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Palm Beach County's softball history includes a decorated list of Florida state champions and figures who influenced the game at a national level.
USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time in conjunction with the United States' 250th anniversary.
Additionally, the USA TODAY Network will highlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states. This will include trailblazers and trendsetters whose influence reaches beyond championships and statistics. First, we are going to take a look at athletes in their individual sports.
This week, we're honoring the stars of softball. As you can imagine, it was a difficult task to narrow this list down with so many impactful figures hailing from Palm Beach County.
Listed in alphabetical order, these players were all standouts at the high school level before moving on to even greater heights in college and the pros.
More: Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball
A security guard by trade, Anderson left his mark on the local softball community as the longtime head coach at Palm Beach Community College, where he won back-to-back national championships in 1984 and 1985. He recruited Palm Beach players heavily and the school's field now bears his name.
Bloemers, the daughter of MLB Hall of Famer Gary Carter, was a talented player in her own right. She starred as a catcher at King's Academy before joining Florida State, where she set the program record for RBIs and the Seminoles finished third in the 2002 College World Series. She returned to Palm Beach County as head coach at Palm Beach Atlantic and helped turn the softball program into a winnner. Bloemers was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Budnyk coached a little bit of everything is in his many decades at Cardinal Newman but he won the most leading the Crusaders' softball program. He accumulated 437 total wins and captured three state championships during the slowpitch softball era. His programs also won eight regional titles, 14 district titles and 16 conference championships. Budnyk is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Byrd was a standout player at American Heritage-Delray before she became the longtime head coach at Spanish River. She hit .701 in her freshman season at American Heritage-Delray, helping the Stallions reach the state semifinals. She then told The Post, "I like the game. And I think I'd like to coach rather than get a real job." After her playing career at Lynn University, she did just that, taking over the Spanish River program in 2010 and winning the Class 7A state title in 2023.
Drake has turned multiple Palm Beach private schools into modern powerhouses. He led American Heritage-Delray to back-to-back FHSAA state championships in 2011 and 2012, becoming one of just ... local head coaches to win multiple FHSAA fastpitch softball state titles. He's been the head coach at Oxbridge Academy since 2015 and established the ThunderWolves as an annual playoff contender. Drake's Oxbridge teams have seven 20-win seasons and are knocking on the door of the program's first state title.
Gillespie, the former daughter-in-law of Jack Nicklaus, was a breakthrough player as softball transitioned from slow-pitch to fastpitch. A basketball and softball star at Palm Beach Gardens High, Gillespie started her college softball career at Palm Beach Junior College, where was a JUCO All-American and the captain of the 1984 national championship team. She received a scholarship to play fastpitch softball at Florida State, becoming the first slow-pitch player from Florida to receive a fast-pitch scholarship. She led the Seminoles in stolen bases and was a team captain as a senior. Gillespie is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Hanson is one of the most accomplished softball players to come out of Palm Beach County. She was first team All-State four times at Jupiter and earned a Division I opportunity with Florida Atlantic. Hanson starred with the Owls, earning Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and second team All-American honors in 2016. She transferred to Florida State in 2018 for her final season of eligibility and went out with a bang. Hanson was ACC Pitcher of the Year and a key player in the Seminoles' national championship team. She is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Almeida Hunt was at the heart of Cardinal Newman's golden age of slow-pitch softball. She was the starting pitcher on the Crusaders' three-peat state championship teams in the early 1980s, a feat that was nearly a four-peat after a runner-up finish her freshman year. She also starred on the basketball court and is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
No Palm Beach County high school coach has won more FHSAA fastpitch softball state championships than Jackson. The longtime Palm Beach Gardens head coach turned the Gators into a powerhouse with FHSAA state titles in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011. He's won 562 games since taking over the Gardens head coaching job in 2003 and told The Post last year that he has no plans to retire soon.
Johnson helped found Palm Beach County's first softball powerhouse. A star pitcher at Gardens, Johnson posted a 15-3 record, 0.09 ERA and 251 strikeouts with two earned runs the entire 2005 season. The Gators won the state championship, the first in program history and the first FHSAA fastpitch state title by a Palm Beach County public school. She played collegiate softball at North Carolina and was an All-ACC selection.
Joyce is a foundational figure in Palm Beach County softball history and arguably one of the greatest female athletes of all time. A dominant fastpitch softball pitcher who helped found the first women's professional fastpitch league, Joyce was the Florida Atlantic softball coach for 28 seasons, winning more than 1,000 games and multiple conference championships. Her athleticism extended beyond the softball diamond: Joyce played for the United States' women's national basketball team and enjoyed nearly 20 years as a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour.
Paez, alongside her daughters Jessica and Carmen, helped put softball on the map in the Glades. Across 24 seasons as Glades Day's softball head coach, Paez led the Gators to the state tournament on five occasions and won the school's first and only girls FHSAA state championship in 2003. It was also the first FHSAA softball state championship by a Palm Beach County program in the fastpitch era.
Who has defined Palm Beach County high school softball the most?
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball
Continue reading...
USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time in conjunction with the United States' 250th anniversary.
Additionally, the USA TODAY Network will highlight the roots of the country’s sports culture: the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states. This will include trailblazers and trendsetters whose influence reaches beyond championships and statistics. First, we are going to take a look at athletes in their individual sports.
This week, we're honoring the stars of softball. As you can imagine, it was a difficult task to narrow this list down with so many impactful figures hailing from Palm Beach County.
Listed in alphabetical order, these players were all standouts at the high school level before moving on to even greater heights in college and the pros.
More: Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball
John Anderson
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A security guard by trade, Anderson left his mark on the local softball community as the longtime head coach at Palm Beach Community College, where he won back-to-back national championships in 1984 and 1985. He recruited Palm Beach players heavily and the school's field now bears his name.
Kimmy Carter Bloemers
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Bloemers, the daughter of MLB Hall of Famer Gary Carter, was a talented player in her own right. She starred as a catcher at King's Academy before joining Florida State, where she set the program record for RBIs and the Seminoles finished third in the 2002 College World Series. She returned to Palm Beach County as head coach at Palm Beach Atlantic and helped turn the softball program into a winnner. Bloemers was inducted into the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Sam Budnyk
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Budnyk coached a little bit of everything is in his many decades at Cardinal Newman but he won the most leading the Crusaders' softball program. He accumulated 437 total wins and captured three state championships during the slowpitch softball era. His programs also won eight regional titles, 14 district titles and 16 conference championships. Budnyk is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Ashley Byrd
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Byrd was a standout player at American Heritage-Delray before she became the longtime head coach at Spanish River. She hit .701 in her freshman season at American Heritage-Delray, helping the Stallions reach the state semifinals. She then told The Post, "I like the game. And I think I'd like to coach rather than get a real job." After her playing career at Lynn University, she did just that, taking over the Spanish River program in 2010 and winning the Class 7A state title in 2023.
Kevin Drake
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Drake has turned multiple Palm Beach private schools into modern powerhouses. He led American Heritage-Delray to back-to-back FHSAA state championships in 2011 and 2012, becoming one of just ... local head coaches to win multiple FHSAA fastpitch softball state titles. He's been the head coach at Oxbridge Academy since 2015 and established the ThunderWolves as an annual playoff contender. Drake's Oxbridge teams have seven 20-win seasons and are knocking on the door of the program's first state title.
Barbara Gillespie Nicklaus
Gillespie, the former daughter-in-law of Jack Nicklaus, was a breakthrough player as softball transitioned from slow-pitch to fastpitch. A basketball and softball star at Palm Beach Gardens High, Gillespie started her college softball career at Palm Beach Junior College, where was a JUCO All-American and the captain of the 1984 national championship team. She received a scholarship to play fastpitch softball at Florida State, becoming the first slow-pitch player from Florida to receive a fast-pitch scholarship. She led the Seminoles in stolen bases and was a team captain as a senior. Gillespie is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Kylee Hanson
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Hanson is one of the most accomplished softball players to come out of Palm Beach County. She was first team All-State four times at Jupiter and earned a Division I opportunity with Florida Atlantic. Hanson starred with the Owls, earning Conference USA Pitcher of the Year and second team All-American honors in 2016. She transferred to Florida State in 2018 for her final season of eligibility and went out with a bang. Hanson was ACC Pitcher of the Year and a key player in the Seminoles' national championship team. She is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Marilu Almeida Hunt
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Almeida Hunt was at the heart of Cardinal Newman's golden age of slow-pitch softball. She was the starting pitcher on the Crusaders' three-peat state championship teams in the early 1980s, a feat that was nearly a four-peat after a runner-up finish her freshman year. She also starred on the basketball court and is a member of the Palm Beach County Sports Hall of Fame.
Randy Jackson
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No Palm Beach County high school coach has won more FHSAA fastpitch softball state championships than Jackson. The longtime Palm Beach Gardens head coach turned the Gators into a powerhouse with FHSAA state titles in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2011. He's won 562 games since taking over the Gardens head coaching job in 2003 and told The Post last year that he has no plans to retire soon.
Amber Johnson
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Johnson helped found Palm Beach County's first softball powerhouse. A star pitcher at Gardens, Johnson posted a 15-3 record, 0.09 ERA and 251 strikeouts with two earned runs the entire 2005 season. The Gators won the state championship, the first in program history and the first FHSAA fastpitch state title by a Palm Beach County public school. She played collegiate softball at North Carolina and was an All-ACC selection.
Joan Joyce
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Joyce is a foundational figure in Palm Beach County softball history and arguably one of the greatest female athletes of all time. A dominant fastpitch softball pitcher who helped found the first women's professional fastpitch league, Joyce was the Florida Atlantic softball coach for 28 seasons, winning more than 1,000 games and multiple conference championships. Her athleticism extended beyond the softball diamond: Joyce played for the United States' women's national basketball team and enjoyed nearly 20 years as a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour.
Sherri Paez
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Paez, alongside her daughters Jessica and Carmen, helped put softball on the map in the Glades. Across 24 seasons as Glades Day's softball head coach, Paez led the Gators to the state tournament on five occasions and won the school's first and only girls FHSAA state championship in 2003. It was also the first FHSAA softball state championship by a Palm Beach County program in the fastpitch era.
Who has defined Palm Beach County high school softball the most?
Eric J. Wallace is deputy sports editor for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Vote on Palm Beach County's all-time best from baseball
Continue reading...
