- February 22, 2026
Matanzas sophomore Trinity Wright throws a pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas freshman Payton Zuromski throws a pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas freshman Payton Zuromski throws a pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas second baseman Destiny Clanton throws to first. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Camryn Williams fouls off a pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Destiny Clanton eyes a pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Ava Henige eyes a pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Trinity Wright watches her pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas freshman gets set to pitch. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Last season, Matanzas knocked Ponte Vedra out of the state softball playoffs with a 1-0 victory on a no-hitter by Pirates’ ace Leah Stevens. That came a week after the Pirates pummeled the Sharks 12-1 to win the district championship with Stevens striking out 11 batters in five innings.
It’s a new season. Stevens is now pitching for the University of Florida. The Pirates had their best season ever last year, compiling a 23-2 record and advancing to the regional final. Now, they are rebuilding.
Matanzas opened the season with a 15-0 victory at rival Flagler Palm Coast in which freshman Payton Zuromski pitched a four-inning one-hitter on Feb. 17. Two days later, Ponte Vedra arrived at the Pirates’ field with revenge on its mind.
Sharks pitchers Aiofe Weaver and Taylor Scribner combined on a five-inning no-hitter as Ponte Vedra knocked out 11 hits and took advantage of three errors in a 12-0 victory.
Matanzas had six new players in its lineup.
“(Ponte Vedra) has some returners that knew exactly what they wanted out of this game,” Matanzas coach Sabrina Manhart said. “We have a very young team, and obviously, they weren’t in that (playoff) game last year. After coming off a big emotional win against our crosstown rival, we were facing the reality of what it is like to come up against the team that you put out in their last game of the season last year, and who's a district opponent who wanted this game.”
Manhart had decided not to brief the new players about last year’s history with the Sharks.
“We're really focused on us right now and what our jobs and our roles are, so we didn't want to make (the game) bigger than they could handle and give them that background story,” Manhart said.
The Pirates are using a pitching staff by committee right now to replace Stevens. Sophomore Trinity Wright started and ended the game against the Sharks, while Zuromski entered in the first inning and pitched into the fifth.
“Out pitching staff is young but capable,” Manhart said.
Matanzas expects to see Ponte Vedra again in the district tournament in late April. By then, the Pirates’ young players will have a season of experience under their belts.
“We scheduled (the sharks) because we're going to see them in district, and we want to be prepared for them at the end of the season,” Manhart said.
Stevens, meanwhile, has been getting the chance to pitch early in her freshman season with the Gators. She has made the most of her opportunities. She is 2-0 with a 2.63 earned run average in seven appearances with 12 strikeouts in 13.1 innings. She’s made two starts, allowing one run in four innings of a 5-1 win against Georiga Tech on Feb. 15 and tossing a five-inning one-hitter in an 8-0 win against Middle Tennessee State on Feb. 20.
Matanzas (1-1) will try to get back on the winning track in a home game against Seabreeze on Tuesday, Feb. 24. FPC (1-2) won its first game of the season on Feb. 20, 6-4 against Taylor. The Bulldogs return home March 2 for a game against Deltona.
