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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #4 (FINAL POLL)

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #4 (FINAL POLL)
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Class 3A Runner-up Eustis finishes No. 1

GAINESVILLE — In 2024 the Eustis softball team won the Class 4A state title.

Although they didn’t win it all this year, they still finished number one in the final all-classification regional rankings.

The Panthers (23-5) advanced to the FHSAA Class 3A state championship game before losing to Somerset Academy (Silver Palms), 10-2, in the title game to finish as state runner-up.

Eustis, which defeated Wakulla (Crawfordville), 3-2, in the state semifinals, had wins in the regionals against Mount Dora and South Sumter (Bushnell), followed by a 13-4 win against current No. 4 Crystal River in the 3A-Region 2 Final.

They received five of the nine first-place votes to finish on top of The Prep Zone Power Poll.

Montverde Academy, which won at Eustis, 12-0, on April 9, is ranked second.

The Eagles (27-3) were nationally ranked until a 3-0 upset loss at home to current No. 6 Trinity Catholic (Ocala) on May 15 in the 2A-Region 2 Final. They received three first-place votes.

The only area state champion this year was Trenton, which received the other first-place vote and finished third. The Tigers (19-6) won their second straight state title in convincing fashion.

They defeated Northview (Bratt), 11-1 in 5 innings, in the Rural state championship game and they defeated Liberty County (Bristol), 9-2, in the state semifinals.

The Tigers, who closed the season with a 10-game winnings streak, also had wins this year against No. 6 Trinity Catholic (split series), No. 11 Middleburg, No. 4 Crystal River (split series), and receiving votes (RV) Columbia (Lake City).

Crystal River, which defeated Trenton at home, 6-9, on April 7, is ranked third.

The Pirates (24-6) had a 1-0 win against RV The Villages in the 3A regional semifinals before the loss at Eustis in the region final.

Matanzas (Palm Coast) is ranked fifth.

The Pirates (23-2) defeated No. 11 Middleburg, 2-1, in the 5A regional semifinals but lost at Niceville, 1-0, in 5A-Region 1 Final.

Trinity Catholic, which lost to Calvary Christian (Clearwater), 6-5, in the Class 2A state semifinals, leads off the second five ahead of Baldwin, Baker County (Glen St. Mary), Branford, and Santa Fe (Alachua) in the top 10.

Baldwin finished seventh after advancing to the Class 2A-Region 1 Final, but the Indians lost at North Bay Haven Academy (Panama City Beach), 6-3, to finish the season at 21-7.

Number eight Baker County was upset at home by No. 4 seed Arnold (Panama City Beach), 2-1, in the Class 4A-Region 1 Semifinals and finished 20-5.

Ninth-ranked Branford returned to the final four following a 13-1 win at No. 13 Madison County in the Rural Region 3 Final, but the Bucs (21-7) were denied their third straight state championship game appearance with a 14-6 loss to Northview (Bratt) in the Rural state semifinals.

Santa Fe won the 3A-District 5 title, but the Raiders (19-4) were upset at home by The Villages, 4-1, in the 3A-Region 2 Quarterfinals.

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2025 SOFTBALL POLL #4 (FINAL POLL)
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, final record, and total voting points)
1. Eustis (3A) (5) (23-5) – 174
2. Montverde Academy (2A) (3) (27-3) – 166
3. Trenton (Rural) (1) (19-6) – 149
4. Crystal River (3A) (24-6) – 136
5. Matanzas (Palm Coast) (5A) (23-2) – 131
6. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (2A) (22-9) – 129
7. Baldwin (2A) (21-7) – 123
8. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (20-5) – 121
9. Branford (Rural) (21-7) – 106
10. Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (19-4) – 103
11. Middleburg (5A) (19-9) – 97
12. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (22-6) – 93
13. Madison County (Rural) (19-2) – 49
14. Paxon (Jacksonville) (3A) (19-6) – 43
15. Gainesville (5A) (17-8) – 42
16. Fort White (Rural) (17-7) – 39
17T. Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (22-6) – 36
17T. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (18-10) – 36
19. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (18-6) – 26
20. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (2A) (22-6) – 24
Also receiving votes: The Villages (3A) (14-11) – 21; University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (19-5) – 20; Deltona (5A) (14-5) – 13; Springstead (Spring Hill) (5A) (15-9) – 7; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (15-12) – 4; Newberry (2A) (20-6) – 1; Williston (Rural) (14-11) – 1.

Year in Review – 2024-25

Mike Ridaught
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Year in Review – 2024-25

Wednesday, June 4 – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught and co-host Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). This is a year in review for the 2024-25 school year with guests Joshua Wilson of FloridaHSFootball.com and MDN correspondent/broadcaster Hank Rone.

Trenton Softball – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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Trenton Softball – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught and co-host Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). Their guests for this episode include Trenton softball head coach Kevin Benson and members of the 2-time state FHSAA champion Tigers softball team.

Newberry Softball – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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Newberry Softball – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). His guests for this episode include Newberry softball coach Michele Roundtree and members of the Lady Panthers’ softball team, which won its first district title in 26 years.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #3

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Softball Poll #3

Click on the logo for your free 7-day pass

Nationally ranked Montverde Academy unanimous No. 1

GAINESVILLE — The top ranked team in The Prep Zone Power Poll is among the best in the country.

Class 2A Montverde Academy, which is ranked No. 11 nationally by MaxPreps, remained No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings.

The Eagles (23-2), whose only losses this season are against nationally ranked No. 7 Doral Academy & nationally ranked No. 3 Orange Beach (AL), is a unanimous selection for top billing. They received all eight first-place votes.

Class 3A Eustis is ranked second.

The Panthers (17-4), winners of six in a row since a 12-0 loss vs. No. 1 Montverde Academy, remained No. 2. They are ranked 24th overall in Florida in the final FHSAA rankings.

Class 4A Baker County (Glen St. Mary), Santa Fe (Alachua), and 3A Crystal River round out the top five.

Middleburg (16-8) is ranked No. 6, followed by Baldwin (16-7), Matanzas (Palm Coast) (19-1), East Ridge (Clermont) (19-5) and Fort White (16-5) round out the top 10.

Class 3A Santa Fe (17-3) moved up three spots to No. 7. Two of their three losses are to Fort White, which moved up seven spots and into the top 10 after winning nine of its last 10 games.

The Raiders are ranked 19th overall in Florida in the final FHSAA rankings and No. 5 in 3A, while the Indians are ranked 39th overall and No. 3 in the Rural classification.

Last year’s FHSAA Class 1A state champion Trenton (13-6) and state runner-up Branford (17-6) are ranked 18th and 12th, respectively.

Class 1A University Christian (Jacksonville) (16-4), 5A Gainesville High (13-7), and 4A Columbia (Lake City) (13-10), which has lost seven of its last 10 games and dropped out of the rankings, are receiving votes.

FHSAA Softball district tournament play begins this week with the regional tournaments beginning next week.

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, basketball, baseball & softball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2025 SOFTBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, current record, & total voting points)
1. Montverde Academy (2A) (8) (23-2) – 160
2. Eustis (3A) (17-4) – 145
3. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (17-4) – 142
4. Santa Fe (Alachua) (3A) (17-3) – 124
5. Crystal River (3A) (20-5) – 114
6. Middleburg (5A) (16-8) – 110
7. Baldwin (2A) (16-7) – 103
8. Matanzas (Palm Coast) (5A) (19-1) – 102
9. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (19-5) – 87
10. Fort White (Rural) (16-5) – 84
11. Madison County (Rural) (16-1) – 72
12. Branford (Rural) (17-6) – 70
13. Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (20-5) – 66
14. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (16-8) – 65
15. Deltona (5A) (14-3) – 58
16. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-5) – 43
17. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (16-5) – 38
18. Trenton (Rural) (13-6) – 34
19. Trinity Catholic (Ocala) (2A) (17-8) – 26
20. Paxon (Jacksonville) (3A) (15-5) – 15
Also receiving votes: University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (16-4) – 13; Gainesville (5A) (13-7) – 5; Columbia (Lake City) (4A) (13-10) – 4.

GHS Water Polo – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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GHS Water Polo – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include GHS Water Polo coach Mason Badics and members of the GHS girls and boys water teams which each won a district title this season.

The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Baseball Poll #2

Mike Ridaught
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The Prep Zone Power Poll powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville – 2025 Baseball Poll #2

Click on the logo for your free 7-day pass

Buchholz (Gainesville) remains No. 1 as postseason begins

GAINESVILLE — The Buchholz Bobcats finally tasted defeat, seeing a program record 21-game winning streak end with a 10-4 loss at Lincoln (Tallahassee) on April 5.

But a 24-1 record was more than enough to keep last year’s 6A state runner-up atop The Prep Zone Power Poll.

Buchholz received eight of the nine first-place votes to stay No. 1 in the all-classification regional rankings as the high school baseball season heads into FHSAA postseason play. The Bobcats own wins over No. 2 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), No. 6 Providence (Jacksonville), and two wins against No. 16 Columbia (Lake City).

Trinity Christian received the other first-place vote, and was second on the other eight ballots.

The Conquerors (21-4) finished second at the NHSI Invitational, beating teams from Georgia, California, and Colorado before losing in the championship game to Venice 3-2. Their other losses have come to Buchholz, nationally-ranked No. 1 IMG Academy (Bradenton), and Jesuit (Tampa).

Trinity Christian has beaten Providence, No. 10 Clay (Green Cove Springs), No. 13 Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine), Columbia, No. 12 Creekside (St. Johns), and 15th-ranked Suwannee (Live Oak).

Spruce Creek (Port Orange) is 3rd. The Hawks (23-2) are ranked 22nd nationally by MaxPreps, with their only losses to Creekside and Windermere.

Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) is 4th. The Cardinals (19-5) own wins over Clay, Tocoi Creek, Columbia, and No. 7 Bolles (Jacksonville).

Rounding out the top five is St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park). Last year’s 2A champion Spartans are in 1A now and enter the playoffs 17-8 and ranked first in 1A, and have wins over Creekside, Clay, Providence, and Suwannee.

Providence is 6th, and Bolles drops from 3rd in the previous poll to 7th.

Lafayette (Mayo), ranked 1st in the rural classification, is 8th in the regional rankings. Trenton (18-4) is right behind Lafayette at No. 9. The two teams split their two regular season meetings, but could see each other in the Rural playoffs.

Clay (16-9) rounds out the top 10.

Moving into the poll this week along with No. 15 Suwannee (Live Oak) is 18th-ranked South Sumter (Bushnell) and No. 19 West Nassau (Callahan). Dropping out along with Newberry are Hernando (Brooksville) and Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville).

The Prep Zone Power Poll ranks the top 20 high school football, girls basketball, boys basketball, softball & baseball teams (regardless of FHSAA classification) across 26 counties in North Florida (Alachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Dixie, Duval, Flagler, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.

THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL– 2025 BASEBALL POLL #2
(School, followed by classification, first place votes, current 2025 record through 4/12 and total voting points)
1. Buchholz (Gainesville) (6A) (8) (24-1) – 179
2. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (1) (21-4) – 172
3. Spruce Creek (Port Orange) (7A) (23-2) – 155
4. Bishop Snyder (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-5) – 149
5. St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park) (1A) (17-8) – 133
6. Providence (Jacksonville) (2A) (15-9) – 116
7. Bolles (Jacksonville) (2A) (16-8) – 104
8. Lafayette (Mayo) (Rural) (18-2) – 100
9. Trenton (Rural) (18-4) – 96
10. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (4A) (16-9) – 94
11. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (2A) (19-5) – 91
12. Creekside (St. Johns) (7A) (16-9) – 81
13. Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) (6A) (16-7) – 74
14. St. Joseph’s Academy (St. Augustine) (1A) (18-6-1) – 59
15. Suwannee (Live Oak) (3A) (17-6) – 55
16. Columbia (Lake City) (5A) (13-10) – 44
17. The Villages (3A) (20-5) – 39
18. South Sumter (Bushnell) (3A) (18-4) – 27
19. West Nassau (Callahan) (3A) (16-8) – 18
20. Vanguard (Ocala) (4A) (19-4) – 13
Also receiving votes: Montverde Academy (2A) (15-8) – 12; Fernandina Beach (3A) (16-6) – 11; Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (3A) (17-7) – 10; Keystone Heights (2A) (17-7) – 9; University Christian (Jacksonville) (1A) (17-7) – 9; Newberry (2A) (11-7) – 7; North Marion (Citra) (3A) (13-11) – 7; Lake Minneola (Minneola) (6A) (18-7) – 4; Atlantic Coast (Jacksonville) (7A) (16-9) – 3; Hernando (Brooksville) (3A) (14-11) – 1.

Buchholz Track & Field – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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0
Buchholz Track & Field – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (39th Avenue). His guests for this episode include Buchholz Track & Field assistant coach Gregory Meyers and members of the Lady Bobcats’ track and field team.

Eastside Boys Lacrosse – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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0
Eastside Boys Lacrosse – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught as he talks high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). His guests for this episode include Eastside boys lacrosse coach Chip Skinner and members of the Rams lacrosse team, which will play at Newberry on Thursday in the FHSAA Class 1A-District 4 Quarterfinals.

Hawthorne Baseball – 2025

Mike Ridaught
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0
Hawthorne Baseball – 2025

Wednesday, 7-8 p.m. – “The Prep Zone” Sports Show
‘Live’ audio: https://www.mainstreetdailynews.com/sports/live-stream/
Join Mainstreet Daily News Sports Director Mike Ridaught and co-host Marty Pallman as they talk high school sports from your locally owned Sonic Drive-In of Gainesville (Archer Road). Their guests for this episode include first-year Hawthorne baseball coach Matt Surrency and members of the Hornets baseball team.

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