JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Varsity 4 News4JAX Super 6 softball rankings presented by the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp will be published each Thursday in the regular season. Records are through April 16 games.
Varsity 4 News4JAX softball Super 6
Recommended Videos
Rank, previous, school, record, classification
1. (2) Baker County (15-4, Class 4A)
Quality wins: Baldwin, Columbia, Fort White, Hilliard, Keystone Heights (twice), Middleburg (twice), Oakleaf, Paxon, West Nassau (twice).
Notable: The Wildcats are back at No. 1 for the third time this season. They beat Middleburg (7-1) and West Nassau (1-0 in 9 innings) since our last Super 6, and lost to a quality Bartram Trail (2-0). Baleigh Shields (.516, 4 HR, 13 RBI) leads Baker County at the plate.
2. (3) Baldwin (15-5, Class 2A)
Quality wins: Atlantic Coast, Baker County, Bartram Trail, Bishop Snyder, Columbia, Mandarin, Paxon (twice), Trinity Catholic.
Notable: The Indians have had a solid season, but they’ve had a tendency to get into situations that they shouldn’t. They atoned for an early season loss to Atlantic Coast with a 9-2 romp over the Stingrays to win their fifth straight Gateway Conference title. Then, they dropped a 3-2 game in nine innings to Oakleaf. Baldwin bounced back with a win over Bishop Snyder (13-3). Kendall North (.529, 14 RBI, 2 HR), Makaila Fry (.452, 22 RBI), Raven Watson (.418, 11 RBI) and Jazmine Ramos-Merced (.367, 5 HR, 24 RBI) are leading the way.
3. (5) Matanzas (17-1, Class 5A)
Quality wins: Atlantic Coast, DeLand, Spruce Creek, St. Cloud, Taylor Pierson, Orange City University (twice), West Nassau.
Notable: The Pirates are still cooking. They beat Atlantic Coast (3-1) since our last Super 6 to stretch their winning streak to nine. Up next is a quality Beachside on Thursday. Gators signee Leah Stevens is one of the best arms around (10-1, 149 Ks in 65.2 IP, 0.43 ERA). She whiffed 15 in the win over Atlantic Coast.
4. (4) Fort White (13-5, Rural)
Quality wins: Branford, Columbia, Santa Fe, Trenton, Williston (twice).
Notable: This Indians have been off since our last Super 6. They’ve got a big one against 17-1 Santa Fe on Thursday night. Fort White handed Santa Fe its only loss of the season (4-3 on March 4). That win over Santa Fe ranks as the best by an area team this year. Senior Kadence Compton (.417, 3 HR) leads at the plate and in the circle (10-4, 97.2 IP, 132 Ks, 0.72 ERA).
5. (2) Atlantic Coast (18-5, Class 7A)
Quality wins: Baldwin, Bishop Kenny, Creekside, Episcopal, Fleming Island, Fletcher (twice), Paxon.
Notable: The Stingrays are struggling. They’ve dropped three straight (Baldwin, Nease, Matanzas). Stella Lynton (.416), Skye Deans (.388), Morgan Brown (.362), Emma Cano (.343) and Lily Maguire (.333) are leading Atlantic Coast.
T6. (NR) Episcopal (17-4, Class 2A)
Quality wins: Bartram Trail, Clay, Creekside, Nease, Paxon, Ponte Vedra, Trinity, Christian, Yulee.
Notable: The Eagles are back in the Super 6, and probably could have squeezed out Middleburg. But they’ve got an 11-0 loss to the Broncos earlier this season so I’ve got them tied. They went 2-1 since our last Super 6, beating Yulee (5-0) and Bartram Trail (12-1) and losing to First Coast (3-2). Amelia Oreair (.500, 7 HR, 31 RBI), Emily Davidson (.458), Crissie Clayman (.359, 14 RBI) and Riley Valent (.357, 4 HR, 20 RBI) lead the Eagles.
T6. (6) Middleburg (13-7, Class 5A)
Quality wins: Baldwin, Columbia, Cornerstone Charter, Episcopal, Fletcher, Mandarin, Nease, Oakleaf, West Nassau, Yulee.
Notable: The Broncos went 1-1 since our last Super 6, losing to No. 1 Baker County (7-1) and then handling a quality Columbia (8-3). Middleburg has been a little bit all over the place, but they’ve still got a quality team with a deep strength of schedule. Kerra Clarida (.431, 3 HR), Mika Wesley (.379), Mallory Ficklin (.375), and Emma Ward (.348) are leading Middleburg.
Others
Bartram Trail (14-8, Class 6A); Beachside (14-6, Class 5A); Bishop Snyder (13-9, Class 2A); Clay (13-7, Class 4A); Columbia (12-9, Class 4A); Creekside (13-8, Class 7A); Fleming Island (12-6, Class 5A); First Coast (9-12, Class 6A); Harvest Community (18-4, Class 2A); Mandarin (10-9, Class 6A); Nease (8-11, Class 6A); Oakleaf (9-11, Class 6A); Palatka (12-10, Class 3A); Paxon (13-5, Class 3A); Peniel Baptist (16-6, Class 2A); Ponte Vedra (13-7, Class 5A); Tocoi Creek (11-9, Class 6A); Trinity Christian (8-7, Class 2A); Union County (16-6, Rural); University Christian (14-3, Class 1A); West Nassau (10-7, Class 3A); Yulee (11-8, Class 3A).
