Palm Beach Post Midseason Softball Awards: Vote for the top players midway through 2024

At the midway point of the high school spring season, it's a good time to check in with our Palm Beach County softball squads.

About six weeks from the state tournament in Clermont, several local power programs stand a good chance of making the trip, with others recently finding their stride at the right time.

As we head into the second half of the season, here are The Palm Beach Post High School team rankings, along with our nominees for Midseason Player of the Year, Slugger of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, and Newcomer of the Year. You can vote in the polls below to have your say in the winners.

Bases Loaded: Your fan guide to Palm Beach County high school softball

Midseason Player of the Year

Sophia Colangelo, Cardinal Newman

Colangelo has been a terrific two-way player as the Crusaders navigate their turnaround season. Newman has flipped from a 10-10 finish last fall to a 9-1 record this spring with the senior batting at a .516 clip with 16 hits, 17 runs scored, and 11 RBIs. With a 1.08 earned run average and a 5-2 record, Colangelo has been lights-out on defense, too, with 67 strikeouts and just seven walks allowed in 39 innings.

Nicole Mergen, Park Vista

The power has not quite been what it was for Mergen last season, but the senior is producing at the plate to the tune of a .407 average, complete with 11 hits, 11 RBIs, and a pair of doubles through 10 games. She's still a standout in the circle as well, touting a 3-1 record and a save with a team-best 1.42 earned run average. Park Vista is loaded from top to bottom with an 8-2 record, but Mergen's contributions on the diamond and in the dugout rallying her teammates is one of the reasons the Cobras remain one of the state's top teams.

Gracyn Needle, King’s Academy

For lack of a better term, the freshman has been quite the needle in the side of her opposition. A returning starter for the Lions, Needle has brought back the power and then some behind the plate and at bat. On offense, she's hitting .483 with a team-high 21 runs scored and 24 RBIs with two home runs. Defensively, Needle has yet to allow a runner to notch a steal while leading the Lions with nine stolen bases herself.

Reagan Towns, Palm Beach Gardens

Few towns in Palm Beach County have gone without hearing the last name of this junior Murray State commit over the speakers at stadiums far and wide. Nothing is different now that Towns is navigating her third varsity season with the Gators. On offense, she's second in runs and hits, totaling 21 and 19, respectively, with 15 RBIs with six doubles, a triple, a homer, plus six stolen bases along the way, swinging .422/.518/.666. At shortstop, Towns is nothing short of a wall. In 24 chances, she has 17 putouts, five assists, and a double play, only picking up two errors in a 15-0 shutout of Palm Beach Central and an 18-3 defeat of Suncoast.

Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.

Midseason Pitcher of the Year

Tori Payne, Wellington

With former starting slinger Jordan White at the next level, Wellington's circle basically belongs to Payne this season. The junior Central Florida commit is back after last year's journey to the final four with a 1.56 ERA. In 71 innings, Payne has 81 strikeouts and 16 earned runs of 19 total, limiting opponents to a .188 batting average. She's also contributed to the offense with two runs on nine hits and seven RBIs, highlighted by a home run.

Taylor Priske, Oxbridge Academy

Priske may be a freshman, but this isn't her first season on the varsity diamond. That left little room for jitters as she took on the role of Oxbridge's ace this spring. Priske has maintained a 2.24 ERA in 13 appearances for the ThunderWolves, piecing together an 8-3 record. Through 68 innings, the youngster has struck out 75 batters and earned just 22 of 45 runs that've come at the cost of a young supporting cast on defense.

Sasha Seidel, Jupiter

The Warriors are 8-4, and their biggest wins have come by Seidel's arm. The sophomore kept Jupiter at bay for a walkoff win over Venice, sitting down eight and allowing just four hits and three runs over seven innings. Although Wellington claimed this spring's rematch of last year's region championship, it wasn't for a lack of trying from Seidel, who delivered nine strikeouts over seven innings, earning no runs of two given up on four hits.

Aubrey Wurst, American Heritage-Delray

What better way to head into the second half of the season than reaching 500 career strikeouts? Just ask Wurst. Last Wednesday, she accomplished the feat in a 3-1 win over Calvary Christian. To see Heritage-Delray to 8-1, Wurst has notched 116 strikeouts, allowing eight hits and just one walk through 48 innings. She has yes to give up a run this season, so the pressure is on to reach playoffs with her standing 0.00 ERA.

Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.

Midseason Slugger of the Year

Grace Rawn, Seminole Ridge

Rawn has long-earned the title of superstar, once again leading a Hawks attack at the plate with a stunning .524 batting average. Her three home runs and five doubles make up a nice chunk of her team-leading 22 hits, and she also leads her squad with 23 runs scored. If her power wasn't impressive enough, her 10 stolen bases top the stat-sheet for Seminole Ridge.

Kaylee Riles, Wellington

The junior slugger is batting .344, and while that may not be the highest mark on the roster, she's arguably the most versatile player at the plate. She shares the team lead in RBIs with nine and doubles with three, while adding two triples and a pair of home runs for Wellington.

Brynn Dion-Catasus, Palm Beach Gardens

While it's difficult to narrow down a top hitter from a stacked Gardens squad, Dion-Catasus' versatility cannot be ignored. Batting .429, the returning roster-member has 21 hits, 22 runs scored, and 20 RBIs, pacing the team in every category of what has become a stellar sophomore campaign.

Bella Ruggiero, Oxbridge Academy

With a wild .651 batting average this season, Ruggiero is a clear-cut candidate for the top slugger in not just Palm Beach County, but the state. Boasting 28 hits and 21 runs scored, the Florida State signee has upped her power numbers this season with a whopping 10 home runs, driving the ball for an additional seven doubles and two triples to help her account for 40 RBI. Ruggiero alone accounts for more than a quarter of the team's runs batted in.

Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.

Midseason Newcomer of the Year

Caroline Duncan, King’s Academy

Duncan has made quite the instant impact for the Lions as a game-changer on offense and defense in her inaugural varsity season. The freshman is swinging .344 for 16 runs on 11 hits with 15 RBIs with three doubles, two triples, and a home run, which is solid enough. However, her efforts in the circle have been tough for opponents to beat. A stellar 0.34 ERA has allowed for an 8-0 record in 11 appearances, including two complete games and a shutout. In 41 innings, she has 65 strikeouts, holding hitters to a .150 clip for just 16 hits and three earned runs.

Hailey Goode, Seminole Ridge

Goode has been an important piece of a supporting cast for Ridge's seniors who have become program staples. The freshman's 19 runs and eight stolen bases are second-best on the team, while she's been perfect in the field through 13 games with 13 putouts, two assists and a double play.

Madelyn Horner, Cardinal Newman

A team-high .655 batting average will be hard to top down the road. However, it's quite the start for Horner's varsity career with the Crusaders. This season, the freshman has accounted for 16 runs on 19 hits with 17 RBIs, four doubles and four triples. Horner is still perfect in the field, too. She has 30 putouts, one assist, and a double play through 12 games.

Shea Towns, Palm Beach Gardens

35 strikeouts and two earned runs through 26 innings are far from shabby for a freshman who may find herself in the mix of a lethal pitching staff. Through 399 throws, still yet to toss a wild pitch or hit a batter, Towns has proven strong and steady. Not just on defense, but in the batter's box, where she's laid down 11 runs on 16 hits with 17 RBIs, six doubles, a triple, and a home run. Judging by the talents of elder sister, Reagan, it's simply in the Towns' blood to dominate the diamond.

Have your say. Vote below for your pick for the Midseason Player of the Year.

Midseason Softball Rankings

1. Park Vista

Ranked No. 6 in the state of Florida and first in their classification by the FHSAA, Park Vista is a unsurprisingly unanimous pick for the top team in Palm Beach County. The Cobras bring an elite .304 team batting average to the table and an equally dominant team 1.91 earned run average. Vista's only losses came against a pair of top 25 teams early in the season, and the lessons learned in battle have signaled that this crew is looking at states or bust after big wins over the likes of Coral Springs Charter, Wellington, and Seminole Ridge.

2. Wellington

The Wolverines come in at No. 2 for the Post, lauded by the FHSAA at the 22nd best team in the state. Apart from a slip-up against Covenant Day, Wellington's only defeat this year has come at the hands of Vista, and it took extra innings to do it. The road warriors are undefeated away from their home stadium and a team earned run average of 2.10 is pairing quite nicely with a .303 squad batting average. Sitting at 11-2, this annual playoff program started hot and hasn't skipped a beat from its 20-3-1 state semifinal run last year.

3. Palm Beach Gardens

Palm Beach Gardens checks in at No. 44 in the state for the FHSAA, and No. 3 among local programs for the Post. At 13-2 this spring, the Gators have been chomping at the bit to score with 163 runs on the season, good for nearly 11 runs per game. All those runs can be attributed to Gardens' collective .419 clip, and an off day against Jensen Beach doesn't overshadow all of Gardens' defensive success in 2024, having allowed a combined 18 runs all year and maintaining an .065 ERA.

4. Seminole Ridge

A 10-5 record filled with quality wins against gritty opponents sees Seminole Ridge get the nod for the Post's midseason top five. For the FHSAA, the Hawks are ranked as the No. 99 squad in the state. Despite a tough second half ahead, the Hawks are 2-0 against Jupiter on the season, barely lost to Gardens, played Park Vista close for six innings, and have a balanced offensive attack to balance out a 3.69 team earned run average.

5. Oxbridge Academy

Oxbridge isn't known for having the strongest schedule, but the program is known for being a regular at state championships in Clermont. At 13-3, the Thunderwolves come in ranked as the No. 102 team in the state. They score runs, and then they score more runs. Supporting a staff of three freshman pitchers is a lineup that is capable of tremendous output. Oxbridge has a whopping team batting average of .430, 43 team doubles, and 16 home-runs, hosting three players with over 20 hits.

6. King's Academy

Though their ranking by the FHSAA sits back at No. 135 overall due to schedule strength, the Lions have some impressive pieces down the roster that have come together for a 12-1 record, including statement wins against teams like Seminole Ridge. Against programs with wanting win-loss columns, which is the case for most of the schedule, King's has been a steamroller. The Lions' 155 runs scored compared more than favorably with just seven runs allowed. The only thing left to see is how those performances translate to postseason competition.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Palm Beach County midseason baseball: vote for top teams, players