For Mitch Wilkins, and his Land O’ Lakes High Softball Team, it’s all about expecting the unexpected.
That’s what keeps the team grounded. And it’s also what keeps the Gators a dominant force season after season, including this year when they made a Class 6A state semifinal appearance for the second time in the past three seasons.
“We do have high expectations every year, but we don’t play the season that way,” the longtime coach said.
“We look at it one game at a time and at the beginning of every season, we tell the girls, we’re not going to talk about (the postseason) until we get there. We look at each game individually — we take it one opponent at a time.
“And they may talk about it amongst themselves,” Wilkins added. “They might say to each other that it will be cool to (go back to the state semifinals) and have their own expectations, but we just don’t go looking too far ahead into the season.
“Because anything can happen.”
Despite that, as well as being written off as a team that couldn’t make it as far as the Gators did, Land O’ Lakes made it back to the Class 6A state tournament. However, the Gators ultimately fell 3-0 to Pace High on May 26, in a game in which their bats were held at bay and their batters struck out 17 times.
“In that game, at the plate, we didn’t make the adjustments to finally break through,” Wilkins said. “We did get runners to second and third (base), but couldn’t get that key hit.”
Pace’s Jayden Heavener was the culprit that kept Land O’ Lakes (19-12) scoreless and held to just a single hit by senior Hannah Purcell. Heavener has been a thorn in the Gators side since she was a freshman in 2021, when two years ago, in the same 6A state semifinal, Heavener struck out 10 Gators.
However, Land O’ Lakes was able to get to the pitcher in the seventh and advance to the state championship, though had to settle for being the 6A runner up.
“We kept in the game,” Wilkins said. “We kept it close. As a coach, you can’t ask for more from your players.”
That was in big part due to senior pitcher Aliana Mercado, who, as Wilkins put it, “pitched her heart out.”
Mercado pitched the whole game, allowing three runs on three hits. She struck out seven. The Sunshine Athletic Conference East Pitcher of the Year finished the season with a 15-6 record, 167 strikeouts and a 2.02 ERA.
“I’d love to brag about my girls and how well they’ve done, but they still had to go out there and earn the respect and the wins,” Wilkins said.
“And this season, I think they did.”
And brag Wilkins will, as humble as he can still be.
While Wilkins is losing eight graduating seniors, he knows that players such as catcher Makenna Bellaire (.400 avg., 38 hits, 17 RBI, 9 doubles, 3 triples, 3 homers), second baseman Jadyn Spencer (.333 avg., 30 hits, 10 RBI, 7 doubles) and Purcell (.341 avg., 29 hits, 17 RBI, 8 doubles, triple, 3 homers) were key players for the Gators, especially down the stretch.
This also includes the return of centerfielder Nicol Werking, who was able to make it back in time for a postseason push after breaking her hand at the start of the season. Wilkins says getting Werking back was a stabilizing force in the outfield. But he reiterated injuries like this are among the factors that can influence a team’s performance each season.
“This is why you just look at one game at a time because you never know what could happen,” he said. “Plus, it’s a challenge to get (to the state tournament) and that is why we play a tough schedule every year, not to just prepare them for the postseason, but because strength of schedule helps us get into regionals without winning the district tournament.”
Indeed, the Gators did not win a district championship this season and were the No. 5 seed in the region tournament.
Wilkins feels losing 7-6 in 10 innings to Sickles in the district tournament told the players all they needed to know about advancing deep into the postseason once again.
“We did it without some of our key players (Mercado and third baseman Jailal Mitchell)” he added. “After that, they knew they could play with anyone.”
Which is how Wilkins and the returning Gators feel headed into this offseason. Even though they still won’t look too far ahead to what’s in store for 2024.
“I will tell you, next year, we will be competitive, and that’s the most you’ll get out of me,” Wilkins said with a laugh. “We’re not going to get too ahead of ourselves and say we’ll be great and, to me, that’s not being humble — it’s just where we need to be.
“We can come out with high expectations and small things can happen again and you’re not as good as you expected.
“But I’m really proud of our girls,” he added. “They give themselves an opportunity every year to compete at the highest levels and it takes skill, and a little bit of luck to go (as far as we did). Once they get to the playoffs, they really turn it up a notch and I love seeing that every year.”
Published June 07, 2023
