Softball: Young Conquerors Reach Region Final, Show Promise of Championship Soon

For the sixth consecutive season in 2022, TCA Conquerors Softball reached the region final, falling 3-1 to region champion University Christian School. It was the second time in a row that University defeated TCA in the region final, but what made this trip special for TCA was the fact that the 2022 Conquerors were a much younger and less-experienced team than those from the previous five years.

Boasting only two seniors and one junior on the active roster, the 2022 TCA Conquerors still displayed much talent and won numerous games while playing one of the toughest schedules in Northeast Florida.

Season Summary

Along with Head Coach J.R. Borden, seniors Breezy Burnette and Carolyn Lasater led this group to a record of 14-9 with high-quality wins coming against 3A Providence, 3A Suwannee, 4A Merritt Island, 7A Lake Nona, 5A Middleburg, and Alabama 3A Glenwood (Phenix City, AL),

The Conquerors ended the regular season with a 3-1 win over Florida 5A’s #6 team in Middleburg. This win over a terrific team gave the Conquerors the momentum needed to roll through the district playoffs.

Postseason Success

Trinity then defeated First Coast Christian 17-0 in the district semifinal and a much-improved St. Johns Country Day School 5-0 to win its sixth consecutive district championship.

In the region playoffs. Trinity won 16-0 over Quincy’s Robert F. Munroe and defeated St. Johns again, this time 8-0. In fact, four of St. Johns’ five losses for the entire season came at the hands of TCA.

The Conquerors, though, ran up against University Christian’s and Florida’s #27 pitcher overall in terms of ERA -- and #9 sophomore -- Sophia Kardatzke in the region final.

Goodbye to J.R., Breezy, and Carolyn

Coach Borden retired from coaching when the season ended, and both Burnette and Lasater have graduated. Burnette is now a Minnesota Golden Gopher, and Lasater is a SJRSC Viking. However, they have left behind a very capable young team that now has deep playoff experience.

Up-and-Coming Conquerors: Offense

Rising senior Desrai Brown and rising junior Hannah Rivers will provide leadership and experience to the upcoming Conquerors. Both are assets defensively, and both have blazing speed. Rivers also provides power, and she plays competitive softball year-round. Rivers plays for former TCA coach Ashley Houston with Pro Impact Softball, and she already has a number of Division 1 schools from around the Southeast looking at her.

Rivers led the Conquerors in hitting at .403 this past season and was second in both on-base percentage at .459 and slugging percentage at .611 (Burnette: .473, .682). She was second in RBI with 17 (Lasater: 19).

Rising junior Jordan Laster is a run producer. She led the team with three home runs and finished third in RBI with 16, behind only Carolyn Lasater and Rivers.

Among returning players, Rivers (13) and rising junior Kadriana Mincey (10) each notched double-digit stolen base totals (Burnette:14), while Jordan Lasater followed with 8 and rising freshmen Madelyn Lasater and Sam Joiner were next with 5 and 4, respectively.

Up-and-Coming Conquerors: Defense

Joiner has a strong arm behind the plate, and rising sophomore Peyton Tharp is steady defensively at second base. Rising freshman Ana Lamb played solid defense in the outfield and rising seventh graders Maggie Johns and Kinley Parham spent some time with and learning from the varsity players.

In the Circle

With Carolyn Lasater graduating, the pitching duties fall to a young Conqueror who led the middle school team to its sixth consecutive conference championship. Rising eighth-grader Lexi Lofton also saw some varsity time in the circle. She allowed only one earned run on 11 hits in eight total innings pitched while walking no one and striking out four. Lofton will try to earn her way into the starting pitcher’s role while continuing to play travel ball to gain experience and reps until the new school season begins.

Future Outlook

Of course, new student athletes may transfer in during the summer and fall and bring tremendous value in many areas, but this talented young core forms the basis for a potential championship team. More of the IMSC Conquerors will move up to the varsity roster and gain valuable experience that will continue the cycle as they, too, eventually become the team leaders.

Congratulations to the 2022 TCA Conquerors on a fantastic season. With this core, TCA softball should soon compete again for a state championship.