Coming into the spring season of sports, We take a brief look at all the prep-softball teams across Hernando County and what to look forward to during this upcoming 2021 campaign.
Nature Coast: If the ending of the 2020 season hurt any Hernando County softball team the most, it was the Sharks. Loaded and gearing up for a deep postseason run, Nature Coast was sitting at a perfect 8-0 when the season was shut down due to coronavirus. Now the Sharks are back and still stacked across the board. Nature Coast started off the regular season with an impressive 7-2 win over Inverness Citrus. The Sharks will get matchups against county foes Springstead and Hernando up next.
Springstead: The Eagles were in a rebuilding stage this time last year, as they finished 2-5 through the seven games played. Springstead’s only two wins came over Central and Weeki Wachee, scoring the majority of their runs in those two victories. Now Springstead looks to regain its former form entering this 2021 campaign and the Eagles have the talent in getting back to being a district contender.
Hernando: One team that has always remained consistent throughout the years is Hernando, which isn’t far removed from reaching a region final berth. The Leopards closed out 2020 with a record of 6-2 and the only two losses came against Tarpon Springs East Lake and rival Nature Coast. The Leopards are off and running to this 2021 campaign after breezing by Weeki Wachee 19-0. Olivia Townsend pitched a shutout, striking out seven batters.
Central: The season has started off already for the Bears and they’ve faced two tough opponents which were Hudson Fivay and Lecanto. The Bears are at 0-2 but have played more competitively the last couple of seasons. Look for the Bears to battle with teams week in and week out. There’s no doubt about it that they have a tough slate of games.
Weeki Wachee: The Hornets were starting to turn the corner a little bit last year before the pandemic began and they’ve come a long way from where they were in 2019. Just a couple of seasons ago, Weeki Wachee finished 2-22 and that was beginning to look like a trend. The Hornets won two games through nine played contests last year and should be more competitive as the season progresses.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
