Softball's stars: Northeast Florida's high school season at 2024 halfway point
Northeast Florida's softball countdown is on: Less than a month to go until playoff time.
And when that time comes, the First Coast appears loaded with potential championship talent — and defending Florida High School Athletic Association Class 2A champion University Christian is just the start.
In all, six area teams rank in the top five of their respective classes for the statewide FHSAA rankings: Middleburg (No. 1 in Class 5A), Baldwin (No. 2 in Class 3A), Fort White (No. 2 in Class 1A), Episcopal (No. 4 in Class 3A), University Christian (No. 4 in Class 2A) and Baker County (No. 5 in Class 4A).
The Times-Union tracks some of the notable performances and results so far from the first half of softball across the Jacksonville area.
TOP FIRST-HALF TEAM
Baldwin
No doubt about this one. The question now: Can anybody derail the quest for an unbeaten season, unprecedented for B-Town? Following Tuesday night's win over Ridgeview, they're 14-0 and ranked behind only Montverde Academy among Class 3A teams. In addition to the scorching pitching of Shaylen Byrd (0.78 ERA, 115 K), Baldwin's batting order has zero weaknesses and unsurpassed depth. Cali Hartung (.415, 4 HR, 23 RBI) brings senior leadership behind the plate, Amiyah Jones (.432, 3 3B, 12 SB) has speed to burn on the basepaths and Kendall North (.538, 7 2B, 3 HR, 23 runs) is in the middle of a career year at first base.
SURPRISE FIRST-HALF TEAM
Fleming Island
The Golden Eagles' most recent season finishing above .500 came in 2019, and while they were competitive in their 2023 campaign, they still finished 10-15. Fast forward to 2024, and it's a different picture. At 9-4 entering Tuesday's game at Beachside, they're in the thick of the Region 1-5A playoff chase. Junior pitcher Mallory Blackwell has displayed pinpoint control from the circle (37 strikeouts, 4 walks, 2.07 ERA), while Ella Morris, Olivia Sikes, Brooke Wilson and newcomer Jolee Rich (.324, 8 2B, 14 RBI) have boosted Fleming Island to a .322 team average.
WILDEST FIRST-HALF GAME
Middleburg 11, Columbia 10
It's not every day that a team comes from 10-3 down in the final two innings to win. But that's what Middleburg, state champion in 2022, achieved on March 28 against Columbia. A three-run home run from Kaelyn Hagan in the bottom of the sixth reduced the gap to 10-6, and in the bottom of the seventh, they kept the momentum moving. The Broncos got their first three batters aboard, Emma Ward knocked in one run with a single, Hagan added two more with a double and Kerra Clarida completed the comeback with a two-strike, two-out, two-run walk-off blast.
SLUGGING SENSATION
Kerra Clarida, Middleburg
No team in Northeast Florida is hitting quite like the top of the Middleburg order, led by a swing-for-the-fences slugger in Clarida that's making all kinds of special things happen. She entered the week with eight home runs, tied for the top of Florida's MaxPreps standings. But home run punch is just one part of her game: Clarida is batting .500 with five doubles and 24 RBI, with a 1.790 OPS and only five strikeouts. She's on course for college softball at Georgia Southern.
ELECTRIC ARM
Grace Jones, Episcopal
Is the state strikeout title headed to Atlantic Boulevard? With 170 strikeouts on the year, Mercer signee Jones is locked in a contest with Melbourne ace Jasmine Francik and Port St. Lucie Centennial junior Hailey Brereton for the state lead. Jones continues to dazzle with her pitching, currently 13-1 with an 0.44 ERA and only eight walks, and could make a run at 1,000 career strikeouts. She's also batting .585 with five home runs and a 1.795 OPS on a much-improved Episcopal lineup where Riley Applebee, Riley Valent and Claire Cinnamond are stepping up as run producers.
BATTING EYE
Leann McCready, Menendez
It's another excellent season for the senior catcher, who has powered the Falcons into the Class 4A playoff chase. Very simply, she's tough to keep off base. McCready is batting .588 for the season with a 1.720 OPS, a statistic that's further fueled by her developing long-ball power (five home runs and 17 RBI). Committed to Mount Olive, she's got a chance to experience postseason softball before making the move to the college game.
DOUBLE THREAT
Sophia Kardatzke, University Christian
A category that the future USC-Upstate athlete has pretty much made her own for the last five years. One year after leading UC to the FHSAA Class 2A title, Kardatzke isn't slowing down: The senior is batting .655 with five doubles, two home runs, 18 RBI and a 1.928 OPS. As a pitcher, she's 9-2 with a 1.23 ERA and 109 strikeouts in the season's opening month. Although opponents often elect to walk her rather than testing her bat, Kardatzke could threaten the 50-homer mark for a UC career that began in sixth grade.
When is the Gateway Conference tournament?
The Gateway tournament runs from Monday, April 8 to Thursday, April 11, barring weather disruptions. Baldwin, which overcame Paxon 11-4 in last year's final, is aiming for a fourth consecutive Gateway softball trophy.
5 second-half games to watch
April 4, University Christian at Baldwin: A Class 2A state champion against a Class 3A final four team. In addition to the Sophia Kardatzke-Shaylen Byrd matchup in the circle, this game is also a showcase for deep batting talent on both sides, like UC's Kate Dell'Alba and Baldwin's Chloe Gotto.
April 4, Fort White at Baker County: Watch the pitching matchup in Macclenny. Kadence Compton (8-2, 1.29 ERA) is in her fourth year as Fort White's No. 1 pitcher, striking out nearly 100 batters this year. For Baker County, the one-two pitching tandem of Chloe Woods and Rylee Walker ranks among the area's best.
April 11, Middleburg at Oakleaf: A battle for the top spot in Clay County. The power of Middleburg's batting order runs into a terrific junior pitcher in Dartmouth-committed Charlotte Maddox, a multiple threat both in the circle (6-2, 1.62 ERA) and at the plate (.489, five doubles, 1.110 OPS) for the Knights.
April 16, West Nassau at Creekside: Two of the First Coast's strongest senior groups in action. For West Nassau, there's Reese Green, batting nearly .500, plus Sydney English and Peyton Studt; for Creekside, Kaylee Martineau excels at the plate and in the circle, while Bella Campbell and Cora Middleton also shine in the batting order.
April 18, Episcopal at Bishop Kenny: Strikeout masters collide in an Atlantic Boulevard battle. Episcopal's Jones takes on Bishop Kenny senior Kaitlyn Gilmore, a Pensacola State College commit who's striking out two batters per inning. The two combined for 30 strikeouts in a 1-0 Eagles win last February.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school softball 2024: Best Jacksonville teams, players at halfway
