University (Orange City) new unanimous #1 team in regional all-classification softball rankings after winning prestigious Kissimmee Klassic tournament
GAINESVILLE — It had been almost three years since the Trenton Tigers had lost a regular season game.
And it finally took a special pitching performance to give the Tigers a loss, and with that knock them from the top of The Prep Zone Power Poll.
Junior pitcher Madison Lagle of Baker County (Glen St. Mary) struck out 23 Trenton hitters and the 11th-ranked Wildcats knocked off the Tigers 2-0 in 8 innings on April 1, ending Trenton’s 47-game winning streak.
The 2019 1A state champion Tigers (11-1) drop out of the top spot to #2 in this week’s poll.
The new unanimous #1 team is University (Orange City).
The Titans (16-0), who are the only undefeated team remaining in the all-classification regional rankings, won the prestigious Gold Division of the Kissimmee Klassic last weekend, knocking off Osceola (Kissimmee), Robinson (Tampa), Viera, and Canterbury (St. Petersburg) on the way to the tournament title.
University, which is ranked third statewide in 7A according to Max Preps, received all seven first-place votes and moves into the top spot in this poll for the first time in 2021.
Following Trenton and remaining 3rd is Ridgeview (Orange Park).
The Panthers (15-3), ranked #4 in 4A by Max Preps, picked up wins over Baker County and #8 West Nassau (Callahan) over the past few weeks and that was enough to keep them 3rd in the latest rankings.
Oakleaf (Orange Park) drops a spot to 4th.
The Knights (12-5) lost a couple of games at the Kissimmee Klassic to nationally-ranked Lake Brantley (Altamonte Springs) and to #5 Trinity Christian (Jacksonville), then dropped a 6-5 decision at #18 Keystone Heights earlier this week.
Trinity Christian (14-4) moves up two spots this week to round out the top five.
The Conquerors won at West Nassau 4-2 on March 16 and beat Oakleaf 12-8 at the Kissimmee Klassic but lost 9-2 to Doral Academy in Kissimmee and lost their final game of the tourney 6-5 to West Nassau.
Trinity Christian remains ranked #1 in 2A by Max Preps.
Eustis (13-1) moves up four spots this week to 6th.
The Panthers have won six in a row since their only loss of the season, 5-4 at Winter Springs on March 11, and are ranked 1st in 4A by Max Preps.
The rest of the second five consists of 7th-ranked Hernando (Brooksville), West Nassau, #9 East Ridge (Clermont), which lost in the Blue Division Championship Game of the Kissimmee Klassic, and finally #10 Gainesville.
Keystone Heights is new to the poll at #18.
The Indians (12-5) knocked off #4 Oakleaf, RV Baldwin, and then-#19 Mandarin (Jacksonville) and have won seven of their last eight games with all five of their loss coming to teams ranked in the power poll.
Also moving in this week is #17 South Lake (Groveland), who is 16-2, and #20 Episcopal (Jacksonville). Dropping out from the previous poll are Baldwin, Mandarin, and Forest (Ocala).
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 weekly by sportswriters and sportscasters and it is powered by Anytime Fitness of Gainesville.
THE PREP ZONE POWER POLL – 2020 SOFTBALL POLL #3
(School, followed by classification, first-place votes, record through 4/6, and total voting points)
1. University (Orange City) (7A) (7) (16-0) – 140
2. Trenton (1A) (11-1) – 124
3. Ridgeview (Orange Park) (4A) (15-3) – 122
4. Oakleaf (Orange Park) (7A) (12-5) – 109
5. Trinity Christian (Jacksonville) (2A) (14-4) – 106
6. Eustis (4A) (13-1) – 103
7. Hernando (Brooksville) (4A) (15-1) – 99
8. West Nassau (Callahan) (3A) (13-5) – 97
9. East Ridge (Clermont) (7A) (13-6) – 80
10. Gainesville (5A) (13-3) – 76
11. Baker County (Glen St. Mary) (4A) (10-5) – 65
12. Creekside (St. Johns) (6A) (14-3) – 60
13. Dixie County (Cross City) (1A) (13-1) – 59
14. West Port (Ocala) (7A) (16-2) – 51
15. Taylor (Pierson) (3A) (14-1) – 36
16. Belleview (4A) (13-6) – 32
17. South Lake (Groveland) (6A) (16-2) – 30
18. Keystone Heights (3A) (12-5) – 27
19. Nature Coast Tech (Brooksville) (4A) (12-6) – 23
20. Episcopal (Jacksonville) (3A) (11-4) – 13
Also receiving votes: Baldwin (3A) (12-4) – 7; Lecanto (5A) (11-4) – 3; Bartram Trail (St. Johns) (7A) (12-6) – 2; Fort White (1A) (11-3) – 2; Seven Rivers Christian (Lecanto) (2A) (10-2) – 2; Paxon (Jacksonville) (4A)) (9-4) – 1; Seabreeze (Daytona Beach) (5A) (12-2) – 1.
