SBLive Sports Florida Power 25 softball rankings: Pace, Lake Brantley enter district tourneys as No. 1-2

Little changes as district tournament play begins this week for softball throughout the state

Break out the bats and gloves as high school softball season is starting to wind down across the country, with district tournaments this week in the Sunshine State. One of the tops when it comes to high level softball, Florida features several teams that are among the nation’s best around. 

Pace remains our No. 1 team in the state as they’re followed by clubs like Lake Brantley, Bartow, Melbourne, Parrish Community and Doral Academy all in the state-wide conversation as well. Besides those few teams, who else is among the elites when it comes to high school softball in Florida? Take a look at our Power 25 rankings as we give you our list ahead after nine weeks of play and district tournaments starting this week. 

Find the complete breakdown of the SBLive Sports Florida Softball Power 25:

1. Pace (22-1): When you’re talking on about the panhandle’s best team, you can’t go too far without mentioning the Patriots. This Pace squad is loaded again, returning LSU commit Jayden Heavener and Florida State commit Shelby McKenzie. The Patriots dropped their first game of the season, a 4-2 loss to Orange Beach (36-10 record) of Alabama last week. 

2. Lake Brantley (19-3): Only one team defeated Lakewood Ranch last year and both times it was the Patriots. Lake Brantley brings back first baseman Bristin Bordeau, who hit eight home runs last season and drove in 24 runs. Bordeau is a University of Louisiana-Monroe commitment. Lake Brantley defeated South Lake 3-0 last week. 

3. Melbourne (19-3): Bulldogs are the defending Class 6A champions and come in fourth in our rankings. They graduate just four players from last season’s squad and bring back a slew of talent. Hailey Turner (.355 batting average; 16 stolen bases) and Alisha Thompson (nine home runs; 24 RBIs) highlight a strong roster. Melbourne defeated Lake Brantley in the rematch last week after losing to the Patriots in extra innings in the previous matchup. 

4. Coral Springs Charter (21-0-2): Last season ended for the Panthers in the Class 3A state semifinals, but the good thing is they return a solid crop back to the team this spring. Sophia Bertorelli has compiled a record of 17-0 with a 0.54 earned run average. 

5. Somerset Academy Silver Palms (23-2): The Stallions are off to a strong start after a solid 2022 campaign, winning 24 games. Somerset Academy Silver Palms has already reeled off 223 runs scored and allowed 61. The Stallions are winners of eight in a row. 

6. Parrish Community (17-3): One thing about this particular Bulls squad is they didn’t lose anything from last year’s club when it comes to graduation. Parrish Community went 24-4 last season and with practically the entire roster back, they’ll be a force this spring. The Bulls have won three games in a row. 

7. Lake Region (20-5): The Thunder have made a big time impression here as of late. Wins over Parrish Community and Bartow immediately vault this team up the rankings pretty quickly. They also have beat teams like Auburndale, Lake Wales and Evangelical Christian.

8. Bartow (22-3): The Yellow Jackets are perennially the top team coming out of Polk County and nothing changes on that front this spring. Coming back to the mound is junior Katelynn Oxley, who is committed to Florida and has struck out 192 batters this season.  

9. Doral Academy (20-4-1): This Firebirds team was chalked full of 8th graders and freshman last year and lost to Melbourne 1-0 in the Class 6A state championship game. Now after a 24-5-1 season, Doral Academy’s top player back is sophomore Sarah Breaux, who hit five home runs and drove in 31 last year. The Firebirds are winners of three in a row heading into districts. 

10. Eustis (16-5): Seeing that the Panthers ended up falling short of the grand prize of a Class 4A state title, this group will be equally as motivated this time around. Key piece returning and leading the club is senior pitcher Lauren 'Libby' Levendoski, who has 231 strikeouts this season. The Panthers are another team that fell to the upset bug, falling 3-2 to South Lake. 

11. Wellington (15-2-1): Of the four losses the Wolverines had last year, three came to teams ahead of Wellington in these rankings. Nonetheless, the Wolverines will be contending once again in Class 7A, with players like pitcher Jordan White (14-1, 103 strikeouts in 2022) and sophomore Victoria Payne (five home runs, 30 RBIS in 2022). A rare tie occurred for Wellington against Seminole Ridge. 

12. FSU High (16-4): After losing 2-0 to No. 1 Pace, FSU High has bounced back with wins over Chiles and Aucilla Christian. The Seminoles went 21-4 season and return a myriad of talent, including third baseman Jaysoni Beachum (Florida State signee) and Madelyn Mayo. 

13. Plant (21-4): The Panthers have been playing some of their best softball as of late. Plant has won a total of 13 games in a row, with wins over Calvary Christian, Hernando and Mitchell along the way. Plant ended the regular season with a 5-3 win over Wharton. 

14. Baldwin (19-4): Can’t knock too hard on a 26-3 record and that’s what the Indians had in 2022. Only losses came at the hands of Calvary Christian, Baker County and Hilliard. Nonetheless, bringing back Jazmine Ramos-Merced to the lineup keeps Baldwin as a contender in Class 3A. The Indians lost back-to-back games to Oakleaf and University Christian. 

15. Berkeley Prep (16-6): There’s no replacing Hannah Church, but the Buccaneers surely return plenty to get the job done. Expect the Buccaneers to still pack a punch behind Notre Dame commit Kaia Cortes and a slew of others on the team. The Buccaneers bounced back from a 4-game losing skid to win four in a row, but then lost back-to-back contests to Holy Names and Land O’ Lakes. Berkeley Prep ended the season with wins over Sumner and Cypress Creek. 

16. Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.) (15-7): The Warriors won the Class 3A state championship in 2022 and could be in line to do it again. Calvary Christian will be stout with outfielder/first baseman Payton Cushman (Georgia Southern commit) and shortstop Irianis Garcia (Stetson commit) both back. Warriors have lost four of their last six games.

17. Park Vista (16-5-1): A handful of seniors graduated for the Cobras, but this program still returns plenty of underclassmen talent from 2022. Leading the way is sophomore Ava Johnston and junior pitcher/infielder Nicole Mergen.

18. Hernando (20-4): Hernando has played the toughest schedule amongst all North Suncoast teams and are winners of five straight. The Leopards reached the Class 3A state championship game last year, but fell to Calvary Christian 7-4. Hernando closed the season with a gutsy 4-2 win over Mitchell. 

19. Gulf Breeze (23-0): Along with Pace and Coral Springs Charter, Gulf Breeze is the only other team in this poll that’s still undefeated. The Dolphins have out-scored opponents 239-27 and are led by sophomore Jacey Reed’s nine home runs and 45 runs batted in.

20. Bishop Verot (20-4): The Vikings have played much better softball since the early outset of the season. Though they recently lost to Doral Academy, Bishop Verot is playing solid softball as districts come ever closer. The Vikings ended the season with a 2-1 win over Lakewood Ranch. 

21. Hagerty (17-6): The Huskies re-enter the Power 25 rankings after defeating Windermere 1-0 last week. Hagerty has played a rigorous schedule and remain a team to watch for as the Class 6A playoffs loom ahead after districts. 

22. Windermere (20-3): One of the hottest teams in the state right now is the Windermere Wolverines. This Windermere ball club were winners of 15 straight games and until losing to Hagerty. The Wolverines have scored a total of 179 runs this spring and the regular season with a 7-0 win over Lake Howell. 

23. Sarasota (18-4): The Sailors are winners of seven straight games and some of the victories have been very impressive. Sarasota during the streak has beaten Inspiration Academy, Parrish Community and Venice along the way. Sarasota upended Venice 4-2 to conclude its regular season slate. 

24. Lakewood Ranch (15-9): The Mustangs bring back one of the most talented rosters in the entire state. Lakewood Ranch brings back infielder/outfielder Cassidy McLellan, who batted .561, hit six home runs and drove in 38 runs last year. The University of Florida signee is arguably the top hitter in the state. The Mustangs ended their regular season with a 2-1 loss to No. 20 Bishop Verot. 

25. Episcopal School (Jacksonville, Fla.) (19-3): The Eagles had a solid year in 2022 and make their way into our rankings just outside of the top 15 with a strong start this spring. Only losses of the season have come at the hands of Montverde Academy, Providence School and a 9-1 loss to Baker County last week. 

On the bubble: Alonso, Bloomingdale, Auburndale, Charlotte, Deltona, Dixie County, Fort Myers, Jay, Jupiter, Keystone Heights, Key West, Lake Howell, Lake Wales, Land O’ Lakes, Marianna, Mitchell, Montverde Academy, Newsome, North Fort Myers, Osceola, Oxbridge Academy, Palatka, Robinson, South Lake, Steinbrenner, Trinity Christian Academy, University Christian, West Nassau, Westminster Christian, Winter Springs 

Andy Villamarzo can be reached at andyvillamarzo@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @Andy_Villamarzo.