Gainesville – There’s a new No. 1 in the softball Prep Zone Power Poll.
Columbia (Lake City) lost for the first time this season, a 2-0 defeat to Santa Fe (Alachua), which moved the Raiders (13-6) into the poll for the first time at No. 17. The top-ranked Tigers (14-1) dropped to third, while PK Yonge (Gainesville) moved up one spot to No. 1.
The Blue Wave (15-0) received five of the seven first-place votes. Ponte Vedra (16-0), which is ranked second, received the other two first-place votes.
Meanwhile Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (13-1) and Forest (Ocala) (15-1) round out the top five.
Bradford (Starke) (10-3) is ranked sixth, followed by Hernando (Brooksville) (15-1), Nature Coast (Brooksville) (14-2), Creekside (St. Johns) (10-3) and Citrus (Inverness) (14-4) in the top 10.
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, Marion, Nassau, Putnam, Sumter, St. Johns, Suwannee, Taylor, Union & Volusia counties). It is voted on weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters.
Prep Zone Power Poll – 2014 Softball Poll #3
(School, followed by first-place votes, classification, record through March 23 and total voting points)
1. PK Yonge (Gainesville) (5) (4A) (15-0) – 138
2. Ponte Vedra (2) (5A) (16-0) – 133
3. Columbia (6A) (14-1) – 128
4. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (5A) (13-1) – 117
5. Forest (Ocala) (6A) (15-1) – 108
6. Bradford (Starke) (4A) (10-3) – 101
7. Hernando (Brooksville) (5A) (15-1) – 95
8. Nature Coast (Brooksville) (5A) (14-2) – 84
9. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (10-3) – 76
10. Citrus (Inverness) (5A) (14-4) – 72
11. Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (6A) (11-3) – 69
12. Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (14-0) – 67
13. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (14-3) – 60
14. Belleview (5A) (13-4) – 55
15. Clay (Green Cove Springs) (5A) (12-4) – 45
16. Montverde Academy (4A) (12-3) – 38
17. Santa Fe (Alachua) (4A) (13-6) – 26
18. Aucilla Christian (Monticello) (2A) (9-2) – 21
19. Mandarin (Jacksonville) (8A) (11-4) – 15
20. West Nassau (Callahan) (4A) (9-3) – 6
Also receiving votes: Suwannee (Live Oak) (5A) (13-7) – 4; Lafayette (Mayo) (1A) (14-7) – 4; Chiefland (1A) (10-2) – 3; Gainesville (6A) (11-6) – 3; South Sumter (Bushnell) (4A) (8-5) – 2.
