JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – High school softball season is in full swing and so are our News4Jax Super 6 rankings. They will be published every Wednesday during the regular season. Records are through April 6.
Softball Super 6 rankings
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Rank, (previous) school, record, classification
1. (2) Ridgeview (15-3, Class 4A)
Notable wins: Baker County, Bartram Trail, Clay, Episcopal, Fletcher, Keystone Heights, Oakleaf, Paxon, West Nassau (twice).
Glance: A 3-0 week since our last Super 6 moves the Panthers back into the top spot for the second time this season. Ridgeview thumped Palatka (15-5), edged Fleming Island (6-4) and surged back to beat a strong Baker County and ace Madison Lagle, 6-1. Brooke Michael drove in a pair of runs in that win over the Wildcats. Brittany Michael had two hits in that game. The No. 1 spot has been a slippery one in recent weeks for area baseball and softball teams. Can Ridgeview avoid the jinx that has attached itself to top-ranked teams?
2. (6) West Nassau (13-5, Class 3A)
Notable wins: Baldwin, East Ridge, Keystone Heights, Middleburg, Oxbridge Academy, Providence, Trinity Christian, Winter Springs.
Glance: The Warriors make the big jump in the Super 6 this week. After losing their opener in the Kissimmee Klassic to powerhouse Bartow (5-4), the Warriors reeled off four straight wins. West Nassau beat Winter Springs (4-1), Alonso (14-2) and Trinity Christian (6-5) in the tournament. In non-tournament action this week, West Nassau shut down Baldwin, 2-0, behind a perfect game with 10 Ks from Regan Lee.
3. (4) Trinity Christian (14-4, Class 2A)
Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Fletcher, Oakleaf, Providence (twice), West Nassau.
Glance: The Conquerors went 2-2 since our last Super 6, losing to West Nassau (6-5) and Doral Academy (9-2), and then beating Deltona (3-0) and Oakleaf (12-8) in the Kissimmee Klassic. MacKenzie Marell (.547, 5 HR), Breezy Burnett (.491, 8 HR) and Amaya Ross (.462, 5 HR) continue to drive this offense. Freshman Hannah Rivers is just under that number at .486. The Conquerors swat the long ball better than any team in the area. They’re up to 26 homers, with Burnett’s eight and Morgan McMillian’s six leading the way.
4. (1) Oakleaf (12-5, Class 7A)
Notable wins: Clay, Coral Reef, Creekside, East Ridge, Episcopal, Gainesville, Keystone Heights, Providence, Ridgeview.
Glance: As mentioned, it was a weird week. The Knights have owned the top spot since the Super 6 has been around. Oakleaf had a tough week since our last Super 6, going 1-3 in the Kissimmee Klassic. They dropped games to Lake Brantley (6-1), Tampa Alonso (10-7) and Trinity Christian (12-8). They beat Coral Reef at the tourney, 12-7. In non-tournament action, they lost to Keystone Heights, 6-5 on Tuesday night. The Knights were dinged up early in the Klassic with a few injuries. Things don’t lighten up, with an always tough Atlantic Coast team up Friday, followed by Baker County on Tuesday.
5. (5) Episcopal (11-4, Class 3A)
Notable wins: Bartram Trail, Clay, First Coast, Fletcher, Mandarin, Middleburg, Paxon, West Nassau.
Glance: The Eagles have won five straight games. Since our last Super 6, Episcopal has knocked off First Coast (3-1), Mandarin (6-0) and Bartram Trail (4-0). They end this week with two solid opponents in University Christian on Wednesday and Bolles on Friday. Thursday (at home) and at Bartram Trail next Tuesday. Grace Jones (.500) and Kami Eppley (.435) remain above the .400 crest. Maddie Latta is 9-2 in the circle with 131 Ks in 68.1 IP.
6. (3) Creekside (14-3, Class 6A)
Notable wins: Baker County, First Coast, Fletcher (twice), Mandarin, Matanzas, Middleburg, Providence, University Christian.
Glance: The Knights finally had their winning streak end at 12 games when rival Bartram Trail clipped them 6-5. Creekside bounced back with an 8-4 win over Fletcher. That sets the table for a rugged stretch to end the regular season, starting with a home game Thursday against No. 1 Ridgeview. Paxon (Friday) and Providence (Tuesday), both on the road, await after that. Madison Bratek (.528), Kylie Hammonds (.429) and Kendall Catherwood (.404) continue to pace the Creekside offense. Normally, one loss during a Super 6 week wouldn’t translate into a three-spot drop. But such is the case this week. It’s been a wild one, and several squads on the outside of the Super 6 warrant mention, like Keystone and Baker County. Baker hurler Madison Lagle tossed an eight-inning perfect game with 23 Ks to end a 47-game winning streak of Trenton in a 2-0 game on April 1. And Jessica Marquart’s Indians team beat Oakleaf for the first time with the 6-5 victory on Tuesday night to end a nine-game losing streak to the Knights that went back to 2011.
Others: Baker County (10-5, Class 4A); Baldwin (12-4, Class 3A); Bartram Trail (12-6, Class 7A); Bishop Kenny (7-3, Class 4A); Bolles (8-5, Class 3A); Clay (11-7, Class 4A); Fletcher (8-7, Class 6A); Keystone Heights (12-5, Class 3A); Mandarin (8-5, Class 7A); Middleburg (7-8, Class 5A); Paxon (9-4, Class 4A); Providence (7-6, Class 3A); Union County (10-4, Class 1A); University Christian (5-1, Class 2A).