No. 1 Nature Coast (8-0): If there’s one team that’s just blowing through the competition this spring it has been the Nature Coast Sharks. The Sharks have run off with eight straight wins to start the season and have outscored opponents 57-10. Throw in a dominant 18-1 win over rival Springstead and it’s been a picture-perfect start.
No. 2 Hernando (6-0): The other Hernando County team that has played nearly flawless baseball to start the season is the Leopards, who are undefeated through six games. Though the Leopards have faced Weeki Wachee, Lecanto, and Inverness Citrus to start, this Hernando team will be one to watch throughout the season.
No. 3 Weeki Wachee (3-4): The results have been a mixed bag to start off for the Weeki Wachee Hornets. After starting off the season at 0-4, the Hornets have ripped off wins against Lecanto and Seven Rivers Christian. There’s no doubt that it will be a bumpy road throughout the season, but the Hornets have bounced back from a suspect start.
No. 4 Springstead (2-3): In what is usually a very sound program consistently every year, it’s an unusual start for the Eagles in 2021. Springstead is below the .500 mark through five games and though the Eagles played Nature Coast determinedly in their second meeting, the first one wasn’t so pretty. Expect the Eagles to pull things together as the season progresses.
No. 5 Central (0-7): The competition has been stiff for the Central Bears through the first seven games, with opponents like Nature Coast, Bushnell South Sumter, and New Port Richey River Ridge on the slate. The Bears are not far removed from a postseason year and if they want to have a chance at another playoff berth, they’ll need to string together some wins and fast.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
