Traditionally, pitching decides high school softball championship games.
The Lakewood Ranch High softball program has learned this lesson in recent years, getting shut out by Winter Springs High 3-0 in the 2019 state championship game and losing 1-0 to Oakleaf High in the state semifinals. Throughout the 2021 season, Mustangs Coach TJ Goelz has preached to his team that the same fate would not befall it this season, thanks to the hard work the team was putting in each day.
Goelz was right. On Saturday, the Mustangs became an exception to the rule.
Lakewood Ranch (30-2) won the Class 7A state championship at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont, run-ruling previously undefeated Park Vista High (29-1) in six innings, winning 14-4. Lakewood Ranch entered the game ranked No. 4 nationally by USA Today; Park Vista was No. 5. That didn’t matter to the Mustangs offense, which saw eight of its nine regulars get base hits.
Student-Athlete of the Month: Jillian Herbst, Lakewood Ranch High School snntv.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from snntv.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Six states have hit the diamond and started the 2021 high school softball season. And we have already seen some shakeups in the first regular season MaxPreps Top 25 softball rankings.
Fifth-ranked Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville, Ala.) is off to a hot start at 8-0. Junior Sarah Hindman tossed a complete-game, four-hitter in a 5-1 win over No. 24 ranked Bob Jones this past Thursday.
Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Fla.) continues to roll in Florida. Colgate commit Jillian Herbst has three home runs and is one of several Mustangs powering their 6-0 start.