- December 14, 2025
It was a successful season for the Port Orange Lady Panthers Fastpitch Softball club who returned to their hometown as the new Florida State Babe Ruth champions for the 16 and under division. Now the girls have another challenge ahead of them—the World Series.
On July 19, the team will travel to Jensen Beach, just south of Fort Pierce, to represent Florida in the Babe Ruth World Series that week.
“Going to the World Series was never really the goal for us at the beginning,” Port Orange Lady Panthers Director of Operations Mike Belus said. “Because we’ve done so well and the city’s jumped on board, which is a very important partner to us, we’ve decided to make the run down to Jensen Beach.”
The girls reached the State Championship after competing in a qualifier and a district tournament, which was held in Jacksonville last month. The 10 and under as well as 14 and under Lady Panthers also qualified for going to state. The girls competed against teams from across Florida during the five-day State Championship, which was held in Lake City.
Shane Bartholomew, Port Orange Lady Panthers director of organizational development, said the team’s first State Championship was not only a huge accomplishment but a way to represent Port Orange at a high level.
“Our strategy is to remain true to our culture and what we’re about,” Bartholomew said. “Winning is a byproduct...it’s never the initial input, the initial inputs are making sure that everybody’s minds and hearts are focused on each other, focused on believing in themselves, focused on believing in each other, and when those things happen, you play at your highest level.”
As for the key to their success for this year, Belus noted it had to do with last year. The team had previously made it to state as well but lost. According to Belus, the coaches asked the girls if they wanted to come back and the answer was not only yes but that they also wanted to win next time. Since then, it’s been a year-long process of scrimmages, practices and games.
“When they showed up to this event as a team I've never seen them like this before,” Belus said. “They were laser focused, ready to play every inning, every out, every at bat; I did the least amount of coaching I ever have in an event, so they were on as a team, 100 % of them.”
