Plant City High School Softball

By Victoria Shawgo

“Hustle beats talent.” This is the motto Coach Brittany Sweeney has used this year to motivate the players of the Plant City Raiders softball team. The girls have worked hard this season, closing it out with a winning 13-10 record and making it to the second round of the post-season district tournament; coming just shy of advancing to regionals.

“We’ve been rebuilding the program for the last couple of years,” remarked Sweeney, “and this has been our best season yet, so we’re moving in the right direction.”

A Plant City native, Sweeney has been a part of the Raider’s coaching team for four years and has led them as head coach for the past three. She grew up playing ball, starting at the age of 5 with Plant City Little League and playing all the way through high school at Durant and beyond, ending her career at Brevard Community College. Now she is able to use her sixteen years of experience on the field to shape and mentor the players on her team.

One such player is Ginger Hernandez, a senior pitcher whose performance at the mound was outstanding.

“She has worked very hard and has thrown really well this season,” said Sweeney, who recognized her as one of the team’s standouts this year. Hernandez has aspirations to play college ball and has just recently committed to East Georgia State College.

“My favorite part about the season was making new friends and winning and losing together,” she shared.

This year’s Raiders team consisted of 14 players, four of which were graduating seniors including Hernandez, Michiaiah Hogan, Jaylina Tucker, and Ava Zeff.

Though they finished with a winning record, the season was not without its challenges, the greatest of which being multiple injuries that Coach Sweeney feels held them back. Senior Ava Zeff was one of the players affected. Zeff was injured early on and spent the majority of the season recovering, only to receive a concussion upon her return to the field. Despite these frustrating circumstances, the team continued pulling together.

“Honestly, it’s just taking it day by day and game by game,” Sweeney explained.

This step-by-step approach led the team forward to some of the season’s high points. Two such highlights came from sophomores Kylie Burden and Katelyn Jordan who both hit home runs over the fence during the course of the regular season. The younger players that will continue with the team comprise a strong group that Sweeney feels will continue the team’s trajectory upward.

“I’m excited about the future, younger talent coming in,” she commented. “I really think they’re going to play a huge factor in us being more successful.”

Though the season has ended, Sweeney is looking forward to the Fall and the possibilities it brings.