Softball Regionals: See which 11 SWFL teams reached the FHSAA playoffs and their matchups
State softball will begin next week, and the brackets have arrived.
Seeds and matchups were announced on Friday afternoon for each region in the state with several local squads earning playoff berths.
Fresh off district championships, LaBelle and ECS enter the state tournament as the top seeds in their respective regions. North Fort Myers and Bishop Verot, both seeded second, are the two top-ranked Southwest Florida teams, according to the FHSAA rankings.
READ: Baseball, Softball District Finals: North FM and Bishop Verot sweep, Naples also among winners
2023 Midseason Report: Accolades, surprises, updated rankings for Southwest Florida softball
Teams in bold denote district champions. Teams in italics are local.
Class 5A-Region 3
(1) Parrish vs. (8) St. Petersburg
(4) Immokalee vs. (5) Barron Collier
(2) North Fort Myers vs. (7) Ida Baker
(3) Fort Myers vs. (6) Mariner
Analysis: Six Southwest Florida teams made the playoffs in this region, and they will all kick off the state tournament facing each other.
The Cougars got the better of the Indians in all three of their matchups this season, including Thursday's Class 5A-12 championship game, so they will enter that contest as the favorite despite being the lower seed.
Ida Baker and Mariner have some big bats, so there is definitely upset potential for the higher seeds in North Fort Myers and Fort Myers, respectively, plus Tritons pitcher Crimson Lawrence shut down both the Red Knights and Green Wave in the past week. Those teams will try to spoil a District 5A-11 championship game rematch.
The Red Knights dominated Thursday’s title meeting with the Green Wave, scoring 11 runs in the fourth and fifth innings, including a 3-run home run by sophomore Mia Lane.
The Green Wave aren't looking ahead to revenge just yet, according to head coach Dan Mills.
“We're looking forward to regionals and taking one game at a time,” Mills said after his team’s district final loss. “I'm not worried about this team or about North (Fort Myers). We've got a big game ahead of us next Thursday. And we just got to regroup and play. When we play good defensively, we win games. If we don't, we struggle.”
The top-seeded Bulls are ranked fifth in the state with a 19-3 record. The defense has been superb as has been UCF-committed pitcher Isabella Vega, who is 10-2 with a 0.82 ERA and 172 strikeouts.
The well-rounded North Fort Myers team — with experienced seniors like pitcher Kendall Wylie and center fielder Desirae Devine, plus big-hitting young players Lane and Abigail Hynes — will certainly put up a fight if they make the final.
“Our goal is we wanted to get home-field advantage," North Fort Myers coach Jeff Miner said after defeating the Greenies for the district title. "So our mindset is get home field and whoever we draw, we draw and then you just come out and play aggressive softball. I mean, if we play like we did tonight, they’re a very good team, I like our chances. Sometimes you come out here and it’s like you’re flat but you can't afford to be flat anymore. … Defense and pitching win games. And if we can continue doing that, we'll do fine.”
Regional Champion: North Fort Myers
Class 4A-Region 3
(1) LaBelle vs. (8) Dunedin
(4) Bonita Springs vs. (5) Robinson (Tampa)
(2) Hardee vs. (7) Lemon Bay
(3) Clearwater vs. (6) Cypress Lake
Analysis: LaBelle defeated Bonita Springs in the Class 4A-12 championship on Thursday and will enter as the top seed in the region. Junior Marissa Burchard leads the team with 5 home runs and 25 stolen bases this season.
If Bonita Springs wins on the road in Tampa, there could be a rematch with the Cowgirls in the semis. LaBelle was able to get on top in Thursday's contest with a four-spot in the fifth inning.
At 13-7, Cypress Lake definitely possesses upset potential against Clearwater, especially if their ace Sammi Rosado is in the circle.
Expect this region to be one of the most competitive given the parity of the teams in the FHSAA rankings.
Regional Champion: Clearwater
Class 3A-Region 3
(1) Calvary Christian vs. (8) Lake Placid
(4) Holy Names (Tampa) vs. (5) McKeel
(2) Bishop Verot vs. (7) Clearwater Central Catholic
(3) Berkeley Prep vs. (6) Tampa Catholic
Analysis: The Vikings took care of business to win their district after dominating Clewiston 11-0 on Thursday. However, the more critical contest might have been a week earlier when the team fell to North Fort Myers, which secured Calvary Christian's spot as the top seed in the region.
Verot has put together a phenomenal season, which included a 14-game winning streak. Senior pitcher Victoria Ash is 12-3 with 112 strikeouts and a 1.08 ERA. She broke the Bishop Verot school record for career strikeouts this season.
If the Vikings handle business against Clearwater Central Catholic, Berkeley Prep will provide a real test in the regional semis. The Buccaneers are coming off a district title game loss to Holy Names, but have proven their mettle with wins against Plant and Hernando.
Should the Vikings clear that hurdle, they will likely have to go on the road to face a top-10 ranked Calvary Christian squad. The Warriors suffered just one loss at home in their first game of the season.
Regional Champion: Calvary Christian
Class 2A-Region 3
(1) Evangelical Christian vs. (8) Shorecrest Prep (St. Petersburg)
(4) Canterbury (St. Petersburg) vs. (5) Fort Meade
(2) Lakeland Christian vs. (7) Lakeside Christian (Clearwater)
(3) Bradenton Christian vs. (6) Admiral Farragut
Analysis: The Sentinels faced the toughest schedule of any Class 2A school, according to the FHSAA rankings. That should give the team, in their second season under state championship-winning head coach Johnny Manetta, a strong chance to go deep in the postseason.
With a 17-2 record, Lakeland Christian might represent the biggest threat for ECS in the region. Beyond that, University Christian, the top seed in Region 1, could provide an entertaining clash with the Sentinels if both teams make the Final Four.
“I haven't watched a lot of 2A softball," Manetta said. "We've been to several tournaments, but a lot of 2A teams don't tend to go to the same tournaments that we go to. I know University Christian has a good team. I'm familiar with one of the players on the team, and I know she's a really good softball player. You know, but, other than that, it's wide open, you know, I'm new to 2A so it's kind of unfamiliar ground I was really used to the 5As and 6As, so the 2As is new because they're all small private schools, and they go under the radar.”
Regional Champion: Evangelical Christian
Regional Softball Schedules
QUARTERFINALS
Wednesday: Class 2A-4A
Thursday: Class 5A-6A
SEMIFINALS
Tuesday, May 16: Class 2A-5A
FINALS
Friday, May 19: Class 2A-5A
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Softball Regionals: A breakdown of every Southwest Florida region
