Four teams with legitimate title cases arrive at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park. Only one leaves with Florida’s most coveted small-school softball hardware.
LONGWOOD, Fla. — The road to a Class 2A state softball championship runs through Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park this week, and the field that has arrived in Longwood is worth every bit of anticipation the regular season built.
The 2026 FHSAA Class 2A State Championship features Oxbridge Academy, Calvary Christian, Cornerstone Charter Academy, and North Bay Haven, all converging for the Final Four, which runs through Thursday. State championship action at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park is scheduled May 19 through 23.
On one side of the bracket, the defending champions from Clearwater try to repeat. On the other hand, a Panhandle program hungry for the title it came within two runs of winning a year ago squares off with a Central Florida club that has quietly built a case as one of the most dangerous teams in the classification. And down in South Florida, Oxbridge Academy’s ThunderWolves are chasing something their program has never touched: a state championship.
This is a loaded final four, and it plays today.
The Defending Champions: Calvary Christian Warriors (22-4, No. 1 in 2A)
Calvary Christian enters Longwood as the program everyone is chasing, not just this season but over the past four years. The Warriors captured the 2025 FHSAA Class 2A Championship with a 6-4 win over North Bay Haven, capping a 30-1 season and claiming the program’s third state title in four years.
This year’s edition arrives without the player who drove that dynasty. Senior Morgen Talley finished her career at Calvary Christian with three state championships with the Warriors, posting a 19-0 record with a 0.90 ERA and 217 strikeouts in her final season. Talley has moved on to NC State. The question all season long has been whether the Warriors could sustain their standard without her.
The answer, according to the numbers, is yes.
Calvary Christian carries a 22-4 record and holds the No. 1 ranking in Class 2A entering the state semifinals. The Warriors are led by sophomore pitcher Morgan Spinner, who was a freshman contributor on last year’s title team. Spinner leads the team with an 18-win season from the circle and a 2.07 ERA, while also contributing six home runs and 32 RBIs at the plate.
She is not alone in carrying the offense. Junior Claire Caoili leads the team with a .461 batting average, .533 on-base percentage, and seven home runs, which also leads all of Class 2A. Caoili’s production has made her one of the most dangerous bats in the entire classification.
Calvary Christian’s path to the semifinals has been tested. The Warriors beat Tampa Catholic 10-9 in the first round of the state tournament before holding off Bishop Verot 5-4 in the regional final. Two consecutive one-run playoff victories against quality opponents show the Warriors are capable of winning games they don’t dominate. That is an important quality in a one-loss-and-go tournament format.
Head coach Amy Smith’s program is two wins away from a fourth title in five seasons.
The Challenger: Oxbridge Academy ThunderWolves (22-3, No. 2 in 2A)
Oxbridge Academy is the story of this 2A tournament, and not only because of what the ThunderWolves have accomplished this season. It is because of what this moment means to a program that has never won a state championship.
The ThunderWolves enter the state semifinals with a 22-3 record and head into uncharted territory for the program.
The ThunderWolves have been difficult to stop all season. Oxbridge has won 14 games this season by more than five runs, and at the plate they have posted a .600 on-base percentage in some of their dominant victories. Key contributors in the postseason include Taylor Priske (Jr.), who is 2-2 with a home run, 4 RBI, and 6 walks over their last two playoff games.
Oxbridge defeated King’s Academy to advance to the regional final, and John Carroll completed their regional title run.
The ThunderWolves face a major test in the semifinals. Their opponent on Wednesday morning is Calvary Christian, the No. 1-ranked team in the classification, which has more state-tournament experience than any other team in the field. Oxbridge has not been to this stage before, but based on how this team has performed, inexperience may be the only legitimate argument against them.
The Rematch Team: North Bay Haven Academy Buccaneers (21-5, No. 2 in 2A)
North Bay Haven came to Longwood in 2025 and played the Warriors to a 6-4 game in the state championship. The Buccaneers ended that season at 25-4, with their only in-state loss being that championship game to Calvary Christian, and head coach Butch Bernard called it one of the most competitive games his program had played.
This year, the Buccaneers come back with motivation and legitimate talent. North Bay Haven enters the state final four with a 21-5 record and a No. 2 ranking in Class 2A, coached by Butch Bernard.
The Buccaneers are built on a two-way engine. Sophomore pitcher Addison Mallon leads the team with a 2.60 ERA and 19 wins on the season, while senior infielder Ally Brady leads the team at the plate with a .430 batting average and .549 on-base percentage.
The Buccaneers lost their Florida State commit, Kaylee Goodpaster, to an ACL injury before the season began. Goodpaster, who had been one of the top offensive players in the classification, tore her ACL before the season started and will be at FSU next year. Losing a player of that profile would cripple most programs. North Bay Haven adapted. Sophomore McKenzie Goff has stepped up to lead the team in home runs with seven on the season.
The Buccaneers have been sharp in the postseason. They opened with a 5-0 shutout win over Florida State University High School in the regional quarterfinals, defeated Bolles 4-2 in the regional semifinals, and beat Baldwin 8-3 in the regional final. Three consecutive wins, with an increasing quality of opponent. Mallon has been consistent in the circle, and the lineup has shown it can produce without relying on any one player.
North Bay Haven’s state semifinal matchup is scheduled for Wednesday against Cornerstone Charter Academy.
The Dark Horse: Cornerstone Charter Academy Ducks (20-5)
Cornerstone Charter is the least-discussed team in this field, but they have earned their spot here and have state tournament experience to draw on.
Cornerstone made the 2025 FHSAA Class 2A State Final Four, where they defeated Newberry before falling to Montverde Academy in the semifinals. This season, the Ducks have posted a 20-5 record and won their regional bracket as a No. 6 seed by defeating Newberry, Monteverde, and Trinity Catholic.
Cornerstone’s pitching staff is anchored by two arms who have shouldered the load all season. Eighth-grader Izzy Choquette leads the team with 11 wins, a 1.43 ERA, and 121 strikeouts across 68.1 innings pitched, holding opposing hitters to a .128 batting average against. The fact that she is in middle school and pitching in a state final four is not a throwaway detail: it is the kind of arm that programs build around for years. Junior outfielder Emma Pynes is the offensive engine, leading the team with a .518 batting average, .610 on-base percentage, eight home runs, and 12 stolen bases, while also contributing a 1.00 ERA in her own appearances in the circle. The power does not stop there. Bella Smith (8th) and Liany Rosario (So.) have each added five home runs on the season, giving Cornerstone legitimate run-production depth behind Pynes. Senior catcher Kenzie Boisvert rounds out the group with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage behind the plate.
Cornerstone Charter is the team with the most to gain in this tournament. They are back in the final four, they have a realistic path to the championship game, and they carry the kind of regional bracket resilience that teams tend to underestimate. They are not a finesse program. They get on base, they manufacture runs, and their pitching has been consistent enough to get them here. Against North Bay Haven in the semifinals, they will need everything they have.
Matchup Keys
The pitching quality in this tournament separates it from most 2A fields in recent years. Three of the four teams have a primary pitcher who is a sophomore or younger, meaning the pitching arms in this building will be back next year. That matters for dynasties, not necessarily for today.
For Calvary Christian, the challenge is replicating the kind of grind-it-out wins they managed against Tampa Catholic and Bishop Verot. Spinner has to be sharp, and Caoili needs to deliver in big situations. Both have proven capable of that this season.
For Oxbridge, the challenge is managing the stage. They have not been here, their opponent has. The ThunderWolves need to play their game from the first inning, not the second or third. Every moment they fall behind Calvary Christian in a postseason atmosphere will require a response the ThunderWolves have not yet proven they can deliver.
For North Bay Haven, the loss of Goodpaster was real, and five losses on the season confirm this is a team that can be beaten. But Mallon has carried the pitching load across a full season, and the lineup has stayed productive through the entire playoff run. The Buccaneers are the most complete team in the bracket outside of Calvary Christian.
For Cornerstone Charter, survival mode has worked all spring. They thrive when dismissed, and they are being dismissed right now by most of the conversation around this field.
Players to Watch
Morgan Spinner, Calvary Christian, So., P/1B: Leads all of Class 2A in pitching wins with 18, and her 2.07 ERA and six home runs make her one of the most dangerous two-way players in this tournament. She earned a state championship ring as a freshman. Now she is the one the Warriors lean on.
Claire Caoili, Calvary Christian, Jr., INF: The classification leader in home runs with seven and a .461 batting average from a junior means Caoili will be back next season as well. Against the arms in this tournament, her ability to generate hard contact from the right side of the lineup gives the Warriors a consistent run-producing threat.
Mary Hadley Krasulak, Oxbridge Academy, Sr., INF: The senior leader of the ThunderWolves has driven much of the team chemistry and on-field production throughout a 22-3 season. She is a key part of the Oxbridge narrative, and senior-year motivation is real in this kind of moment.
Ally Brady, North Bay Haven Academy, Sr., INF/P: A .430 average and .549 OBP from the top of the NBH lineup gives Mallon run support and gives Bernard a reliable table-setter for a lineup that has been consistent all season. Brady also contributes as a secondary pitcher when needed.
Addison Mallon, North Bay Haven Academy, So., P: The workhorse of the Buccaneers staff has 19 wins on the season, and her ability to pitch deep into games and make key pitches in pressure situations has defined North Bay Haven’s postseason run. She is the reason the Buccaneers are alive.
McKenzie Goff, North Bay Haven Academy, So., 3B/1B: Goff has stepped into a larger offensive role following Goodpaster’s injury and delivered, leading the team in home runs with seven. Her at-bats in the middle of the NBH lineup are a key variable in whether the Buccaneers can score enough to beat anyone in this field.
Emma Pynes, Cornerstone Charter Academy, Jr., OF/P: Leads the Ducks in virtually every offensive category, posting a .518 batting average, .610 on-base percentage, eight home runs, and 12 stolen bases while also contributing a 1.00 ERA in the circle. She is the most complete player on Cornerstone’s roster and one of the more quietly dangerous offensive threats in this entire field. If the Ducks are going to pull off an upset against North Bay Haven, Pynes will be at the center of it.
Best Early Matchup
Calvary Christian vs. Oxbridge Academy (Semifinal, May 20, 10 a.m.)
This is the matchup worth clearing your schedule for. The defending state champions against the program chasing its first title, ranked No. 1 and No. 5 in the classification. Spinner vs. an Oxbridge lineup that beat teams by big margins all season long. The ThunderWolves have more regular-season wins than almost anyone in this field, but they have not faced an opponent with Calvary Christian’s experience in this setting. One team has been here four straight years. The other has never been here at all.
Predictions
Semifinal 1: Calvary Christian over Oxbridge Academy. The Warriors are tested, experienced, and pitching well. Oxbridge is talented enough to win this game, but Spinner’s experience and Calvary Christian’s familiarity with pressure-game situations give the Warriors an edge that is real. Prediction: Calvary Christian 4, Oxbridge Academy 2.
Semifinal 2: Cornerstone Charter over North Bay Haven. The Ducks seem to be rolling coming into Longwood, and Pynes and Choquette have been sharp in every outing during the postseason run. Pynes gives Cornerstone an offensive threat North Bay Haven has not seen all season, and the Ducks’ ability to win low-scoring games, as they showed in the 3-2 win over Montverde, makes them dangerous against a Buccaneers lineup that is still adjusting to life without Goodpaster. Prediction: Cornerstone Charter 3, North Bay Haven 2.
State Championship: Calvary Christian over Cornerstone Charter. Spinner and Caoili represent the new guard. Choquette and Pynes are capable of keeping Calvary Christian in check for several innings, but the Warriors have too much offensive firepower and too much experience in this setting. Coach Amy Smith’s program closes it out in what should be a competitive game from start to finish. Prediction: Calvary Christian 4, Cornerstone Charter 2.
The 2026 Class 2A state tournament does not have a clear outlier. Every team that made it to Longwood has a case, and every game has the potential to be decided by a single pitch in the final inning. That is what makes this field worth watching.
Whether Calvary Christian adds a fourth state title in five years, Oxbridge Academy claims the first in its program history, North Bay Haven gets the redemption it has been building toward since May 2025, or Cornerstone Charter surprises the field, the next two days of softball at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park are worth your full attention.
