The last thing Fort Meade coach Jeff Tofanelli wanted was for his Miners to get off to a rough start. That's the first thing that happened. The Miners committed two errors in the first inning when Jacksonville Providence jumped out to a five-run lead, and the Stallions went on to defeat the Miners,...... more»

Most top hitters would be happy hitting .300 or .400. But not Bryan Langston. "Every time I set a goal for myself, I set my batting average for 1.000 because I know I can't get to it," the Fort Meade first baseman said. "There's always room for improvement in hitting."... more»

Polk County's top senior high school baseball players have a reunion of sorts tonight. The occasion is the Senior All-Star Game at Denison Stadium, featuring players from across the county. The East All-Stars will play the West All-Stars at 6 p.m.... more»

All games are played at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota.WEDNESDAY, MAY 14Class 2ANorth Florida Christian vs. Highlands Christian, 10 a.m.Fort Meade vs. Jacksonville Providence, 5 p.m.Class 5ANiceville vs. Stuart South Fork, 1 p.m.... more»

ST. PETERSBURG | Fort Meade baseball coach Jeff Tofanelli said he knew at the beginning of the season.... more»

WINTER GARDEN | Pitching carried Lakeland into the playoffs, but it was the offense that took the Dreadnaughts the rest of the way to the state tournament.... more»

WINTER GARDEN | If the rules hadn't changed this year, Lakeland would be celebrating a regional championship and its first trip to the state tournament since 2001.... more»

ST. PETERSBURG | Some might have thought a best two-out-of-three series might be a crazy idea for the high school regional baseball finals.... more»

BRANDON | Winter Haven was swept in the Class 5A regional final against Brandon, 9-8 and 10-6, Friday night in Brandon.The teams combined for nine home runs in the first game - five for the Eagles, four for the Blue Devils - and 13 for the doubleheader.... more»

LAKELAND | Lakeland knocked off the state's top team, Sarasota, in the Class 6A, Region 2 semifinals last week, but head coach Mike Campell is quick to note that the Dreadnaughts have yet to win anything. That can change tonight or Saturday.... more»

Tiffany Hayes' athletic skills aren't just taking her to the University of Connecticut.The former Winter Haven High School basketball standout will be headed to Beaverton, Ore., to compete in the Nike SPARQ Training "My Better" Finals July 23-24.... more»

Brilliant junior right-hander Stephanie Sullivan and Venice High School's No. 3 and 4 hitters spoiled George Jenkins' first visit to the Class 5A State Softall Tournament Wednesday night. Sullivan pitched her 14th shutout of the season and narrowly missed a perfect game as the Indians blanked...... more»

• 5A Softball: Jenkins vs. Venice

McKeel Academy's quest for a state 3A softball championship didn't happen Tuesday night because the Wildcats didn't have the timing. Plantation American Heritage did. The Patriots' Melissa King drove in six runs with a pair of bases-loaded doubles and teammate Bailey Castro hit a two-run homer,...... more»

• McKeel runner-up in 3A softball

LAKELAND | Playing in the regional finals? For George Jenkins, it's been done to death. But it hasn't been, "been there, won that."The Eagles kept falling short in the regional finals until finally breaking through with their victory over Lithia Newsome on Friday.... more»

George Jenkins senior Kayla Grimsley was voted the 2008 Florida Dairy Farmers Class 5A Girls Soccer Player of the Year, and Jenkins coach Joe Lenard was named the Class 5A coach of the year, making both finalists for the overall award for their respective categories.... more»

Last year, McKeel catcher Randi Grimes was ready to step out of the shadow of big sister Franki, who had graduated after the 2006 season, but her season was cut short. Reaching for a throw at the plate, a runner slammed into her, and Grimes' junior season ended with a broken wrist.... more»

WINTER PARK | Lakeland sophomore Benjamin McRoy ran 21.45 seconds to finish third in the 200-meter dash Saturday night at the 2008 FHSAA Class 4A Track and Field Finals at Showalter Field.... more»

LAKELAND | David Saliba's 500th win couldn't have come at a better time or against a bigger rival.Winter Haven belted out 12 hits and Joe Rogers pitched five solid innings as the Blue Devils beat George Jenkins, 6-2, in the Class 5A, Region 2 semifinals on Friday night.... more»

SARASOTA | Undeterred by three previous failed attempts this season, visiting Lakeland High got the best of the defending Class 6A state champions when it mattered most.... more»

WINTER HAVEN | Being the district champion didn't turn out to be an advantage in any of the three regional semfinal games involving Polk teams Friday night, as the runner-up won each time, including Fort Meade.... more»

FROSTPROOF | Fort Pierce John Carroll scored 11 runs in the first two innings and coasted to a spot in the Class 3A regional baseball final Friday night.... more»

SEBRING | The Bartow Yellow Jackets failed to put together successive hits and as a result they lost to Sebring 2-0 in a Class 4A, Region 3 regional semifinal baseball game at Firemans Field Friday night.... more»

WINTER PARK | George Jenkins' Maurice Coon and Auburndale's Geoffrey Hilson finished second and third in the shot put respectively Friday at the 2008 FHSAA Class 3A Track and Field Finals at Showalter Field.... more»

LAKELAND | Young athletes will be able to gauge their athletic skills for free in Lakeland this weekend.... more»

1 - Lake Wales freshman Octavious Freeman put an exclamation point on her inaugural high school track season by continuing her domination in the 100 meters and 200 meters by winning both events at the state track meet last week. Freeman won the 100 early in the meet, finishing in 12.04 to...... more»

It's no surprise that with the depth of baseball talent in the county this year that seven of Polk's 10 playoff teams advanced to Friday's regional semifinals. It was a bit of a surprise, however, that Frostproof was one of the seven teams - at least to outsiders.... more»

LAKE WALES | Lake Wales' reign as Class 4A state champion is over, and it was mostly its own doing. Errors, something that the Highlanders' limited during their championship run last season, played a major role in Naples' 4-2 victory Tuesday night in the Class 4A, Region 3 final at Don Ramsay...... more»

ST. PETERSBURG | McKeel Academy pitcher Cheyenne Benson kept St. Petersburg Catholic batters off-balance Tuesday evening, and the Wildcats won the Class 3A, Region 3 final 7-2 to advance to the state softball semifinals for the third time in five years.... more»

LITHIA | The George Jenkins Eagles earned their first trip to the state softball tournament with a 3-1 victory over Newsome High School Tuesday night.... more»

LAKELAND | The way Lakeland Christian's Melissa Murphy and Fort Myers Southwest Florida Christian's Hailey Barraco were pitching, it seemed like Tuesday night's Class 2A Region 4 final would never end.That is until Barraco and Meredith Doerstling decided to help finish it.... more»