ORANGE PARK – St. Johns Country Day School earned an opportunity to play in its fourth consecutive FHSAA Baseball Final Four by sweeping Tallahassee St. John Paul II in two games, 5-1 and 10-5, to move to the Class 1A championships at Fort Myers.
The Panthers lost in the Class 2A semifinals in 2023; they won the 2A championship in 2024 and they lost in the Class 1A title game a year ago. SJCDS will be the top-seeded team when they face Miami Schoolhouse Prep (17-13) on Thursday, May 14, at 10 a.m. at Hammond Stadium at the Lee Health Sports Complex.
To get there, SJCDS beat St. John Paul II 5-1 in the Region 1-1A Regional Finals on Friday, May 8, behind a pair of home runs and three RBI by Preston Cole and two runs driven in on two hits, including a double, by Madden Williams.
Then on Saturday, the Spartans closed out the best-of-three series with a 10-5 win.
Final Four games are single elimination games.
The Class 1A State Championship game will be on Saturday, May 16, at 11 a.m.
For complete coverage, see Clay Today's coverage in the May 14 edition.
