JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The News4JAX Super 6 softball rankings will be published each Monday through the end of the regular season. Results are through March 11 games.
Super 6 softball rankings
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Rank, School, Record, Classification
1. West Nassau (4-0, Class 3A)
Quality wins: Hilliard, Paxon, Ridgeview, Trinity Christian.
Glance: An excellent start for the Warriors, a perennial Super 6 team, who went 20-7 last year. West Nassau has four solid wins to begin the season. They dive right back into the grind this week, with Providence, University Christian and Ridgeview at the Oakleaf tournament coming Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
2. Baldwin (6-0, Class 3A)
Quality wins: Fletcher, Keystone Heights, Oakleaf.
Glance: Another good start for the Indians, last year’s Gateway Conference champion. They round out the week in Oakleaf’s tournament with Baker County (Thursday), Oakleaf (Friday) and Class 2A state runner-up University Christian (Saturday). Jazmine Ramos-Merced (.529, 10 RBI, 2 HR) leads Baldwin at the plate. Piper Young has gotten better each season in the circle. After winning 13 games last season, she’s got an 0.85 ERA, well below her career average.
3. Palatka (7-0, Class 3A)
Quality wins: Fleming Island, Middleburg, Nease, North Marion.
Glance: Excellent start for the Panthers, who I considered for the No. 2 spot. Sam Clark (.423) and Makenzie Clemons (.412) lead Palatka at the plate. The two hurler mix of Molly Albritton (4-0, 0.79 ERA, 34 Ks) and Ceana Funk (3-0, 3.00 ERA, 12 Ks) is keeping batters in check. Palatka has already surpassed its win total from 2021 (5-17).
4. Oakleaf (2-1, Class 7A)
Quality wins: Clay, University Christian.
Glance: A new coach (Heather Han) and plenty of familiar faces for the Knights. Khloe Banks (.692) and Mariyah Sanchez (.636) are crushing pitches to start. Freshman pitcher Charlotte Maddox (1-1, 2.15 ERA) is finding her zone. Two quality Ws to open, 5-1 over UC and 18-3 over Clay. Oakleaf has Baker County and Baldwin on Friday, with a chance to atone for its lone loss of the season to the Indians.
5. Ridgeview (4-1, Class 5A)
Notable wins: Fletcher (twice), Yulee.
Glance: The Panthers have evolved into one of the area’s steadiest programs, with back-to-back state semifinal appearances (2019, 2021; the 2020 season was canceled due to the pandemic). a Brooklyn Schneider (.500), Natalie Foret (.467) and Mary Girgis (.467) lead the Panthers at the plate, while Lily Bennet (4-1, 2.15 ERA, 31 Ks, 26 IP) is the big arm in the circle. Three big ones this week, with University Christian (Thursday), Providence (Friday) and No. 1 West Nassau (Saturday).
6. Union County (6-0, Class 1A)
Notable wins: Bell, Fort White, Santa Fe, Trenton
Glance: Such a tough call for this No. 6 spot, with three other teams in consideration for it, Creekside, Middleburg and Providence. Those schools all had criteria that canceled one another out. Angela Tucker (.722, 9 RBI), Tamia Young (.562, 7 RBI) and Hailey Rivera (.500, 12 RBI) are leading a Tigers team that is hitting .353. The Tigers’ top win is a 13-12 slugfest over defending Class 1A state champion Trenton.
Others
Bartram Trail (4-0, Class 7A); Bradford (5-1, Class 1A); Clay (4-3, Class 4A); Creekside (5-2, Class 7A); Fernandina Beach (4-1, Class 3A); First Coast (4-1, Class 6A); Fleming Island (4-2, Class 6A); Hilliard (2-2, Class 1A); Mandarin (2-2, Class 7A); Matanzas (4-0, Class 4A); Middleburg (5-2, Class 5A); Nease (4-2, Class 6A); Providence (3-2, Class 3A); Sandalwood (4-2, Class 7A); Trinity Christian (2-2, Class 2A); University Christian (2-2, Class 2A); Yulee (5-2, Class 4A).