The girls varsity softball team from Wellington High School had an impressive regular season this year and is now positioned for a strong run at a state championship.
That’s the main goal for a squad that is ranked as the top high school girls softball team in Palm Beach County and the 11th best high school softball team in the state. The Wolverines are rated the second-best softball team in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 7A rankings.
Under the leadership of coach Mark Boretti, the Wolverines compiled a 16-4 record during the regular season. Along the way, they had the best record in District 8, which gave Wellington the home-field advantage in its recent district tournament. Wellington defeated John I. Leonard High School on Monday, April 28 to reach the district championship game, which was held Wednesday, April 30.
In that game, Wellington hosted Jupiter High School, which defeated Palm Beach Central High School, 1-0, on Monday, April 28. The district championship game was a rematch of the March 7 regular season game, when Wellington defeated Jupiter, 4-0. The result of the April 30 matchup was not available at press time.
Win or lose against Jupiter in the district final, Wellington will receive a bid into the upcoming Class 7A state tournament, based on its lofty ranking. In fact, the odds of Wellington receiving the top seed in its region are quite strong, which puts Wellington in an advantageous position to win three straight regional games on May 8, 13 and 15, which will be necessary to reach the state finals, which are scheduled to be held at the Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood on May 23-24.
Boretti likes how his team is focused in practice and driven to succeed in games.
“We are playing very well right now, and I look forward to the challenge of districts and regionals,” Boretti said. “The team has become very cohesive as we continue to say ‘we’ and not ‘me.’ Pitching and defense, along with the timely hitting, that we have shown the last four weeks is what will get us back to our ultimate goal. We are winning and finally having a lot of fun doing it.”
The key performers for Wellington this past season have been senior Tori Payne, who has a stingy 0.95 earned run average as the team’s top pitcher. She is also the team’s leader in batting average (.426), on-base percentage (.523), slugging percentage (.726) and home runs (3). Other key statistical leaders for Wellington include senior Kaylee Riles, who leads the team in runs scored (20), stolen bases (8), fielding percentage (1.000) and triples (2), as well as junior Angelina Baronci, who has the most hits (25), runs batted in (18) and doubles (5).
During Boretti’s time as the head coach at WHS, the school’s best postseason performance was by the 2017 squad, which reached the Class 8A championship game, only to lose to Orange Park’s Oakleaf High School, 6-1.
