- April 19, 2024
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Matanzas will be the No. 2 seed in the District 4-5A softball tournament next week.
Two years ago, the Matanzas Lady Pirates softball team was young. Most of the roster comprised underclassmen. In fact, seven starters were freshmen. There have been ups and downs, wins and losses.
Now, the team is packed with eight juniors and ready to make a run in the District 4-5A tournament next week as the Lady Pirates come off their best regular season in school history.
Matanzas (12-13) finished the regular season Thursday night, losing to Spruce Creek, 14-0. (It was senior night, and Ashley Pelose was honored as the team’s lone senior.) Though it wasn’t the way coach Sara Novak wanted to end the season, she knows things start anew April 17, when her No. 2-seeded Lady Pirates host No. 3 Pedro Menendez in the semifinals of the district tournament. This will be the third time Matanzas and Menendez meet this season. Matanzas was won the first two matchups.
Novak said the progression from freshman to sophomore season and then from sophomore to junior season for her players has been critical to the team’s success.
“We are stronger, smarter, have more strategy and have learned each other’s strengths and weaknesses and are always trying to improve,” said Novak, who was recently named by opposing coaches as the District 6 Coach of the Year for Class 4A. “Our team has developed by staying together and working together as a family through all the ups and downs.”
Matanzas has defeated several teams this season for the first time in school history, including Palatka and Menendez. The Lady Pirates also won the South Conference in the St. Johns River Athletic Conference. Though they lost in the championship to Creekside, Novak said this season was a huge step forward because the team finished in seventh and six place, respectively, the previous two seasons.
A large part of the success, Novak said, is because of the team’s attitude.
“Believing in what we do and what we can do,” Novak said, referring to the team as a family. “Seeing ourselves at greatness and knowing it is possible. Even when we lose, the girls still remain a team.”
Novak pointed to her team’s success in the classroom, too, noting most of the players take AP classes or are registered in dual-enrollment.
“I love — truly love — that we are student-athletes,” Novak said.
Despite the success this season, Novak knows there is plenty of work to do. Menendez is a competitive, hard-hitting team. “We will have to be at the top of our game,” she said. “We will have to play hard. There is no game in my mind, especially in softball, that is a given.”
Matanzas plays Menendez 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 16, at home, in the District 4-5A semifinals. A win guarantees the Lady Pirates a spot in the state playoffs for the first time in school history.
“This is the first time this has been in our reach,” Novak said. “And it’s so very possible. It’s in the girls’ hands. They can do it.”
DRESS FOR CHAMPIONS
The Matanzas Lady Pirates softball team has qualified for Dress the Champions — a contest by Allen Sportswear that could provide Matanzas with a full uniform sponsorship of up to $15,000.
Voting takes place now until April 25.
To vote, go to www.DressTheChamp-ions.com. A valid email address is required. One vote per verified email address per 24 hours.
For more, go to at www.FlaglerSchools.com or email Matanzas coach Sara Novak at [email protected].
BY THE NUMBERS
Gabrielle Prickett leads the team in hitting with a .354 batting average. She has hit two triples and driven in nine runs.
Amber Johnson has the most RBIs (12) and walks (10).
Marisa Magnuson has hit three doubles, two triples and has scored 13 runs. She’s batting .274.
