- The Columbia Tigers won the 2026 Class 4A state softball championship and had five players selected for the All Area Big School Softball Team.
- Santa Fe (Alachua), which got within a game of the final four, was next with three selections, including one of the top freshmen in the country.
- Gainesville's Leanna Bourdage, who finished third in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A POY, reached a milestone with her 500th strikeout.
Editor’s Note: This is the third of five stories unveiling the 2026 Bosshardt Realty All Area Softball and Baseball Teams. Click here to read about the Small School Softball Team and the Small School Baseball Team.
The Columbia (Lake City) softball team is reaping the benefits of a lengthy playoff run in 2026.
The Class 4A state champion Tigers dominated the 2026 Bosshardt Realty Big School All Area Softball Team with five of the 12 selections.
Two of those players are in the infield, including the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 4A Player of the Year.
Freshman Alannah Lord earned the state’s top recognition for her classification following a sensational freshman season.
She batted a team-best .446 with 10 doubles, two triples, five home runs (HR), 44 runs scored (RS), 37 runs batted in (RBI), and 12 stolen bases (SB). Lord ranked second in Class 4A in RBI and third in RS.
“Alannah is a special player. I have always heard coaches say when you have one you know it, well she fits that mold,” said Columbia coach Joe Saucier, the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 4A and overall Coach of the Year. “She is able to get to balls in the hole and make the throw for an out that other shortstops can’t even touch. She has a great ability to see where the ball is going before it’s hit and has a huge first step. She will be fun to watch for another three years.”
Josie Raulerson joins her teammate in the infield after finishing second behind Lord with a .432 average and a team-best .505 on-base percentage (OBP). She had 38 hits, six doubles, two triples, five HRs, 37 RBI, and a .716 slugging percentage (SLG%).
“I am super proud of Josie’s resilience for not getting down on herself when she had a slow start,” Saucier said of the junior. “She just kept saying, ‘I’m seeing it well, coach, it’s coming,’ then about five to six games in, it turned around, and she never looked back. She has played a lot of high-level ball and was battle tested coming down the stretch, where she hit over .600 in the final two games.”
Senior Emily Delgado was recognized as the top catcher in the area.
She led the Tigers with 13 doubles, seven HRs and a .784 SLG%.
“Emily has improved the most mentally on offense and defense,” Saucier said. “It was something I worked with her on over the last two years to quit trying to be perfect and play ball. Stay in the moment and don’t try to do too much. Take the championship game as an example. We noticed the alignment of the right fielder, so her approach was to hit it backside and score these runs. She executed it perfectly.”
Delgado led the team with 175 total chances and 157 putouts on defense and finished second with a .971 fielding percentage.
“Defensively, she cut down on the unnecessary throws and behind runners and stayed in the moment of each pitch,” Saucier said. “She will be missed as she had a tremendous senior year.”
Columbia senior Luisa Taylor is one of three outfielders to make the team.
Taylor batted .363 with 37 hits, 38 RS, 12 RBI, six doubles, two triples and a HR.
“Luisa is a silent killer; her difference on defense doesn’t always show up in the box score,” Saucier said. “The diving catches, the strong throws to hold runners to singles, or the robbing of HRs (none bigger than the Regional final vs Baker) don’t always show, but they can change a game in the drop of a dime. She is a gamechanger for sure. She was a great leadoff hitter for us and a four-year starter that will be tough to replace.”
Columbia’s freshman pitcher Ryleigh Stone made the team after helping lead the Tigers to their first state title since 2012.
Stone, who pitched a complete game in a 3-2 win against Lake Wales in the 4A state championship game, was 15-1 with a 1.22 ERA and nine complete games. In 109 innings pitched, she allowed just 19 earned runs with 57 walks and 125 strikeouts.
“Ryleigh Stone, or ‘Stone Cold’ as I call her, doesn’t get rattled,” Saucier said. “She has ice in her veins no matter the situation, nobody on or bases loaded in the state final game, she is the same mild-mannered young lady. It takes a special person to not get too high or too low based on the situation and it’s a great asset when she is one of your pitchers in the circle.”
Offensively, she batted .406 with 26 hits, 13 RBI, three doubles, one triple and one HR.
“She needs to be in the conversation of one of the most talented freshmen in the state,” Saucier said. “Not only is she lights out in the circle, but her bat was huge for us when it mattered most. She was 4-for-4 with four RBI in the regional final game. Love me some 77.”
The other All Area pitcher is junior Leanna Bourdage of Gainesville High School.
Bourdage, who is committed to play at Texas A&M University, helped lead the Hurricanes (16-7) to a third straight region final and the FHSAA Class 5A-District 5 title.
She was second on the team with a .364 average, eight doubles, and 24 hits, and she led GHS in OBP (.442), HRs (3), RS (23) and SLG% (.621).
Bourdage, who finished third in the voting for the Florida Dairy Farmers Class 6A POY, reached a milestone with her 500th strikeout. She finished 14-4 with a 0.86 ERA, with 55 walks and 227 strikeouts in 122 innings pitched.
“Leanna had another impressive season,” said GHS coach Chris Chronister. “Coming back after off-season surgery, she picked up right where she left off. Her dominance in the circle allowed our team to compete with some of the best teams in the state. She was also a major contributor on offense.”
Santa Fe (Alachua), which got within a game of the final four, was next with three selections, including one of the top freshmen in the country.
Rylee “Roo” Swilley entered the season as the nation’s No. 1 freshman pitcher, according to Line Drive Media, but her versatility put her on the team as a utility player.
Swilley led the Raiders (24-4) with nine HRs, 39 RBI, a .902 SLG%, and she tied for the team lead with nine doubles.
In the circle, she was 19-3 with a 0.69 ERA. Swilley, who only committed one error in 54 total chances (.981), walked 18 batters and struck out 130 in 112 innings pitched.
“She is one player who would play wherever I asked her to play,” said Santa Fe coach Gene Findley. “She is a very strong player and just a really great athlete. She’s a threat all the way around — in the circle, at the plate and in the infield, either first base or shortstop when she’s not pitching.”
The final member of the infield is Maren Hornsby of Santa Fe.
The junior led the Raiders in five offensive categories, including batting average (.584), which ranked sixth in Class 3A, hits (52), RS (43), SB (18) and OBP (.619).
“She was a solid leadoff batter and solid at shortstop,” Findley said. “I always know when she gets on base, we are almost always going to score as she is quick to steal a base or two to get that run.”
Teammate Madisen Crosby is among the three outfielders on the team.
The senior, who batted .420, led Santa Fe in triples (six) and was second on the team with four HRs, nine SB and SLG% (.741).
“She was a solid hitter and played a tough center field position,” Findley said. “She was definitely good at reading those balls, especially the ones that went in the gaps.”
Buchholz, which made its first playoff appearance since 2014, was next with two team members.
Freshmen Grace Lariz-McDaniel and Madison Hooper joined Swilley as utility players on the All Area team.
Lariz-McDaniel ranked No. 10 in Line Drive Media’s HOT 100 and Hooper ranked No. 33 in the 2029 class.
Both had huge impacts offensively and defensively for Buchholz (17-10), which advanced to the regional tournament for the first time in 12 years and only the second time in the last 20 years.
“Grace’s ability to play multiple positions (P, C, INF, OF) at a high level (.987 FP%, 55 POs, 20 assists, 49 IPs, 3.71 ERA, 46 Ks) was probably more valuable than her impressive hitting (.494 BA, .600 OBP, .605 SLG, 40 Hits, 28 SB, 23 BBs and 51 runs (eighth in FL in runs scored),” said Buchholz coach Will Hooper. “Madison (P/3B) also was extremely valuable on the mound (86.2 IP, 7 W 3 L, 3.31 ERA, 53 Ks, four complete games and one shutout) against some of our toughest competition in Gainesville, Columbia, among others, to go along with 28 POs and 40 assists defensively between pitching and third base.”
Madison batted .426 with a .467 OBP, .500 SLG%, 40 Hits, 27 RS, seven doubles, and she was fifth in Florida with 49 RBI.
“Those types of numbers are rare at the high school level, especially for freshmen,” Hooper said.
Lariz-McDaniel was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association (FACA) District 7 Class 6A POY, while Swilley (3A) and Bourdage (6A) were other big school winners in their classification.
Rounding out the team is outfielder Tristan LayfieldofNewberry High School.
“As a freshman, Tristan led the team in RBIs and this season she led the team in almost every offensive category,” said Newberry coach Michele Roundtree. “She filled in at third base and in left field, making crucial plays in big game moments.”
Layfield batted .420 with a team-best 29 hits, two triples, 25 SB, and a .536 SLG%. She also drove in 13 runs, scored 18, and had a .467 OBP.
“Overall, Tristan is just a baller and fierce competitor,” Roundtree said. “At every turn, Tristan is going to challenge the opposition. If it’s in practice, she’s going to push her teammates. If she has a misplay, she’s going to do it again until she gets it right and then one more time just to be sure.”
The sophomore helped lead the Panthers (14-9) to their second straight district title.
“She’s a joy to coach and a truly fun athlete to watch because she plays the game with grit and charisma,” Roundtree said. “With her speed, talent and work ethic, I see her softball days extending well beyond high school, though she has certainly created a lasting impact for Newberry softball.”
2026 Bosshardt Realty All Area Big School Baseball (Class 2A-6A)
C – Emily Delgado, Columbia (Lake City) (SR)
INF – Alannah Lord, Columbia (Lake City) (FR)
INF – Maren Hornsby, Santa Fe (Alachua) (JR)
INF – Josie Raulerson, Columbia (Lake City) (JR)
OF – Luisa Taylor, Columbia (Lake City) (SR)
OF – Tristan Layfield, Newberry (SO)
OF – Madisen Crosby, Santa Fe (Alachua) (SR)
Utility – Grace Lariz-McDaniel, Buchholz (FR)
Utility – Rylee Swilley, Santa Fe (Alachua) (FR)
Utility – Madison Hooper, Buchholz (FR)
P – Leanna Bourdage, GHS (JR)
P – Ryleigh Stone, Columbia (Lake City) (FR)
Honorable mentions
Bradford (Starke) – Lila Sutton (SR), Kingslee Phillips (SO), Regan Adams (SO), Taryn Flowers (SO)
Buchholz – Jordyn Cooper (JR), Quaniyah Robinson (JR), Avery Fullam (FR)
Columbia (Lake City) – Anna Dansby (SR), Kinley King (JR), Marlee Hunt (SO)
Eastside – Jayla Lane (JR), Rihanna Gardner (JR)
Gainesville – Lana Renicks (SR), Emma Barton (SR), Adriana Koralewski (SR), Taylor Rogers (SO)
Keystone Heights – Amberlea Wagner (SR), Kadence Massey (SR), Bella Cumbo (SO), Cadie Bowels (FR)
Newberry – Sarah Burns (SR), Madison Rodgers (JR), Chloe Jones (JR), Riley Keith (JR)
Santa Fe (Alachua) – Ainslea Kelsoe (JR), Juliana Mott (JR), Callie Blair (JR), Ryleigh Davis (SO), Corrie Wheeler (FR)
Suwannee (Live Oak) – Brianna Woods (SR), Felicity May (JR), Maylee Gabey (JR)