The softball playoffs start Wednesday with region quarterfinal games in Classes 2A-4A. Admission is $7. Here is the schedule with outlooks for each area game, as well as team leaders for each matchup.
Class 4A
Tarpon Springs (6-14) at Hernando (22-4), 7
The Spongers, the 4A-10 runnerup, are led by Phoebe Howard, who ranks first in the area and seventh in the state in strikeouts with 230. The Leopards, winners of four straight, beat Weeki Wachee and Wesley Chapel by a combined 24-0 to take the 4A-9 district title. Ava Braswell threw a pair of shutouts, allowing a combined three hits and recording 14 strikeouts during the tournament.
Team leaders
Category | Tarpon Springs | Hernando |
Batting average | Paige Howard .340 | Solaris Genberg .485 |
RBIs | Jade Borynski 11 | Olivia Townsend 35 |
Home runs | Jade Borynski 1 | Olivia Townsend 5 |
ERA | Paige Howard 2.43 | Savannah Ellis 1.21 |
Strikeouts | Paige Howard 230 | Ava Braswell 51 |
Wesley Chapel (12-13) at Dunedin (17-9), 7
The Wildcats secured a playoff berth with a 12-8 eight-inning win over Nature Coast in the 4A-9 district semifinals. Ashley Garrison went 2-for-2 with a double and five RBIs and Kadence Means was 2-for-3 with a homer and four RBIs. The Falcons, the 4A-10 champions, rebounded from a 1-3 stretch late in the regular season to win three straight, including victories over Anclote (16-0) in the semifinals and Tarpon Springs (4-1) in the final of the district tournament. Gianna Ondrey threw three perfect innings and recorded four strikeouts on the mound and went 3-for-3 with three RBIs against the Sharks. Hannah Chichester went 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored in a win over the Spongers.
Team leaders
Category | Wesley Chapel | Dunedin |
Batting average | Ashley Garrison .462 | Jaclyn Ellison .500 |
RBIs | Ashley Garrison 26 | Kendall Rubel 20 |
Home runs | Ashley Garrison 7 | Mariah Gradzki 6 |
ERA | Gabriella Gonzalez-Villages 4.02 | Makayla Oster 2.41 |
Strikeouts | Makenna Rice 35 | Gianna Ondrey 52 |
Lake Wales (12-15) at Robinson (22-4), 7
The Highlanders made the playoffs as the 4A-12 runnerup. The Knights, the 4A-11 champions, have won four straight and 11 of their last 12. The lone loss in that span came against Doral Academy, the top-ranked team in 6A, in the final of the Longshore Tournament. Robinson was dominant in its district tournament, beating Bradenton Bayshore and Chamberlain by a combined 25-0. Jordan Stephens was 2-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs and three runs scored against the Bruins. Riley Onisawa had the Knights’ only extra-base hit, a double, against the Chiefs.
Team leaders
Category | Lake Wales | Robinson |
Batting average | Cameron Dicks .488 | Jordan Stephens .588 |
RBIs | Cameron Dicks 25 | Destiny DeHoyos 42 |
Home runs | Zamya McBurrows, Sydnie Whitaker 3 | Destiny DeHoyos 10 |
ERA | Cameron Dicks 2.25 | Olivia Van Zandt 2.47 |
Strikeouts | Lexi Thomas 76 | Olivia Van Zandt 62 |
Chamberlain (4-13) at Lake Region (16-11), 7
The Chiefs made the playoffs as the 4A-11 runnerup thanks to an 18-4 win over Middleton in the district semifinals. Keishliany Madrid drove in four runs against the Tigers. After going 4-8 down the stretch in the regular season, the Thunder won the games that mattered most, beating Sebring and Lake Wales to take the 4A-12 title.
Team leaders
Category | Chamberlain | Lake Region |
Batting average | Destiny Breton .372 | Raelyn Roland .420 |
RBIs | Selina Ramos 23 | Kaley Fail 19 |
Home runs | Selina Ramos 3 | Raelyn Roland 3 |
ERA | Janel Larrieux 5.81 | Alex Wright 1.58 |
Strikeouts | Janel Larrieux 27 | Alex Wright 94 |
Class 3A
Frostproof (12-6) at Cypress Creek (15-5), 7
The Bulldogs advanced as the 3A-10 district runnerup after beating Lake Placid 8-5 in the semifinals. The Coyotes rebounded from a two-game losing streak to close to the regular season to beat Brooks DeBartolo (15-0) in the semifinals and Berkeley Prep (6-5) in the final of the district tournament to take the title. Alyson Gehrmann threw a two-hit shutout with three strikeouts against the Phoenix. Trae Diaz went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs against the Buccaneers.
Team leaders
Category | Frostproof | Cypress Creek |
Batting average | Belle Mancillas .455 | Mandy Schwartz .543 |
RBIs | Belle Mancillas 13 | Mandy Schwartz 25 |
Home runs | Jordan Brantley, Casey Whittington 2 | Mandy Schwartz 11 |
ERA | Belle Mancillas 0.85 | Haley Vazquez 1.22 |
Strikeouts | Belle Mancillas 105 | Haley Vazquez 149 |
Berkeley Prep (14-9) at Lakeland McKeel Academy (18-7), 4
This is a rematch from a game the Wildcats won 13-2 last month. After starting the season 7-0, the Buccaneers went 7-9 the rest of the way. Still, Berkeley Prep secured a playoff spot with a 17-2 win over Tampa Catholic in the 3A-9 semifinals. Cassidy Verville had a homer and five RBIs and Quincy Combs went 3-for-4 with two runs scored against the Crusaders. McKeel Academy, the 3A-10 champion, is ranked No. 8 in the classification by MaxPreps.
Team leaders
Category | Berkeley Prep | McKeel Academy |
Batting average | Hannah Church .548 | Charli Warren .557 |
RBIs | Hannah Church, Gracie Murphy 21 | Kyndal Cornelius 41 |
Home runs | Hannah Church 10 | Kerissa Howell 5 |
ERA | Julia Diecidue 3.30 | Annalyse Torres 3.34 |
Strikeouts | Gracie Murphy 43 | Skylar Hodges 116 |
Parrish (13-10) at Academy of the Holy Names (14-5), 7
The Bulls beat Lemon Bay in the 3A-12 semifinals to reach the playoffs. The Jaguars won their first district title since 2016 thanks to a dramatic 4-3 win over Calvary Christian in the 3A-11 title game. Chase Cordoves hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Rachael Petrarca for the walk-off, winning run. In the semifinals, Academy of the Holy Names beat Clearwater Central Catholic 19-5. Cordoves was 3-for-3 with a triple, four RBIs and three runs scored against the Marauders.
Team leaders
Category | Parrish | Academy of the Holy Names |
Batting average | Julia Girk .500 | Rachael Petrarca .492 |
RBIs | Alex Call 19 | Camryn Feast 18 |
Home runs | Alex Call, Julia Girk 2 | Rachael Petrarca 2 |
ERA | Ella Torres 3.23 | Keala Hollenkamp 1.47 |
Strikeouts | Ella Torres 51 | Annabelle Sardja 68 |
Calvary Christian (20-5) at Fort Myers Bishop Verot (21-3), 7
The Warriors had their four-game win streak snapped with a loss to Academy of the Holy Names in the 3A-11 final. Calvary Christian got the title game by beating Sarasota Cardinal Mooney 19-0 in the semifinals to secure a playoff spot. Malia Connelly threw 4 ⅔ scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out four, against the Cougars. The Vikings, the 3A-12 champions, are ranked 10th in the classification by MaxPreps.
Team leaders
Category | Calvary Christian | Bishop Verot |
Batting average | Leah Jarnac .672 | Lauren Mills .514 |
RBIs | Leah Jarnac 37 | Victoria Ash, Audrey Mills 24 |
Home runs | Leah Jarnac 5 | Lillie Layne 3 |
ERA | Malia Connelly 2.27 | Victoria Ash 1.25 |
Strikeouts | Malia Connelly 58 | Victoria Ash 193 |
Class 2A
Merritt Island Christian (10-8) at Seffner Christian (16-6), 5
The Cougars qualified after beating Covenant Christian 16-1 in the 2A-7 semifinals. The Crusaders, meanwhile, cruised to the 2A-8 district title, beating Foundation Christian and Lakeland Christian by a combined 29-0. Shannon Kendall struck out all nine batters she faced against the Panthers. Amber Rodriguez went 4-for-4 with two doubles and five RBIs against the Vikings.
Team leaders
Category | Merritt Island Christian | Seffner Christian |
Batting average | Tori Colvard .429 | Anna Burnside .500 |
RBIs | Kendall Delaney 20 | Amber Rodriguez 25 |
Home runs | Tori Colvard, Shae Janke 1 | Shannon Kendall 2 |
ERA | Sydney Toukonen 6.64 | Shannon Kendall 3.19 |
Strikeouts | Sydney Toukonen 119 | Shannon Kendall 106 |
Shorecrest (8-6) at Academy at the Lakes (16-4), 6
The Chargers got past Indian Rocks Christian 2-1 in the 2A-10 district semifinals to make the playoffs. The Wildcats, who won consecutive state titles in 2017-18, took the 2A-9 district title with a 14-1 win over Hernando Christian in the semifinals and a 3-1 victory over Seven Rivers Christian in the final. Juliana Riles went a combined 6-for-8 with a double, four RBIs and three runs scored during the tournament.
Team leaders
Category | Shorecrest | Academy at the Lakes |
Batting average | N/A | Molly Blackwood .467 |
RBIs | N/A | Molly Blackwood 23 |
Home runs | N/A | Molly Blackwood, Juliana Riles 1 |
ERA | N/A | Katie Ferguson 2.85 |
Strikeouts | N/A | Sydney Klein 57 |
Seven Rivers Christian (13-5) at Canterbury (18-9), 6
The Warriors beat Bishop McLaughlin 10-0 in the 2A-9 semifinals to qualify for the postseason. The Crusaders, ranked No. 1 in the classification by MaxPreps, are poised for a state title run. They were dominant in the 2A-10 tournament, beating St. Petersburg Catholic and Shorecrest by a combined 28-2 for the title. Alayah Pederson had two homers and six RBIs against the Barons. Mackenzie Bergstrom threw three perfect innings and recorded seven strikeouts against the Chargers.
Team leaders
Category | Seven Rivers Christian | Canterbury |
Batting average | Melody Byers .564 | Payton Cushman .434 |
RBIs | Victoria Miterko 23 | Morgen Talley 35 |
Home runs | Victoria Miterko 4 | Morgen Talley 12 |
ERA | Joy Sullivan 2.19 | Mackenzie Bergstrom 2.32 |
Strikeouts | Lily Ornelas 60 | Morgen Talley 104 |