JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Grace Jones used to scrutinize, pore over and analyze every statistic that she could.
So, what did Jones, the Episcopal ace and All-News4JAX softball player of the year, do to change her tried and true methods that had worked so well for her?
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She didn’t look at her stats, didn’t overthink a play in the scorebook or stress about a pitch that wasn’t called a strike.
Jones only focused on the scoreboard and not the stat sheet. The result was the most dominant all around season of a career that was already pristine.
“Well, one thing I stopped doing was a big thing for me; I would always look at my batting average, you know, what am I batting this year whatever,” Jones said. “I just completely stopped looking at. I didn’t look at anything for batting, pitching, and I just kind of went with it. When I stopped thinking about, ‘oh, what did this do to my average?’ It really helped me just go out there and have fun with it and that’s when I did my very best.”
Jones already had a body of work over five previous seasons at Episcopal that most players would love to have. She was coming off a season where she hit .605 and drove in 22 runs. She won 22 games and had a 1.02 ERA.
Outside of working on the field, Jones drilled down into what could help her a bit more on the focus side of things.
By tuning out the distraction of overanalyzing her stats and letting that get to her, Jones honed in on enjoying the moment. She cut her ERA to 0.69 and won 25 games, both career highs. Jones whiffed 343, one off her career high. At the plate, she was a monster. Jones hit .611, struck out just once and belted 11 homers. She stayed locked in and composed when the ball was in her hand, something that was the opposite of when she was cheering on teammates.
Jones said when she was younger and watching former All-News4JAX player of the year Maddie Latta on the mound, she would get animated and excited. But when it comes to Jones getting too pumped up when she’s doing something good, that’s another story.
It’s still all business. All focus. One less distraction.
“It’s weird because when I played behind Maddie, I played third base, I would get very excited for her to do something. And I feel like I try to get really excited for others, because that helps them and it helps me stay focused when I’m not pitching, getting excited for others,” she said. “It’s just hard for me to get excited for myself in those big moments.”
All-News4JAX softball
First team
Pos., Player, School, Class
P Shaylen Byrd, Baldwin, Sr.
Two-time All-News4JAX selection. Went 28-2 in dominant season as the Indians reached the state semifinals for second straight season. Logged 144.1 IP with 1.26 ERA, 214 Ks.
P Grace Jones, Episcopal, Sr.
All-News4JAX player of the year. Three-time first-team selection. Career-highs in average (.611), HR (11) and runs (46). In the circle, Jones was 25-4 with 343 Ks, 0.69 ERA in 182.1 IP. Her season Ks total was third in Florida, while her 25 wins was tied for second.
P Charlotte Maddox, Oakleaf, Jr.
Went 13-4 with 1.63 ERA, 115 Ks in 120.1 IP. Only area hurler to notch a win over No. 1 Baldwin. Hit .409 with 18 RBI. Is 27-16 in the circle with 242 Ks, 1.85 ERA in her career. Second team All-News4JAX selection last season. Dartmouth commit.
P Chloe Woods, Baker County, Jr.
Top arm for the Wildcats, she went 11-4 and whiffed 133 in 105.1 IP to propel the team to the Class 4A state championship game.
C Alyssa Prather, Middleburg, Sr.
Best season of her career. Hit .444 with 6 HR, 28 RBI for the area’s most lethal offense. Signed with Lees-McRae.
IF Kerra Clarida, Middleburg, Jr.
Two-time All-News4JAX selection. Huge bat for the Broncos, who had career highs in average (.425), HRs (13) and runs scored (29). Added 37 RBI. Has 27 homers in three seasons. Her HR total this year ranked fifth-most in the state. Georgia Southern commit.
IF KK Hagan, Middleburg, Jr.
Career season in every category for Broncos. Hit .425 with 31 RBI, 37 hits, 34 runs scored and 8 HR, all career highs, for 22-5 Middleburg. Career .358 hitter. Committed to Jacksonville.
IF Kendall North, Baldwin, Jr.
Best season of her lengthy career. Boosted averaged from .283 last year to .457 in 2024. Had career-best 37 RBI, 3 HR, 43 runs scored for the area’s best team. Committed to Indian River State.
IF Baleigh Shields, Baker County, So.
Helped lead Wildcats to Class 4A state championship game. Hit .458 with 5 HR, 24 RBI and 26 runs scored. Career .408 hitter.
OF Reese Green, West Nassau, Sr.
Three-time All-News4JAX selection and the area’s top outfielder. Troy signee. Hit .494 with 8 HR, 22 RBI, 38 runs scores and 11 doubles. Produced best season of her career against one of the most difficult schedules in the state.
OF Miranda Harmon, Nease, Jr.
Second-team All-News4JAX last year. Hit .444 with 32 hits, 7 extra-base hits and 31 runs scored. Had 10 stolen bases and made just 2 errors on 40 chances (.950). West Florida commit.
OF/IF Amiyah Jones, Baldwin, Fr.
Primarily a shortstop but can play in the outfield, too. Improved on strong eighth grade season with a career-bests across the board. Hit .470 with 47 hits, 34 RBI, 7 doubles and a state-leading 54 runs scored.
UT Cali Hartung, Baldwin, Sr.
Hit .370 with 46 RBI, 10 homers and 11 doubles for the area’s best team. Career .392 hitter with 24 HR, 121 RBI. Had 1.000 fielding percentage the last two seasons.
UT Sophia Kardatzke, University Christian, Sr.
Four-time All-News4JAX selection. Player of the year in 2023. USC Upstate signee. Best two-way player in area over last four years. Hit .629 with 29 RBI, 5 HR, 11 2Bs Went 18-6 in the circle with 218 Ks, 1.46 ERA. Finished career with a state championship, 99-23 record, 1,021 Ks, 1.55 ERA. Career .572 hitter with 41 Ks, 56 2Bs, 203 RBI.
UT Kaylee Martineau, Creekside, Sr.
Four-year player for the Knights who had the best all-around season of her career. Went 14-6 in the circle with 2.56 ERA, 2 saves, 120 Ks in 136.2 IP. Hit .411 with 17 RBI, 27 runs scored. Career .345 hitter who went 29-11 (2.14 ERA, 312 Ks) on her career. Daytona State signee.
Second team
Position, Player, School, Class
P Kadence Compton, Fort White, Jr.
Had 190 Ks in 112 IP, 0.94 ERA as 13-6 Indians reached the regional finals. At the plate, hit .407 with 22 RBI and a pair of HR.
P Kaitlyn Gilmore, Bishop Kenny, Sr.
Pensacola State signee. Hit career-best .380 with 27 hits, 16 RBI. In the circle, she was 13-4 with 1.26 ERA, save, 194 Ks in 111 IP.
P Riley Kapparis, Yulee, Sr.
Went 10-6 with 105 Ks in 83 IP as the Hornets’ top arm in the circle. At the plate, hit career-best .400 with 6 homers, 22 RBI and 7 doubles. Headed to Edward Waters.
C Meshayla Pettaway, Oakleaf, Sr.
Hit .400 with 22 RBI, 34 hits, 27 runs scored and 9 stolen bases. Made just 2 errors in 172 chances.
IF Jazmine Ramos-Merced, Baldwin, So.
Hit .358 with 9 homers, 37 RBI and 30 runs scored, all career highs. Career .391 hitter with 23 HRs. Missed 4 games this season while playing for the Puerto Rican U18 national team.
IF Hannah Rivers, Trinity Christian, Sr.
Hit .379 with 21 RBI and 16 extra-base hits (6 homers). Scored 26 runs, drove in 21 and stole 15 bases. Signed with Mercer.
IF Ava Schreiber, Mandarin, Sr.
Four-year starter for the Mustangs, she capped off career with bests in average (.478) and hits. Added 5 doubles, 18 RBI, 17 runs scored.
IF Summer Stearns, Providence, So.
Another player who enjoyed a career-best season, with personal-bests across the board (.469 avg., 30 hits, 19 RBI, 9 doubles, 3 HR, .947 fielding percentage).
OF Claire Cinnamond, Episcopal, So.
Steadily rising star for the Eagles has seen improvement in average each season. Hit .369 with 32 runs, 31 hits and 16 RBI. Played error-free in the field this year.
OF Carly Dall, Creekside, Jr.
Helped Knights reach Region 1-7A final during 21-win season. Second on the team in hitting (.393, 21 RBI) and had 15 extra-base hits. Added 3 wins, 2 saves, 16 Ks, 1.79 ERA in 27.1 IP.
OF Chloe Gotto, Baldwin, So.
Already a four-year starter for the Indians. Posted career-high totals in average (.432), runs (34), hits (38), RBI (32) and homers (5) for the area’s best team.
UT Sydney English, West Nassau, Sr.
Another core player for the Warriors and the athlete of the year at the school. Primarily a catcher but could also play third base. Hit .384 with 17 RBI, 28 hits, 11 extra-base hits (2 HR).
UT Addison Maliga, Bartram Trail, Sr.
Catcher and first baseman had a breakout final season, hitting a career-best .480 with 36 hits, 25 RBI, 12 extra-base hits and 20 runs scored.
UT Leann McCready, Menendez, Sr.
Excellent season for the big hitting catcher. Led 15-7 Falcons in hits (37), doubles (9), RBI (36) and homers (8). Signed with Mount Olive.
UT Jaela Palmer, Paxon, Jr.
Has continued to boost production in each season. Posted bests at the plate in average (.416), hits (32), HR (7) and RBI (25). Excellent in the field, too, with just one error in 218 chances.
Honorable mention
Position, Player, School, Class
IF/OF Lauren Abram, Fleming Island, Jr.
UT Molly Allbritton, Palatka, Sr.
IF/OF Jaydyn Beall, Oakleaf, Jr.
P Morgan Beckham, Middleburg, Sr.
P McKenna Bejarano, Orange Park, Sr.
OF Rylie Blankenship, Bradford, Sr.
IF Ryleigh Booth, Mandarin, Jr.
UT Emily Brown, Palatka, Sr.
P Madelyn Brown, Menendez, Jr.
IF Taylor Burton, Nease, Sr.
C Makenzie Cady, Mandarin, Sr.
P Jessica Camacho, St. Joseph, Sr.
IF Bella Campbell, Creekside, Sr.
P Kristina Campbell, Nease, Jr.
IF Emma Cano, Atlantic Coast
UT Aleda Cashwell, Bolles, So.
OF Corinna Cioffi, Nease, Sr.
IF Zophia Clark, Palatka, Jr.
IF/OF Emily Clapp, Fletcher, So.
UT Meghan Dawson, Menendez, Jr.
IF Rylan Degrande, Menendez, So.
UT Kate Dell’Alba, University Christian, Sr.
IF Madison Dias, Sandalwood, So.
OF Lauren Enicks, Mandarin, Sr.
IF/OF Ava Farnham, Bishop Kenny, Jr.
IF Ruby Fogel, Matanzas, So.
IF/OF Olivia Garcia, Atlantic Coast, Sr.
UT Kyleigh Golden, Yulee, Jr.
OF Rylan Gray, Baldwin, Jr.
C/IF Maya Griffin, Fernandina Beach, Jr.
P/UT Rebekah Harmer, Harvest, So.
IF Jaleigha Harris, University Christian, Sr.
IF Teagan Harter, West Nassau, Fr.
P Hayley Hinds, Paxon, Jr.
OF Mallory Jackson, Baker County, So.
UT Samantha Joiner, Yulee, So.
C Jordyn Lasater, Trinity Christian, Sr.
UT Haley Marker, Baker County, Sr.
C Brooklyn Mauck, St. Johns Country Day, Sr.
C Haylee McCrea, Ridgeview, Sr.
IF Lucie McDonald, Bartram Trail, Jr.
IF Mallie Meadows, Beachside, Sr.
OF Emerson Mercer, Wolfson, So.
UT Sakiya Merriex, Columbia, Jr.
C Cora Middleton, Creekside, Sr.
IF Kadriana Mincey, Trinity Christian, Sr.
OF Ella Morris, Fleming Island, Sr.
C Rylee Murallo, Fernandina Beach, So.
IF Ashley Nugent, Keystone Heights, Sr.
OF/IF Gabriela Oceguera, St. Johns Country Day, Jr.
C Caiden Oliva, Ponte Vedra, Sr.
IF Amelia Oreair, Episcopal, So.
IF/OF Mackenzie Orton, Union County, Jr.
P Carmen Overstreet, First Coast, Fr.
C/IF Bailey Parker, Clay, Sr.
IF Zoe Pascoe, Orange Park, Jr.
IF Mackenzie Pitzer, Paxon, Sr.
P Harleigh Price, Columbia, Fr.
P Jules Raimondi, St. Johns Country Day, Sr.
IF Josie Raulerson, Columbia, Fr.
OF Abbie Roach, Keystone Heights, Sr.
UT Ashley Sampselle, Matanzas, Jr.
IF Dacie Sarver, Providence, Sr.
C Peighton Self, Hilliard, Jr.
C Emma Serra, Bishop Kenny, Fr.
C/OF Kylie Shannon, University Christian, Jr.
P Brooke Sparkman, Hilliard, So.
P Leah Stevens, Matanzas, Jr.
UT KJ Strub, Bartram Trail, Sr.
IF/P Dixie Tessier, University Christian, So.
OF Ava Tolbert, Oakleaf, So.
IF/P Riley Valent, Episcopal, So.
P Rylee Walker, Baker County, Jr.
OF Riley Waters, Creekside, Sr.
UT Aoife Weaver, Ponte Vedra, So.
UT Mackenzie West, Flagler Palm Coast, Fr.
UT Brooke Wilson, Fleming Island, Jr.
P Naomi Winburn, Harvest, 6th