PCHS Bulletin – Brooklynn Deckman
Date Published – May 27, 2026
A third state title will have to wait another year as the PCHS Lady Bulls softball team fell 2-1 to the eventual Class 6A champion Pace Patriots, the second year in a row that the Patriots knocked out the Bulls in the state semifinals.
“The ball just didn’t go our way,” Head Coach Erin Spivey said. “They played a great game. Similar stats...that’s any game, you know? Sometimes it takes a little bit of luck.”
The Bulls finished the season 18-6-1; an impressive record out of what Spivey said was a challenging schedule.
“I had the hardest strength of schedule made, and they handled that well,” Spivey said. “We travelled, which was exhausting. And in any end, it paid off. I think that’s what helped us get to the Final Four.”
Alysa Jones (Jr.), who hit the lone home run for the Bulls in the state semifinal, is proud of the team’s perseverance to prove they “deserved to be considered one of the best in the state.”
“We struggled to find a rhythm and consistency in the middle of the season,” Jones said. “However, we stuck together as a team and played for each other, which led us to really work as one and play for each other.”
“Yes, we came up short at the end of the season, but I am so proud of how far this team has come this season.”
On April 15, the Bulls honored their lone graduating senior, Baylee Fields, who will continue playing softball at Lake Sumter State College.
Fields, despite battling a wrist injury for a chunk of the season, is thankful for the team that surrounded her and “picked her up” this season.
“Softball has definitely been like a safe space where I can go out and just play, have fun, and be with my teammates,” Fields said. “I’m definitely going to miss my friends and being with them every single day.”
What Fields will most remember about her time with the Bulls is being moved up from JV to Varsity for the playoffs her sophomore year, where she helped the Bulls win their second straight championship.
“It definitely helped my career by being with the older girls and them mentoring me and showing me what the expectations are,” Fields said.