- April 19, 2024
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Matanzas' Emma Woods throws a pitch in a game against Seabreeze. Photo by Ray Boone
The Pirates' Isabella Santiago swings at a pitch against the Sandcrabs. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Alyssa Payne throws a ball to first base for an out. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Emma Woods throws a pitch in a game against Seabreeze. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas coach Sabrina Manhart watches her team from near third base. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Emma Woods throws a pitch in a game against Seabreeze. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Emma Woods throws a pitch in a game against Seabreeze. Photo by Ray Boone
The Pirates' Ellie Hansen sprints toward third base against the Sandcrabs. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas coach Sabrina Manhart observes her team during the Pirates' game against Seabreeze. Photo by Ray Boone
Matanzas' Emma Wood winds up for a pitch. Photo by Ray Boone
The Pirates' Alyssa Payne throws a ball toward first base for an out. Photo by Ray Boone
A Pirates softball player watches a pitch slide outside the strike zone against Seabreeze. Photo by Ray Boone
“Next station!” Matanzas coach Sabrina Manhart shouts during a softball practice one afternoon at Matanzas High School. The girls — some hitting, some catching, some throwing — quickly shift gears.
There’s no wasted motion, no slowing down, no messing around.
The Pirates’ softball practices have been like this since day one of the 2019 season, Manhart’s first with the team.
Manhart, who was previously the head coach at Daytona State College for the past 12 years, knew what she was getting in a Pirates team that learned discipline under former head coach Sarah Novak, who stepped down from the position before the start of the 2018 season.
The girls quickly bought into Manhart’s approach.
“There’s just so many teachable moments to take advantage of. It’s part of what I enjoy the most about coaching,” she said. “And I feel like they’re really hearing what I’m saying.”
The fruits of the buy-in were immediate: The Pirates run-ruled Seabreeze 10-0 in their season opener on Feb. 20 at the Ormond Beach Sports Complex.
And they kept winning.
“They know now that it’s not going to continue to be easy. They have to continue to work and stay focused. If they trust in themselves, good things will happen. The game will always pay them back for what they’ve put in.”
Sabrina Manhart, Matanzas coach
They toppled DeLand. Blasted St. Augustine and Mainland. And they dethroned Deltona, who ousted the Pirates from the playoffs a year prior.
With each win, their confidence grew. But so did the target on their backs.
“We became the team to beat,” Pirates senior outfielder Alyssia Paiz said. “Everyone is bringing their ‘A’ game against us.”
Their first scare was against a team they’d already beaten earlier in the season.
The Sandcrabs were at the plate in the bottom of the seventh inning down one run on April 3 at Matanzas High School. Then freshman pitcher Emma Wood, who struck out seven hitters against the Sandcrabs, stepped up to preserve a 3-2 win for the Pirates.
Throughout the Pirates’ struggles against the Sandcrabs, Manhart was stoic. There were no furious outbursts or fiery words. But the intensity, the seriousness of it all, was still there.
Despite winning their 12th game in a row, Manhart spoke to her team well after the final out was called. This game was another “teachable moment.”
“I’m intense, for sure, but I’m very reasonable at the same time,” she said. “There’s so much to learn. There’s opportunities to grow after every game. I get their attention, and I make sure that they learn it then and there.”
Matanzas recently earned a right to compete in the Kissimmee Klassic, an invitation-only tournament that features some of the top softball teams in the state, on April 4-5.
It was an eye-opening experience.
The Pirates were blown out by Tate 13-2 in their opening game. After beating Lecanto 4-2 in Game 2, the Pirates suffered a 3-2 defeat to Coral Reef in Game 3 before surviving Okeechobee 6-5 to close out the tournament.
It was their first time dealing with the sting of defeat and the anxiety of playing from behind.
“We may be one of the top teams in the area, but once we go deeper into the postseason, we know there’s going to be a lot tougher teams we’re going to have to face,” Paiz said. “And we’re going to have to figure out how to beat them.”
But was their also a sense of relief in finally losing a game?
“Yes,” Wood said. “It would have been nice to be undefeated, but you’re not going to be perfect every single game. It’s going to happen.”
With only four games left in the regular season, postseason play is on the horizon. The Pirates have never been more than an early exit team, but in this first season under Manhart, it’s quite clear that expectations are different.
“I would not be surprised if we see this team in the Final Four,” Manhart said. “I think we can get there.”
