Can someone say, "finally?"
The first Florida High School Athletic Association softball rankings have been released with about a month to go until district tournaments begin on April 28. The rankings were posted on Monday. No games were played that night, at least in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, due to weather.
Pace, the defending Class 6A state champion, is already near the top of the state once again. The Patriots sit third overall in the FHSAA with a 22.819 rating an a 9-0 record entering the week, having allowed just four runs all year.
Jay, also undefeated entering the week at 8-0, is the next-best squad at No. 14 with a 17.633 rating. Three teams from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties are within the top 20 teams in the FHSAA, with Navarre at No. 16 and a 17.261 rating.
District leaders, as of now, include Pace (6A), Pine Forest (4A) and Jay (Rural).
Here are the first FHSAA softball rankings for teams from Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, plus a way-too-early playoff watch.
Class 6A
- Pace (22.819) – first in District 1-6A, first in Region 1-6A, second in Class 6A, third overall in state
- Navarre (17.261) – second in District 1-6A, second in Region 1-6A, fourth in Class 6A, 16th overall in state
- Tate (2.727) – fourth in District 1-6A, 14th in Region 1-6A, 42nd in Class 6A, 220th overall in state
Class 5A
- Gulf Breeze (10.184) – second in District 1-5A, seventh in Region 1-5A, 11th in Class 5A, 88th overall in state
- Milton (6.565) – third in District 1-5A, ninth in Region 1-5A, 21st in Class 5A, 148th overall in state
Class 4A
- Pine Forest (1.410) – first in District 1-4A, seventh in Region 1-4A, 26th in Class 4A, 251st overall in state
- Escambia (-1.929) – second in District 1-4A, 10th in Region 1-4A, 39th in Class 4A, 333rd overall in state
- Booker T. Washington (-10.410) – third in District 1-4A, 12th in Region 1-4A, 58th in Class 4A, 463rd overall in state
Class 3A
- West Florida (4.234) – second in District 1-3A, fifth in Region 1-3A, 18th in Class 3A, 189th overall in state
- Pensacola (-11.241) – fourth in District 1-3A, 15th in Region 1-3A, 63rd in Class 3A, 480th overall in state
Class 2A
- Pensacola Catholic (-10.968) – sixth in District 1-2A, 17th in Region 1-2A, 64th in Class 2A, 474th overall in state
Class 1A
- LEAD Academy (-15.948) – sixth in District 1-1A, 17th in Region 1-1A, 67th in Class 1A, 517th overall in state
Rural
- Jay (17.633) – first in District 1-Rural, first in Region 1-Rural, second in Rural, 14th overall in state
- Northview (11.158) – second in District 1-Rural, second in Region 1-Rural, seventh in Rural, 78th overall in state
- Central (1.038) – fifth in District 1-Rural, seventh in Region 1-Rural, 23rd in Rural, 261st overall in state
Way-too-early region playoff picture
District tournaments aren't for another month, but it's still fun to examine what the playoff scenarios would look like if the regular season ended today as far as region tournaments.
District champions automatically advance to the region tournament after the district tourney, and there are four at-large bids per region in Classes 1A-7A. The Rural classification only brings two district champions plus two at-large bid teams. For the playoff watch, we'll presume that the top team in each district wins the district tournament and moves onto regionals – that's what we're going to share below.
Rankings are bound to change after district tournaments as well, so we'll pretend that they didn't change at all through districts to make things a little easier. Remember: anything can happen in the playoffs.
Here's what the region tournaments would look like.
Region 1-6A
- 1. Pace (1)* vs. 8. Fletcher (2)*
- 2. Navarre (1) vs. 7. Bartram Trail (3)
- 3. Horizon (4)* vs. 6. Lake Minneola (4)
- 4. Oakleaf (3)* vs. 5. Buchholz (3)
Notes: As it stands, as long as the Patriots keep winning, the Region 1-6A tournament goes through Pace as the top seed. Navarre also gets to host, at least the first round, against Bartram Trail. Things are a little weird in Region 1-6A with District 2's Fletcher ranked 11th, but getting an automatic bid. So Tocoi Creek (District 3) loses out on an at-large bid.
Region 1-5A
- 1. Ponte Vedra (4)* vs. 8. Fleming Island (3)
- 2. Middleburg (3)* vs. 7. Gulf Breeze (1)
- 3. Niceville (1)* vs. 6. Chiles (2)*
- 4. Matanzas (4) vs. 5. Beachside (4)
Notes: Gulf Breeze sneaks in as an at-large bid as the seventh-ranked team in the region, but would be on the road to start the tournament at second-seeded Middleburg. The four district champions are within the top eight teams, however Chiles would go to Niceville as a higher-seeded district champ. Milton, ranked ninth in the region, just misses out on an at-large bid, as of now.
Region 1-4A
- 1. Baker County (3)* vs. 8. Choctaw (2)
- 2. Columbia (3) vs. 7. Pine Forest (1)*
- 3. Fort Walton Beach (2)* vs. 6. Menendez (4)
- 4. Arnold (2) vs. 5. Clay (4)*
Notes: Pine Forest, the presumed District 1 champ, gets in as the No. 7 seed with an automatic bid. Since it earns the right to host in the first round, the Eagles would host Columbia in the quarterfinals. The other three district champions are in the top eight teams, with Clay also hosting a higher-ranked at-large team. Escambia, ranked 10th in the region, just misses out on an at-large bid.
Region 1-3A
- 1. Wakulla (2)* vs. 8. Stanton (4)*
- 2. Paxon (3)* vs. 7. West Nassau (3)
- 3. Yulee (3) vs. 6. Suwannee (2)
- 4. South Walton (1)* vs. 5. West Florida (1)
Notes: West Florida gets in as an at-large bid team from District 1, presuming South Walton earns the district crown. The Jaguars, however, would travel to the Seahawks for the quarterfinals. The other three district champions are in the top eight teams, with Stanton the only district champion not hosting, going to top-seeded Wakulla.
Region 1-2A
- 1. North Bay Haven (1)* vs. 8. Walton (1)
- 2. Baldwin (3)* vs. 7. Freeport (1)
- 3. Episcopal (4)* vs. 6. Bozeman (1)
- 4. Florida High (2)* vs. 5. Bishop Snyder (3)
Notes: The four presumed district champions are the top-four ranked teams in the region, which makes quarterfinal hosts easy to determine. However, there aren't any local teams in the Region 1-2A playoffs, with Pensacola Catholic ranked 17th in the region.
Region 1-1A
- 1. University Christian (3)* vs. 8. St. Johns Country Day (2)
- 2. North Florida Christian (1)* vs. 7. St. John Paul II (1)
- 3. Harvest Community (3) vs. 6. First Coast Christian (2)*
- 4. St. Joseph Academy (4)* vs. 5. Peniel Baptist (4)
Notes: Similar to Region 1-2A, there aren't any area teams that would make the Region 1-1A playoffs with LEAD Academy ranked 17th in the region. Outside of that, the four presumed district champions are ranked within the top eight teams. First Coast Christian out of District 2 would host a higher-seeded at-large bid team in the quarterfinals.
Region 1-Rural
- 1. Jay (1)* vs. 4. Holmes County (2)*
- 2. Northview (1) vs. 3. Paxton (1)
Notes: With only four teams making the Region 1-Rural tournament, Jay and Holmes County get the automatic bids from Districts 1 and 2. However, since the Blue Devils are ranked fourth, they would be on the road at the Royals for the semifinals. Northview would also get in as an at-large bid, hosting Paxton to start.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: FHSAA Softball Rankings: Pace, Jay and Navarre all top-20 teams in state
