Mike Ridaught
Some of the top baseball and softball players in the area will suit it up one last time on Saturday.
Santa Fe High School in Alachua will host the North Florida All-Star Series softball and baseball regional All-Star games featuring players as far north as Jacksonville and as far south as Lake County.
“Hosting the event is exciting,” said Santa Fe baseball coach Travis Yeckring. “We’re humbled they thought of SFHS. This area loves baseball and our goal is to make everyone feel at home Saturday.”
Yeckring, who led Santa Fe to its best regular season winning percentage in school history, will be the head coach of the West All-Stars, who will face the East on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. He will be assisted by Justin Bruce of Suwannee (Live Oak).
Among the players on the West are Justen Crews, James Turner and Logan Carlisle of the Class 1A state champion Newberry Panthers, Ryan Brown of Santa Fe, and Caden Kresak, Cole Smithers, and Brett Blair of Buchholz (Gainesville).
Williston, Union County (Lake Butler), Columbia (Lake City) and Suwannee are also among the schools who will have players participating.
“I’m pumped,” Yeckring said. “It’s going to be a really cool experience to interact with the best talent in our area, so this is their reward for a great senior season. We’re going to have fun, but we’re all competitors so we’re going to try to win this thing as well.”
Game times for the baseball All-Star games on Saturday are 10 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 3 p.m.
Meanwhile, Santa Fe will also host the softball All-Star games.
Four Gainesville High players (Briana Boggs, Addison Joseph, Woodard, and Kourtney Bryant) will help make up the West squad, which will be coached by Bell’s Krystal Holley and Columbia’s Trudy Andrews.
Other players on the West team include Reece Chasteen and Caitlyn O’Sullivan of Columbia, Jessica White of Bell, Randa Goodwin and Reah Jones of Union County, and Ainslie Dacanay of Santa Fe.
The West will play the East at 10 a.m., followed by the East and the South at noon, and the West and the South at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10 all day for each event.