baseball starts very early in Key West, and while youth baseball is focused on development and recreation, we do keep score because winning and losing is part of life. The little league all-star teams have won many state titles over the years. This past year the young Conchs represented at the South East Regional Champions in the Babe Ruth World Series in Texas. Some kids will be kissed by the baseball bug, and some will decide baseball is not for them. That’s what little league is all about. You have to suit up to find out.

Down the street at The Rex, the focus is on winning our 12th state championship, and this year’s Varsity Conchs are stacked with championship bloodlines. Two sophomores [2024 Team], catcher Jack Niles IV and shortstop Auggy Davila are following in their fathers’ footsteps and come from legacy families of Conch ballplayers and champions. Senior Sammy Holland looks to round out his baseball career with the Conchs earning his first state title. His grandfather, Sam Holland, is the only Conch player in history to win three state championships in ‘56, ‘58, ‘59.

Coach Ralph Henriquez, known to fans as 17 (his jersey number), will lead the way. Henriquez, a standout Conch player in the ‘70s, has coached the Conchs to three state titles. He is the winningest coach in Conch history and will surpass 400 victories this season. He is joined in the dug out by his son Ralphie, who led the 2005 Conchs to our last championship, and Juanito Mendendez who was part of the 1998 championship team.

How does such a small island produce so many great players and teams year after year? Folklore gives credit to the coconut water or good Cuban food that’s served for pregame meals, but these kids–like their parents and ancestors–are born resilient. Living on a 2×4 mile island isn’t easy or for the faint of heart. Tack on the cost of living in paradise–and the threat of hurricanes six months out of the year–you gotta hustle and be tough to thrive in Key West. That’s why Conchs show up for one another. We’re all connected somehow, whether we’re cousins, cuzzies, neighbors, or co-workers. There’s power and pride in these tight connections.

That’s why the bleachers stay full all season until there is standing room only when the playoffs roll around. Conch fans are a mix of who’s who in Key West, starting with the mayor, Danise “Dee Dee” Henriquez (she’s married to the coach and Ralphie is her son). Former mayor and the Prime Minister of the Conch Republic, Dennis Wardlow, is a long time fan of Conch Baseball, and can be seen at most games, as well as countless other Key West characters and dignitaries.  These island elders and Conch baseball boosters are currently raising funds to send the 12U all-star team back to Cooperstown this summer, and there is talk of a goodwill exhibition series this summer in Havana between the Conchs and the Cuban Youth All-stars. 

In Key West, baseball is King and life is good.

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Joy Nulisch

Joy is a born and raised Conch who spent much of her professional career managing the I.T. Department of the Monroe County School District. After retirement Joy launched the Bring Joy Podcast.

She is one of the biggest of biggest of the Conch Baseball Boosters.

Find more Joy at https://joynulisch.com/bringjoy-podcast

Latest posts by Joy Nulisch (see all)

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