Longtime Southridge softball coach Gloria Satterfield passes away

   Miami-Dade County lost one of its softball coaching
pioneers Sunday when former Southridge coach Gloria
Satterfield died of lung cancer at the age of 69.

   Satterfield was the Spartans' first-ever softball coach,
hired in 1976, and led them to a record of 288-97 during her
17 seasons. She led Southridge to the state's slow-pitch state
championships five times in six seasons from 1983-1988.

   After the transition to fast-pitch softball under the
Florida High School Athletic Association in 1988, Satterfield
guided the Spartans to the playoffs twice, including a berth
in the 1992 Class 4A state championship game.

   Born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Satterfield graduated from Daniel
Webster High School and later from the Oklahoma College for
Women. In 1961, she moved to Miami and spent 15 years teaching
and coaching at Riviera Junior High before working at
Southridge.

   Satterfield was named The Miami News Softball Coach of the
Year in 1983 and 1987. She moved back to Oklahoma two years
ago. Last spring, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. After a
brief illness, she passed away early Sunday morning surrounded
by family members at her home in Jenks, Oklahoma.

Our sincerest condolences go out to Satterfield's family.

Several Dade and Broward athletes and coaches honored

Hey fans,

Over the past 10 days, a bunch of Dade and Broward's top performers from a memorable season were honored by the Florida Dairy Farmers Association.

Over the years, the group has not given many awards to this talent-rich area, but this season has been different.

Pat Dorsey and I compiled a list. Enjoy.

   • Palmetto's Kelly Saco, who led her team to a state
championship, collected another prestigious honor recently
when she was named the Association's Softball Player of the
Year.

   Saco is the first Dade recipient of this award since its
inception in 1993. She finished with a 16-2 record, 168
strikeouts, six shutouts and a 0.40 ERA. Saco, The Miami
Herald's Class 6A Pitcher of the Year, will play this fall at
Syracuse this fall.

   • Southridge runners Brandon O'Connor and Ebony Eutsey were
named the Track and Field Athletes of the Year.

   O'Connor was a state champion in the 200 and 400-meter
races, finishing with some of the fastest times in the country
this season. He ran a 20.82 in the 200 and a 47.12 in the 400.

   His coach, Rodney Wright, was named the Overall Boys' Coach
of the Year. Wright led the Spartans to their first state
championship and his teams have not lost a dual meet in five
seasons.

   Eutsey, who was recently named the Gatorade State Athlete
of the Year, ran a 23.79 in the 200 meters and a 53.85 in the
400 at state to win state titles in both. She recently ran the
fastest time in the nation (53.23) at an invitational meet
this summer.

   Her coach, Sam Burley, who is retiring this season and is a
member of the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of
Fame, was named Overall Girls' Coach of the Year. Burley led
the Spartans to their first state title in five seasons.

   • Thanks to Cypress Bay star Brennan Boyajian, boys' coach
Vince Grossi and St. Thomas Aquinas girls coach Carol
Deopsomer, Broward County accounted for three of the four high
school tennis award winners announced Thursday.

   Boyajian, bound for the University of North Carolina this
fall, won the Boys' Player of the Year award after going
undefeated and winning the 4A overall singles title. Grossi,
who led Boyajian and the Lightning to the 4A boys' team title,
took Boys' Coach of the Year honors.

   Deopsomer, who led the Raiders to their second consecutive
3A girls' title, won Girls' Coach of the Year. Only Girls'
Player of the Year Jacqueline Kasler of Gulf Breeze -- the 2A
state champion who edged finalists Amelia Martinez (Cypress
Bay; 4A overall singles winner) and Courtney Clayton (St.
Thomas Aquinas; 3A overall singles champion) -- kept Broward
from sweeping the awards.

   • Southwest senior outside hitter Jonathan Roldan was named
the Boys' Volleyball State Player of the Year after posting
459 kills, 107 aces, 157 digs and 63 blocks. Also The Miami
Herald's Player of the Year for Dade, guiding the Eagles to a
state championship.

   His coach Mauricio Diaz was named the Coach of the Year
after winning his second state title in six seasons after
leading Southwest to a 27-2 record. He has a career record of
230-31 and has led the Eagles to the state tournament four
times.

For a full list of winners chosen for the 2007-08 School Year, go to www.floridamilk.com/sports

South Florida's successful softballers

If you were watching ESPN2 this afternoon, you might have heard the words "from Hollywood, Fla." -- in reference to Charisse Mariconda, a St. Thomas Aquinas graduate and Virginia Tech softball player who was in the Hokies' lineup against Tennessee (announcer Pam Ward also called Mariconda "a nifty little third baseman" in the Hokies' 4-0 win.

Of Course, Mariconda's not the only South Florida softballer in the NCAAs regionals, being played this weekend nationwide:

• Houston senior Angel Shamblin (Hollywood Christian) threw a perfect game Friday in a 9-0 win against Delaware State.
• Stanford junior Missy Penna (Miami Southwest) struck out 14 batters Friday in a 4-0 win against Massachusetts.
• Pace's Kelley Montalvo, an Alabama junior, went 2 for 3 with two runs and an RBI in Friday's 10-1 win over Jacksonville State.
• UF's Tiffany DeFelice (American Heritage), UCF's Hillary Barrow (Felix Varela), USF's Cat Olnick (American Heritage), Auburn's Krista Clyde (Cypress Bay) and Tatiana Fernandez (Dade Christian), and Stony Brook's Casey Jacobs (Chaminade-Madonna) and Alyssa Struzenberg (Cooper City) all saw action Friday. UF's Stephanie Bronbacher (American Heritage), UCF's Diana Rojas (Lourdes), Auburn's Lauren Schmalz (Everglades), Notre Dame's Shannon Kelly (Hollywood Christian), Alabama's Crissy Owens (Braddock) and Florida State's Robyn Petrovich (South Plantation) also are on regional teams.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

Clauss headed to George Washington

Cooper City pitcher Kara Clauss will play softball at George Washington University next season. Clauss will join the Atlantic-10 school after going 10-4 and leading Cooper City to the Region 3-6A final in 2008 (a 2-1 loss to Palm Beach Gardens).

Clauss also no-hit Flanagan in the regional semifinal. She'll join a Colonials squad that went 12-27 in 2008.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

Pines Charter finishes at No. 4

After an undefeated start and five weeks at the top, Pembroke Pines Charter fell to No. 4 in USA Today's softball rankings after losing the 4A title game to Naples on Saturday. The Jaguars ended the season 30-1.

Naples jumped into the top 25, grabbing the final spot. Palmetto, which won the 6A championship by beating Palm Beach Gardens on Saturday, was listed in the "also receiving consideration" category.

(These rankings aren't final, though, as most other states haven't finished their seasons.)

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

A few signings...

This story in today's Herald highlighted a few signings from Archbishop McCarthy (which took place today at the school). Here's an updated list, with a couple of corrections/additions/updates:

• Football: Carlos Gonzalez, Bridgewater (Va.); Billy Scott, Concordia (Wisc.).
• Basketball: Jamar Gopie, Elms (Mass.); Jimmy Nolan, George Mason (walk-on); Mike Savery, Methodist (N.C.).
• Baseball: Alan Avila, Nova Southeastern; Sal Costanzo, Vassar (N.Y.); Chris Turnio, Nova Southeastern.
• Softball: Katie Mansilla, North Carolina St.; Alexa Martinez, Auburn.
• Soccer: Matt Delisle, Stetson; Kelsey Dunning, St. Thomas; Christine Mastandrea, Ave Maria (Fla.).
• Track: Andrew Deleo, Clemson; Alex Hueck, Mars Hill (N.C.); Gus Vazquez Milan, Kansas St.
• Wrestling: Colby Borchetta, Michigan State.
• Also, Armani Appolon (basketball/volleyball) and Jonathan Ramirez (football) still are undecided, according to the school.

Elsewhere in Broward, Cooper City basketball player Cayla Aaron will sign Monday with Fairmont (W.V.) State, a Division-II school that won the West Virginia Intercollegiate Conference's tournament last season and was ranked as high as 10th in D-II. She'll receive a full scholarship.

Congrats to these students, and athletes/parents/coaches/readers -- as always -- are encouraged to keep us posted on any other signing news.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

Broward's next state-championship team

As in, who's it gonna be? American Heritage won the 3A softball title Tuesday. St. Thomas Aquinas (3A boys) and Westminster Academy (2A boys) claimed track titles. And in tennis, Cypress Bay (4A boys), St. Thomas Aquinas (3A girls) and American Heritage (2A girls) each won.

Now, here are the remaining team-title contenders:

• In softball, one team's still out there: Undefeated Pembroke Pines Charter, which plays Glen St. Mary Baker County in Friday's 4A semifinal.
• Boys' volleyball, whose state tournament also kicks off Friday, features two Broward teams: Cooper City (which plays Lake Mary in the quarterfinals) and Cardinal Gibbons (Boca Raton Spanish River).
• Baseball -- still waiting on its best-of-three regionals (they start Friday) -- has several teams still around: Flanagan (6A; it plays at Lake Worth Park Vista), Nova (5A; at Stuart South Fork), Highlands Christian (2A; at Miami Christian), and American Heritage and Chaminade-Madonna, set for a head-to-head matchup in 3A.

So who's next? You decide.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

2008 regionals: A softball odyssey

Some observations from Tuesday's softball regional action (read about it here and here), which this reporter watched from Douglas High and SilverLakes Park South...

• At Douglas, the District 11-6A-champ Eagles fell 5-1 to Flanagan (District 12-6A runner-up). But that's not the end for Douglas, which finished the season 22-6 -- despite starting six freshmen. "They've got a good, young team," Flanagan coach Chandler Searcy said. "They're going to be great in the future."
• Same game, scary moment: Douglas pinch-hitter Kaitlyn Arnett took a Lauren Heil pitch off the helmet in the bottom of the seventh, then stayed on the ground (though obviously conscious) for a couple of minutes. Arnett left the game, but coach Joe Cotrone said she was OK afterward.
• Pines Charter had its batter intro music working Tuesday night. Most songs were of the typical pop variety (disappointingly, nobody picked Opeth's new single). But Gators everywhere rejoice; UF-bound senior Alicia Sisco took the batter's box to the Gator Chomp. Go Gators...
• There just might be something about the name Lauren, at least as Broward pitchers go. The aforementioned Heil, a UF-bound senior, moved to 11-1 on Tuesday, allowing just one run to an Eagles team she called "scrappy." Over at Pines Charter, junior Lauren Sewell (14-0) struck out 13 of the 15 batters she faced and didn't allow the ball to leave the infield. And in St. Thomas Aquinas' 1-0 win over Cape Coral Ida Baker, the winning pitcher: senior lefty Lauren Kramer, who went the distance in the shutout.

Next up, Friday's regional semifinals, featuring a few interesting matchups/rematches. As usual, you can read about it here, or in The Herald.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

Deep breath...

...and exhale. It's about to get crazy. Starting Monday, district tournaments in baseball and flag football kick off. But that's just the beginning.

By week's end, we'll know this year's:

• Boys' and girls' tennis state champions (decided Monday through Friday; navigate this page for schedules, 4A through 1A)
• Track results for Divisions 1A and 2A (1A on Friday, 2A on Saturday)
• Water polo state champs, both boys' and girls'
• Softball regional finalists (Brackets: 6A, 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A and 1A)

Plenty of teams/individuals from Broward and Dade in all sports, and plenty of contenders. Keep checking the Blog and The Herald for coverage.

--Patrick Dorsey (e-mail)

Another tourney down, 1 more to go...

...Or two, depending on how you look at it. Either way, Pembroke Pines Charter -- the nation's No. 1 softball team (according to USA Today and Rivals.com) -- grabbed another tournament title Thursday night, dropping Archbishop McCarthy 8-2 at Four Fields in Pompano Beach.

That means -- after wins at Speedball (in Pembroke Pines), Nike Faster to First (in Orange County, Calif.), Kissimmee and District 15-4A on Thursday -- the 26-0 Jaguars need to sweep through the regional/state bracket to get that coveted final championship, the one that means the most.

Coach Tom Fadul has been preaching "one game at a time" for a while. But soon it'll really be necessary.

"It's single-elimination now," he said Thursday.

Regionals start Tuesday.

--Patrick Dorsey

Monday afternoon clicks

A few Broward-related links of interest to surf through, before all the districts (softball, track, water polo) and regionals (tennis) intensify this week:

• Undefeated Pembroke Pines Charter, already No. 1 in USA Today's softball Super 25, picked up another No. 1 ranking (this one from StudentSportsSoftball.com, a parter of Rivals.com). The Jaguars begin their quest for a district title Tuesday at Pompano Beach's Four Fields.
• MaxPreps.com released its boys' and girls' basketball All-American teams from 2007-08. American Heritage junior guard Kenny Boynton was named honorable mention on the boys' side. For the girls, Fabiola Josil (Coral Glades) was on the "other seniors considered" list, while Sandra Garcia (American Heritage), Joanna Harden (Ely) and Erica Wheeler (Parkway) earned "juniors to watch" status.
• Rankings shift: For whatever reason, American Heritage first baseman Eric Hosmer fell from No. 3 to No. 6 in the most recent Sports Illustrated-affiliated Takkle.com baseball rankings. Hosmer's teammate, catcher Adrian Nieto, also fell (from No. 21 to 26), and Flanagan infielder Rolando Gomez dropped from No. 33 to 66. Another American Heritage Patriot, though, jumped -- pitcher JuanCarlos Sulbaran went from No. 40 to No. 27.

--Patrick Dorsey

USA Today: Pines Charter is No. 1

Pembroke Pines Charter coach Tom Fadul showed up to Thursday's practice with a few sheets of paper. On one of them: USA Today's fresh-off-the-web softball Super 25, which had his Jaguars ranked No. 1 -- up 11 spots from last week's rankings after dropping Eau Gallie at the Kissimmee Klassic.

And the Jaguars, already known as one of the few remaining undefeated teams in the nation, thought teams were gunning for them before Thursday.

Pines Charter (23-0) has one more regular season game -- Friday against a strong Cooper City squad -- before entering districts. More on their to-this-point dream season in Friday's Herald.

--Patrick Dorsey

Thursday news & notes

Here are some Broward-related tidbits on this Thursday:

• In case you missed it, Pine Crest girls' lacrosse dropped a heartbreaker at Park Vista on Tuesday to fall in the first round of the first-ever FHSAA state championship bracket. The Panthers jumped ahead 11-8, but the Cobras stayed undefeated with a second-half charge.
• In the boys' bracket, a tough matchup with St. Andrew's is looming for Broward champ St. Thomas Aquinas on Friday, after the 19-1 power rolled past Miami's Gulliver Prep on Tuesday. Check out Friday's Herald for more on St. Thomas' squad.
• More love for American Heritage's Eric Hosmer: USA Today on Thursday profiled the first baseman, who signed with Arizona State but is a certain Major League draft pick.
• According to USA Today's boys' Super 25, Hosmer's Patriots are No. 8 in the nation. The girls' Super 25 came out a week ago, with Pembroke Pines Charter (now 23-0) ranked No. 12 -- but they should climb in the next edition.

--Patrick Dorsey

What's the most you ever lost on a coin toss?

It wouldn't have been at No Country For Old Men level, but a coin still almost cost Pembroke Pines Charter softball a lot Saturday night at the Kissimmee Klassic.

With most of the tournament done, weather forced a coin toss to determine the winner of the Miami Palmetto-Palatka semifinal in the tournament's "blue" bracket. Palmetto "won," then had to "face" the Jaguars in perhaps the shortest championship game ever played. The winner: Pines Charter.

Still, what if the coin had rotated just one more time?

"It would have stunk," coach Tom Fadul said Sunday, "because our kids played so well."

Their results: A 4-0 win Saturday against Eau Gallie (recently rated No. 2 in USA Today's Super 25, 10 spots ahead of Pines Charter), along with a 5-0 win over Pace on Friday and Thursday's 2-0 shutout of Gulliver Prep.

That runs the Jaguars to 22-0 (not counting the coin toss, which wouldn't have tarnished their undefeated record), with games against Broward powers Flanagan and Cooper City this week and the district championships right after.

All for a team that's playing with "a very high level of confidence" -- one that even a coin toss can't derail, especially with all the close games the Jaguars have won.

"It just shows that our kids," Fadul said, "no matter what they have to face, they deal with it."

--Patrick Dorsey

Here we go again...

Pembroke Pines Charter softball is at it again. But they weren't the only teams in action Thursday:

• The Pines Charter Jaguars moved to 20 wins and no losses Thursday at the Kissimmee Klassic, winning another pitchers' duel (2-0 over Gulliver Prep). Check the box score here to see how another grind-it-out win played out.
• In non-tournament softball action, Cooper City's Kara Clauss (7-2) pitched a two-hit, 10-strikeout shutout in a 2-0 win against equally strong St. Thomas Aquinas. With these two teams, Pines Charter, Flanagan and a few others, Broward softball looks pretty strong this year.
• American Heritage baseball grabbed third Thursday at Palm Beach County's Gary Carter National Grand Slam Tournament, shutting out Wellington 8-0.
• Speaking of American Heritage, basketball player Kenny Boynton earned a Parade All-American bid for his play during his junior season. Read more here.
• Broward's first lacrosse district champion is...Pine Crest, whose girls' team downed St. Thomas Aquinas 11-8 on Thursday. The Panthers play Park Vista in next Tuesday's first-round play-in game. The boys' state representative will be decided Friday.

--Patrick Dorsey

Tournament update, Thursday edition

As expected, spring break hasn't exactly been a break for many of Broward's baseball and softball teams. Here's a bit of the tournament action that's going on:

• American Heritage dropped just its second game all season Wednesday, falling to Palm Beach Central in the semifinal of the Gary Carter National Grand Slam tournament. The 17-2 Patriots are in the bracket's consolation game Thursday against Wellington.
• Undefeated softball power Pembroke Pines Charter goes for another tournament win, this time in Central Florida for the Kissimmee Klassic (which also features Chaminade-Madonna and some teams from Dade). The Jaguars, you might remember, won their own Speedball tournament, then conquered the Nike Faster to First tourney in Orange County, Calif.
• Speaking of California, Cypress Bay baseball is in San Francisco this week, set to take on Menlo-Atherton (Calif.) High School Thursday afternoon (or evening, technically, with the time difference).

--Patrick Dorsey

Tuesday morning roundup

Just a few notes from Broward on this Tuesday...

• Local baseball powerhouse American Heritage won its opening game Monday at the Gary Carter National Grand Slam tournament up in Palm Beach County, 10-2 against Highlands Christian. Touted slugger Eric Hosmer also apparently won the home-run derby. Check out the bracket here; the Patriots are set to play East Boynton at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
• On the basketball rankings front: RISE Magazine, MaxPreps.com and USA Today have finalized their 2007-08 boys' basketball top 25s. State 5A champ Dillard stayed at the No. 18 spot in the RISE rankings, but didn't crack the other two lists. In Miami-Dade, USA Today listed Norland as its 24th-best team. As for the Rivals.com top 50, Dillard (No. 21), Norland (No. 38) and Boyd Anderson (No. 41) earned mentions.
• The first FHSAA district lacrosse tournaments started Monday, and Tuesday competition comes to Broward. The first girls' District 12 semifinal game (at St. Thomas Aquinas) starts at 5 p.m. The boys' District 11 semifinals (at Pine Crest) also begin at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
• Other baseball tournament action kicked off Monday, with Broward teams playing everywhere from Nova to Tallahassee to Golden Gate. More on that as the tourneys progress, along with softball and other sports.

--Patrick Dorsey

Thursday links, and more

Just a few clicks and tidbits of interest from the Broward high schools scene...

• Parkway Academy's Chelsey Lee (five points on 1-of-3 shooting) and the East lost 80-64 in last night's McDonald's All-American game in Milwaukee, but her future Rutgers teammates don't look too shabby.
• StudentSportsSoftball.com (partner of Rivals.com) posted a photo gallery from the Southern California-based Nike Faster to First softball tournament, which Pembroke Pines Charter (still undefeated after last night) won earlier this month. Check photos No. 22, 30 and 33 for the Jaguars' celebration shots. There's also a video, but it's not quite George Lucas-level.
• No surprise: Pines Charter tops the all-class rankings from Wednesday's first Miracle Sports softball poll (posted here by the Orlando Sentinel). Naturally, the Jaguars also rank as 4A's No. 1. Others showing up in the polls: Flanagan (No. 7, 6A), Cooper City (No. 13, 6A), St. Thomas Aquinas (No. 2, 5A -- also No. 9 in all-class), Archbishop McCarthy (No. 14, 4A), American Heritage (No. 2, 3A), Coral Springs Charter (No. 3, 3A), Westminster Christian (No. 5, 2A) and Hollywood Christian (No. 11, 2A).
• From the old-school files, apparently Chaminade-Madonna football star-turned-Hurricanes linebacker Glenn Cook has been one of UM's standout players this spring. Even better news for Cook: His spring won't be wasted, as he just received a sixth year of eligibility after sitting out last year with a foot injury.
• Looking ahead: The BCAA track championships are Saturday at Coral Springs, with the prelims having been completed the last two nights. More from Fabian Lyon in Friday's Herald.

--Patrick Dorsey

*Update* Pines Charter softball: A win for all of Florida

Pembroke Pines Charter softball coach Tom Fadul, weary from a 3 a.m. wakeup call and a cross-country flight, still found time to make a Sunday declaration:

“I think we put Florida on map and put Pembroke Pines on the map,” Fadul said after his team won the Nike Faster to First Classic in Orange County, Calif.  “All the hype was California this and California that, and it was kind of nice to go out there in their backyard and take it to ’em.”

That the Jaguars did. Pines Charter was the only team from east of Texas in the 26-team field – one that was as deep as the nearby Pacific Ocean.

StudentSportsSoftball.com, which is partnered with Rivals.com and produces national rankings, had 16 of the tournament’s teams in its preseason top 50. Pines Charter was No. 19 – well behind Sacramento’s Sheldon (No. 4), which the Jaguars beat 1-0 in the final.

The Jaguars (now 16-0, and sure to skyrocket in the rankings) also beat No. 12 Hart (Newhall, Calif.), No. 20 El Modena (Orange, Calif.), No. 39 Notre Dame (Belmont, Calif.) and unranked Wilson (Long Beach, Calif.) on their way to the title.

Fadul praised his team – especially his talented senior class – and the field, of which he said “everyone was deep in the lineup and every game was a game.” But he warned not to get too caught up in those rankings.

None looks better, at least on paper, than Pines Charter.

Behind the pitching of Audrey Broyles (who started three games and closed one) and Lauren Sewell (who started the other two), along with some timely hitting in the cold, windy weather, the Jaguars beat El Modena 2-0 Saturday afternoon and Sheldon 1-0 that evening.

Broyles earned the tournament’s MVP award, while Britanie Block, Brianna Chierico, Kandyce Redondo and Cassie Sigler were named to the all-tournament team.

The big picture, beyond what this means for Florida? First, there’s the obvious confidence boost.

But the real benefit: Getting five games of preparation – for the Kissimmee Klassic next month, then districts and state.

Fadul thinks the weekend win did just that.

“They’re very motivated,” he said of his players, “and they’ve got their eyes set on a better prize.”

Results:

Pines Charter 4, Hart 3 (Thursday); WP: Broyles

Pines Charter 6, Notre Dame 2 (Friday); WP: Sewell

Pines Charter 9, Wilson 3 (Friday); WP: Broyles

Pines Charter 2, El Modena 0 (Saturday); WP: Broyles

Pines Charter 1, Sheldon 0 (Saturday); WP: Sewell

--Patrick Dorsey

Pines Charter softball looks like team to beat

...or at least after this weekend, when the hosts won the hotly contested Speedball tournament for the third time in five years, dropping Cooper City 4-2 in Saturday's "gold bracket" final.

The Jaguars went 4-0 -- and didn't give up a run until the championship game. They beat Jensen Beach 10-0 and Monsignor Pace 14-0 on Friday, then reached the title game by blanking Space Coast 4-0.

Is a state title next? It's way too early to say, but last year's 6A champ, Everglades, won Speedball. The last two times Pines Charter won -- in 2004 and 2005 -- they took second at state.

Here's a look at the results for the tournament's four brackets, listed by order of finish:

• Gold Bracket: Pines Charter (4-0), Cooper City (3-1), Space Coast (3-1), American Heritage (1-3)
• Silver Bracket: Jensen Beach (3-1), Flanagan (3-1), Lake Wales (2-2), Everglades (1-3)
• Bronze Bracket: Cypress Bay (3-1), Coral Springs Charter (1-3), McArthur (2-2), Monsignor Pace (1-3)
• Copper Bracket: McCarthy (3-1), Key West (1-3), Florida Christian (1-3), Hollywood Christian (0-4)

--Patrick Dorsey

"The best tournament in South Florida"

That's what Tom Fadul called the annual StrikeZone's Speedball softball tournament, which starts Thursday and runs through Saturday.

Sure, Fadul's team (Pembroke Pines Charter) is the tournament's host, so he isn't the most objective of commenters. But looking at the 16 teams in this year's field, it's hard to argue with the Jaguars' coach:

• Two reigning state champions -- defending Speedball champion Everglades (6A) and Lake Wales (4A)
• One team bounced in the regional finals last year -- Pines Charter (4A)
• Five that made the regional semis -- Cooper City (6A), Archbishop McCarthy (4A), American Heritage and Florida Christian (3A) and Hollywood Christian (2A)
• Three more that made it out of districts -- Monsignor Pace, Key West and Space Coast
• And then there's Jensen Beach, McArthur, Cypress Bay, Coral Springs Charter and Flanagan -- which is 9-1 and also considered a contender at Speedball.

The tournament also has an interesting format -- instead of a typical 16-team bracket, each pool's teams are seeded 1 through 4. Then all the 1s play in a four-team bracket, as do the 2s, 3s and 4s. The winner of the "No. 1" bracket is declared champion.

Here's the schedule and pool division for the tournament, which kicks off at 4 p.m. Thursday at SilverLakes Park-South with is at 178th Ave. and Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines:

• Pool A: Pembroke Pines Charter, Hollywood Christian, Jensen Beach, Monsignor Pace
• Pool B: Lake Wales, McArthur, American Heritage, Archbishop McCarthy
• Pool C: Everglades, Cypress Bay, Space Coast, Key West
• Pool D: Cooper City, Flanagan, Coral Springs Charter, Florida Christian

Thursday's games: 4 p.m. -- American Heritage-McArthur (field SL-2), Coral Springs Charter-Flanagan (SL-3); 6 p.m. -- Pines Charter-Monsignor Pace (SL-1), Cooper City-Florida Christian (SL-2), Archbishop McCarthy-McArthur (SL-3).

Friday's games: 2 p.m. -- Florida Christian-Flanagan (SL-1), Hollywood Christian-Monsignor Pace (SL-3); 4 p.m. -- Pines Charter-Jensen Beach (SL-1), Lake Wales-American Heritage (SL-2), Key West-Cypress Bay (SL-3); 6 p.m. -- Cooper City-Coral Springs Charter (SL-2), Key West-Everglades (SL-3); 6:30 p.m. -- Space Coast-Cypress Bay (SL-1); 8 p.m. -- Hollywood Christian-Jensen Beach (SL-2), Lake Wales-Archbishop McCarthy (SL-3); 8:30 p.m. -- Space Coast-Everglades (SL-1).

Saturday: Bracket play begins at 8, with a new round set to start every two hours. The No. 1 bracket starts at 2 p.m., with the championship and consolation games beginning at 6.

--Patrick Dorsey