Softball was far and away the team sport where area programs collectively had the most success this past school year.
Six squads qualified for the state playoffs, with five claiming district titles. Half of the six qualifiers won playoff games as John Carroll Catholic, Jensen Beach and St. Lucie West Centennial each made deep postseason runs.
The Rams and longtime head coach Rico Rosado made it to state for the time since 2019 and finished with an area-best record of 24-7. The Falcons and Eagles ended 14- and 24-year droughts, respectively, by reaching their regional finals.
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Those three schools featured the best the area had to offer, but there were others who were spectacular in their own right. Below, we recognized the players who had the finest seasons this past spring.
Player of the Year
Mallory Wheeler, Jensen Beach
Year: Senior
Highlights: She didn’t put up the very best stats in the circle or wasn’t the best in the batter’s box, but no one combined both skills better than the Louisiana signee. Wheeler was the top reason why the Falcons advanced to their first regional since 2010 as she produced a 1.27 ERA, 257 strikeouts, a .164 opponents batting average and three no-hitters, one coming against St. Brendan’s during the regional semifinals. Offensively, she paced Jensen Beach in batting average (.384), home runs (7), RBI (25), hits (33), doubles (7), as well as on-base (.426) and slugging percentage (.755).
Pitcher of the Year
Hailey Brereton, St. Lucie West Centennial
Year: Junior
Highlights: The only pitcher better than Wheeler this past season was this Murray State softball commit. Brereton’s array of pitches were nothing short of nasty, as she blew balls by bats to the tune of 365 strikeouts, which was good for ninth in the country. Additionally, she was among the area leaders in ERA (0.91) and opponent’s batting average (.109). At times, the junior was untouchable, as she was credited with four no-hitters and three perfect games, one coming in a regional quarterfinal victory over Harmony.
Coach of the Year
Richard Vasquez, St. Lucie West Centennial
Highlights: Four defeats to open 2024 could’ve been derailing, but Vasquez kept the Eagles on track. Centennial responded with a 12-game winning streak and went 21-4 the rest of the way to finish as the area’s highest-ranked team. The team repeated as District 11-7A champions and advanced to its first regional final since 2000.
Softball All-Area First Team
Keyhara Alleyne, St. Lucie West Centennial
Year: Senior
Highlights: A threat to send a pitch into orbit every time she steps up to the plate, Alleyne was one of the most feared bats on the Treasure Coast. She clubbed four home runs this season, none bigger than her two-run home run to lift the Eagles to a walk-off victory in the district championship game against Treasure Coast. She batted .298 with a team-best 25 RBI and 10 doubles while posting a .997 fielding percentage from behind the plate.
Rily Biggers, Sebastian River
Year: Sophom*ore
Highlights: Biggers regularly won battles with the opposing pitcher, batting .525. She recorded 42 hits, 16 going for extra bases (12 doubles, 3 triples, 1 home run). Biggers also paced the Sharks with 26 runs scored and was tied for the team lead with 17 RBI.
Mallory Collier, Okeechobee
Year: Senior
Highlights: Collier hit for both power and average during her final high school campaign. The Brahmans star tied Wheeler for the area lead with seven home runs to go with 28 RBI and 26 runs scored. She also batted .490 with three doubles and four triples.
Jaelyn Cooke, St. Lucie West Centennial
Year: Freshman
Highlights: Whether using her legs or her bat, Cooke served as a spark plug during the Eagles’ run to the regional finals. She batted .333 with two home runs, 16 RBI, seven doubles and two triples. Cooke produced team-bests in hits (32), runs scored (35) and stolen bases (15).
Abbie Dewaters, South Fork
Year: Junior
Highlights: Last season’s Player of the Year remained a force in the middle of the Bulldogs lineup by leading the squad in hits (24), doubles (8) and RBI (23). She displayed power by hitting home runs to accompany her .414 average.
Alice Dewaters, South Fork
Year: Senior
Highlights: The older of the two Dewaters sisters had her season cut short due to injury, but she still put up some of the area’s best numbers in an abbreviated season. Striking out once in 58 plate appearances, the South Florida signee batted .468 with 19 runs scored. Additionally, she was only caught once in 12 stolen-base attempts and did not record an error fielding first base.
Martha Jones, Jensen Beach
Year: Senior
Highlights: She was no stranger to causing havoc while on the bases, swiping 23 bags, second only to Master’s Academy sophom*ore Alison Viersma for tops in the area. Jones contributed in other ways, batting .365 with a team-best 35 runs scored while recording one error in 60 total chances in the outfield.
Sophia Loreto, John Carroll Catholic
Year: Senior
Highlights: Loreto proved invaluable as the only senior on a squad that was the area’s last team standing and won more games than anyone else. The Indian River State signee paced the Rams with a .459 batting average with a home run, eight doubles, 13 walks and 26 runs. But her numbers only tell a portion of the story as the shortstop came clutch in pivotal moments, namely delivering the game-winning hit during the team’s regional quarterfinal win over Oxbridge Academy.
Makayla Megnauth, Lincoln Park Academy
Year: Seventh grade
Highlights: The youngest player on the first team gave competitors a glance of what’s to come. Megnauth performed well beyond her years in helping the Greyhounds to the District 13-3A title. She batted .459 with 22 runs scored. But her biggest impact came from the circle, going 10-6 with a 0.82 ERA and 228 strikeouts through 110 1/3 innings.
Kennedy Moody, Treasure Coast
Year: Senior
Highlights: Another catcher to make the First Team was an RBI machine; no player drove in more runs (34) than Moody. She made the Titans offense go, batting a team-best .473 with a home run, eight doubles, four triples and 24 runs scored. But it wasn’t just her bat that was impressive as she did not commit an error in 111 chances.
Makayla Ortiz, John Carroll Catholic
Year: Sophom*ore
Highlights: Ortiz suffered an injury midway through the season and missed a month of action, but she returned in time for the postseason to help the Rams reach the Final Four. She was the top option in the circle, recording an 8-3 record with a 1.59 ERA and 70 strikeouts through 66 innings. Offensively, she batted .410 with a home run, 16 RBI, six doubles and 23 runs scored.
Isabella Ramirez, John Carroll Catholic
Year: Junior
Highlights: Ramirez held down the fort when Ortiz went down, posting a 2.10 ERA while leading the team in appearances (17), innings pitched (78 1/3) and strikeouts (72). She also was a critical bat in the Rams lineup, batting .429 with a home run, 30 RBI, seven doubles and a team-best 33 runs scored.
Second Team
Kiera Carow, Sebastian River junior
Gabrielle Espich, Vero Beach sophom*ore
Aubrey Grall, Master’s Academy eighth grader
Amelia Hannah, Martin County junior
Lilly Herndon, Fort Pierce Central junior
Abbey Moore, South Fork senior
Justice Monds, Lincoln Park Academy eighth grader
Mackenzie Mostoller, John Carroll Catholic freshman
Emma Ortiz, South Fork junior
Briley Orton, John Carroll Catholic junior
Lexie Phillips, Treasure Coast senior
Myrna Pratt, St. Lucie West Centennial sophom*ore
Molly Santiago, Jensen Beach sophom*ore
Lusmari Segura, Jensen Beach senior
Emma Youngblood, Vero Beach sophom*ore
Honorable Mention
Kylie Coblentz, St. Lucie West Centennial junior
Gianna DeRicco, Morningside Academy eighth grader
Elli Hernandez, South Fork sophom*ore
Katelyn Kidwell, South Fork senior
Mia La Terra, Treasure Coast junior
Mikale Lemons, John Carroll Catholic junior
Savannah McMichael, Treasure Coast senior
Kylie Newberry, Martin County freshman
Dayna Patten, Vero Beach senior
Autumn Prakash, St. Lucie West Centennial junior
Lilly Rollinger, John Carroll Catholic freshman
Aspen Thomas, Fort Pierce Central freshman
Ciana Vergas, Martin County junior
Melissa Viersma, Master’s Academy senior
Whitney Villars, Sebastian River junior
Kathryn Worley, Treasure Coast junior
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. Hecan be reached at772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: 2024 TCPalm All-Area: See the Treasure Coast's best in softball
