The Gulf Breeze softball team has had a historic season. As of this paper being sent, the team is on a 19-0 win streak. They have beaten last year’s 1A State Champion Jay High School twice, both times limiting the former champions to zero points. The team is looking forward to playing in the postseason, and is working towards an undefeated regular season.  

   Even before moving in to the postseason, the Lady Dolphins had already played some of their hardest games. Only their third game into the season, they had to play the defending State Champion Jay High School. It was a defensive struggle; only three points in total were scored throughout the game. The Dolphins got an early lead in the fourth inning, scoring two runs. The Royals attempted a comeback, however, and scored once in the sixth inning. The Dolphins were able to keep them from scoring any more, and thus took down the reigning champions.   

   Most of the games the team played were complete blowout wins. However, there were some notable games that the Dolphins had to fight to win. The game against Fort Walton Beach High School was an important district game. Both teams were tied at three until the third inning, where the Vikings took a 4-3 lead. Gulf Breeze retaliated the next inning, scoring two runs and bringing the score to 5-4. Both teams scored multiple runs after this, but the Dolphins were always able to keep the lead, ending the game with a 8-5 victory. “Our most important game has been against district opponent, Fort Walton Beach. We prepare for these games by practicing at an extremely high tempo to help the game slow down for our benefit. The team played great. We were challenged in the first inning because FWB scored three runs and then we answered back in the same inning and scored three runs. I was so proud to see them work hard to get an 8-5 win,” said Coach Chelsea McGehee.   

   West Florida Tech was another close, defensive game. The Dolphins scored once in the fourth inning, and was able to hold WFTHS to zero runs. Another close win came at the Battle of the Beach Tournament in Biloxi, MS. The Dolphins dominated the tournament, but not without the tough game against Slidell High School. The girls scored once in the third inning, and again was able to keep their opponent from scoring. Gulf Breeze won the tournament. 

   After the tournament, the team had to focus on beating the former State Champions Jay High School for the second time.    

   The season is far from over. Not only are there multiple regular season games, there is also the entire postseason that is likely to be in the team’s future. The most important upcoming game according to Coach McGehee is a rematch against FWB High School. “[Fort Walton] will be another challenging game. We’re working on executing some extra things on offense to find creative ways to score runs,” said McGehee.