Grayson Shehan slid into home plate, flexed, put his emotion on display and ignited an eruption of cheers from his teammates in the dugout.
Here at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on a hot and humid Wednesday afternoon, the Royals were now up two runs in the seventh inning of a 1A state semifinal against second-ranked Lafayette.
Another no-hitter by Jayden Heavener. Another big day at the plate for Shelby McKenzie.
When those two are on, and the rest of the team plays at a high level as well, the Pace Patriots are a tough team to beat, especially in the postseason.
A big day for Jay is ahead as the Royals play in the 1A state final four Wednesday.
In the state semifinal round for the first time since 2010, Jay takes on Lafayette at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Game time is 1 p.m. EST.
Jax Lowery fired a pitch at the plate before Nick Baxley fielded a ground ball at first, stepped on the bag and sealed the deal on a dream come true for Jay’s baseball team.
Don’t bother pinching yourself. The Royals really are headed to the state final four.
A tornado ripped through Jay early Friday morning, downing trees, destroying property, and leaving many in the area without power.
It also left the Royals wondering if they’d get to play their Region 1-1A baseball championship game at home Saturday against Paxton.
A special season for Pace’s flag football team ended Friday night.
Playing in the state final four for the first time in program history, the Patriots fell 12-6 to Miami Palmetto in a 2A semifinal at the AdventHealth Training Center, the indoor practice facility of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Beyond the tears and heartbreak of a season ending Thursday night, there was likely a sense of accomplishment as well for this Jay softball program, though it might not be fully appreciated until the sting of defeat wears off.
The Royals have been to the state final four the last three years, winning it all in 2022, but the dream of a fourth consecutive appearance was dashed with a 4-1 Region 1-1A semifinal loss to Holmes County on a warm evening at CH Cannon Field.
Pace’s Region 1-6A quarterfinal against Oviedo on Thursday started off a little rocky. The Patriots trailed the Lions by a couple of runs out of the gate after a first-inning home run.
But the rest of the night belonged to Pace, which dominated in a 12-2 run-rule victory at home.
Two Santa Rosa County athletes won championships at their respective regional meets this week at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
Pace’s Rylee Henderson is a regional champion in the discus in 4A while Dakota Bowman of Central won a high jump title .
Spring practice wraps up next week for Pace’s football team and head coach Kent Smith likes the progress that has been made up to this point.
But there is still work to be done.
