OAKLEAF - Oakleaf High softball has had its share of lumberjacks over the years; athletes with bats that launched balls "to infinity and beyond" as coach Heather Han has honed her lineup to look like a Howitzer as the Lady Knights have turned three consecutive early season losses into three consecutive pre-Spring Break wins with big numbers.

"In terms of moving the batting line up, we are trying to find the right mojo, creating competition and making sure our girls are in the best situation to be successful," said Oakleaf coach Heather Han.
Oakleaf has turned losses of 4-2 to West Nassau, 8-0 to East Lake and 10-1 to Episcopal into impressive wins of 4-1 over region nemesis Winter Springs, 5-2 over a quickly improving Fleming Island team, and an extraordinary 10-0 drubbing of Ridgeview.
Ironically, one of the big bats for Han has been pitcher extraordinaire Charlotte "Charley" Maddox who holds a .560 batting average with 14 hits leading the Knights. Maddox went three for three against West Nassau and four for four against Ridgeview and has zero strikeouts while sizzling the strike zone for 29 Ks from the mound.
As a team, Oakleaf has 11 doubles, 39 RBIs and 15 stolen bases which means nervous coaches in the third base dugout.
Amya Mirelez was a basher last year and still is, Meshayla Pettaway is dangerous in the box and on the bases and pumps out extra base hits; two doubles, two triples, to just keep infielders on their toes.
Han has a big plate of great teams on the docket with Fort White (5-1), University Christian (5-1) and Ridgeview in the next week with a strong Keystone Heights team in the wings.
The sounds of bats crunching on April 11 will be a must-see game as the Middleburg High Broncos (8-1) visit and bring their own lumberyard full of batcrackers; Hagan, Prather, Clarida with 38 RBIs between the excitable trio with Clarida on a trend for 20-30 homers (five to date), with Prather close by (three HR) and Hagan the mighty muscle man capable of sending the ball to space.
Middleburg got stymied by a tough Baldwin team, a 6-3 loss after a two-run homer from Clarida broke the game open in the second inning, but Baldwin answered with their dinger off Morgan Beckham to alter the game.
Coach Ashley Houston had to deal with a 14-strikeout effort by Baldwin pitcher Shaylen Byrd, with a season total of 79 whiffs thus far. Beckham has 49 with mound partner Lily Bennett slicing 38 batters.