Softball Game Preview: Academy of the Holy Names Jaguars vs. McKeel Academy Wildcats

The Academy of the Holy Names Jaguars will take on the McKeel Academy Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.

Academy of the Holy Names is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand DeSoto County a 14-0 shutout. The Jaguars might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven games by seven runs or more this season.

Taylor Williams made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.

Paris Land

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/07/25 vs DeSoto County	3
04/11/25 @ Palm Harbor University	2
04/29/25 vs Robinson	1
03/11/25 vs Clearwater Central Catholic	1
02/27/25 vs Robinson	1

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Paris Land, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two triples, three RBI, and two runs. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kacey Scott, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs.

Academy of the Holy Names hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.

The scorekeeper got an easy start on Wednesday as neither McKeel Academy nor Lemon Bay made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Wildcats blew past the Manta Rays 14-1.

The victory was the sixth in a row for Academy of the Holy Names, bringing their record up to 12-9. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for McKeel Academy, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-12 record this season.

Academy of the Holy Names came up short against McKeel Academy when the teams last played back in April, falling 7-2. Can the Jaguars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.