The Panhandle is in the presence of some softball royalty, according to the first FHSAA rankings that were released on Tuesday.
Pace is ranked third in the entire state of Florida, and has some tough in-class competition ranked above them. Bartow, the 2023 state champions, and Bloomingdale (Valrico) – which are also both in Class 6A – are first and second in the state. The Patriots have a rating of 20.898, a little more than two points behind Bartow (22.956).
In fact, six of the top 10 teams in the FHSAA are seated in Class 6A.
Gulf Breeze, in Class 5A, isn’t far behind ranked 11th in the state. The Dolphins are the second-best team in Class 5A, sitting behind District 2’s Middleburg.
Playoffs begin at the end of April, with district tournaments starting on April 29 and going through May 2. Region tournaments for Classes 2A-4A start on May 8, while 5A-7A will kick off on May 9. Class 1A’s semifinals will also begin on May 9.
Here’s a breakdown of each class and the state rankings for area teams.