May 21, 2025
Eustis High School Lady Panthers Softball Advance To FHSAA Class 3A State Championship
By Kyle Coppola
Eustis High School Lady Panthers Softball Advance To FHSAA Class 3A State Championship
LONGWOOD, Fla. — The defending state champions are headed back to the big stage.
The Eustis High School Lady Panthers clinched a spot in the FHSAA Class 3A Softball State Championship for the second consecutive year after edging Wakulla High School 3-1 in a tense semifinal battle Wednesday at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Softball Complex.
Locked in a pitchers’ duel for much of the evening, Eustis struck first in the top of the third inning. Kendall Kemp ignited the offense with a single to left, and after Adrianna Covino drew a walk, Brooklyn Powhida delivered a grounder that plated Kemp. Powhida was thrown out trying to stretch the play to second base, but the damage was done, and Eustis led 1-0.
Wakulla responded in the bottom of the fourth, leveling the score at 1-1, but Lady Panthers ace Carson Roden remained poised. The senior pitcher, a rock for Eustis all season, regrouped quickly and shut down further threats with a commanding performance in the circle. Roden racked up six strikeouts.
In the fifth, Eustis retook control. Skyler Scott reached base with a single and stole second. Dalilah Taylor executed a perfect bunt to bring Scott home, giving the Lady Panthers a 2-1 lead. The offense added insurance in the sixth, when Emmy Luke tripled with one out and scored on a Brooklynn Mason single, stretching the lead to 3-1.
(Pitcher Carson Roden puts Eustis High’s name on the State Championship bracket with cheers from her teammates and parents.)
Roden encountered some pressure in the seventh with an early baserunner who scored, but strong defense behind her sealed the win and punched Eustis’ ticket back to the title game.
The Lady Panthers now turn their attention to Somerset Academy, the tournament’s top seed, who defeated Dunedin 9-2 earlier in the day. Both Roden and Somerset sophomore pitcher Ava Stevens were seen receiving postgame ice treatments on their throwing shoulders, setting up a compelling championship showdown between two standout arms on short rest.
This is what these girls have worked all year for! We are so proud of these girls and now just one game remains in the season and it’s the big one!
The Class 3A State Championship is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Softball Complex in Longwood.
Two of the best in the state. One final game. One champion.
Go Lady Panthers!
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
