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Belleview softball has fought an uphill battle during the 2025 season. During the first half of the season, the Rattlers fought tooth and nail to reach .500 as they crawled out of an 0-3 start.
During the Doc4life tournament, the Rattlers found their rhythm at the plate. A team that collectively hit below .250 is now nearing .300 and it’s helped them lay claim to a Marion Athletic Conference softball championship and bragging rights as top public high school softball team in Marion county.
“We were 6-8 and then we won seven in a row,” Belleview head coach GaryGreer said. “But after Doc4life I think we’ve been 7-1. I don’t know if we are, but we’re playing good.”
The Rattlers didn’t have an easy route to their first MAC title in five years. Belleview, a historically dominant softball program with just two losing seasons in Greer’s 25-year-old coaching career, needed to keep their fire alive to live up to its standard.
In round one of the MAC tournament, Belleview beat a scrappy Lake Weir team 4-1.
The semifinal game against Forest, a team that beat the Rattlers 9-1 a month ago, turned into a marathon. The rematch raged on for more than three hours, totaling 25 runs between both teams. The Rattlers won 14-11 scoring 12 of its runs in the fourth and fifth innings while trailing by 11. Freshman pitcher Callie Pfriender got the first save of her career as she iced the Wildcats in a three-inning showing.
Belleview’s first championship berth in three seasons was rewarded with a matchup against Vanguard. Over the last month, both teams have turned lackluster first halves of the season into two of the hottest teams in the county.
“I think they just stayed the course,” Greer said. “I don’t know what other coaches do or whatever, but before games we have a plan to approach the player, and we try to learn about the pitcher ahead of time. It wasn’t working very well. It looked really bad, but they’ve been holding the course, and then we start to see results as they stick to a game plan.”
Belleview’s Ya’mari Reynolds pitched her second complete-game shutout during the championship game to beat Vanguard 2-0. Reynolds started every game of the tournament holding a 1.12 ERA in 16.1 innings. When she stepped out of the circle to end the championship game, her teammates handed their MVP the MAC trophy.
Pitching has been a strength for the Rattlers this season. What Reynolds has done on the rubber has her in contention for a coveted first-team all-county spot.
With Reynolds starting the game, Belleview is 10-2, which includes wins against every team in the county except Trinity Catholic, which isn’t on Belleview’s schedule this season.
“Yaya was on fire,” Greer said. “She just controlled the strike zone and had seven strikeouts, but mainly it was; she was pitching support contact, you know, getting a lot of pop ups in an easy place for our players. We didn’t have, I don’t even remember a hard-hit ball off on Yaya.”
With Reynolds controlling the game from the circle and Belleview finding their bats at the right time, they’re pushing for a postseason that’s less than 10 days away.
Finding a presence at the plate has been huge for Belleview down the stretch. Freshman pitcher Ally Axe has grown as a hitter too, delivering five of her 10 doubles and both of her triples in the last five games.
Seniors Mackenzie Quartararo and Kira Evans have nearly .150 jumps in their batting averages, all while being a calming presence on the field.
“Kira and McKenzie, they took everything that we’ve said over three years, and you could actually hear them saying it to the kids without us having to say the same words,” Greer said. “They get strategy, or why we do something. I’ll see them walk up to kids and approach teammates with respect. They’re just really good kids. They honestly are like little coaches on the fields.”
In the last ten games, Belleview has put offense and defense together every time the team has touched the field. They’re currently ninth in their district with the top eight seeds earning bids for the state tournament.
Keeping their momentum going will be key to them leapfrogging their district foes for a playoff berth. If wins against teams ranked dozens of spots ahead of them in the state don’t push them over the edge; the grit and composure the Rattlers show may be what they need to turn upsets wins into postseason success.
“We filled up our schedule since trying to give our best opportunity to at least earn a wildcard for the for the state playoffs, and we’re getting close,” Greer said. “In our district, we have the number one team in our region, the number three team in our region, and then we have us. So it’s going to be tough.”
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ya’Mari Reynolds leads Belleview softball to a MAC championship
Continue reading...
During the Doc4life tournament, the Rattlers found their rhythm at the plate. A team that collectively hit below .250 is now nearing .300 and it’s helped them lay claim to a Marion Athletic Conference softball championship and bragging rights as top public high school softball team in Marion county.
“We were 6-8 and then we won seven in a row,” Belleview head coach GaryGreer said. “But after Doc4life I think we’ve been 7-1. I don’t know if we are, but we’re playing good.”
The Rattlers didn’t have an easy route to their first MAC title in five years. Belleview, a historically dominant softball program with just two losing seasons in Greer’s 25-year-old coaching career, needed to keep their fire alive to live up to its standard.
In round one of the MAC tournament, Belleview beat a scrappy Lake Weir team 4-1.
The semifinal game against Forest, a team that beat the Rattlers 9-1 a month ago, turned into a marathon. The rematch raged on for more than three hours, totaling 25 runs between both teams. The Rattlers won 14-11 scoring 12 of its runs in the fourth and fifth innings while trailing by 11. Freshman pitcher Callie Pfriender got the first save of her career as she iced the Wildcats in a three-inning showing.
Belleview’s first championship berth in three seasons was rewarded with a matchup against Vanguard. Over the last month, both teams have turned lackluster first halves of the season into two of the hottest teams in the county.
“I think they just stayed the course,” Greer said. “I don’t know what other coaches do or whatever, but before games we have a plan to approach the player, and we try to learn about the pitcher ahead of time. It wasn’t working very well. It looked really bad, but they’ve been holding the course, and then we start to see results as they stick to a game plan.”
Belleview’s Ya’mari Reynolds pitched her second complete-game shutout during the championship game to beat Vanguard 2-0. Reynolds started every game of the tournament holding a 1.12 ERA in 16.1 innings. When she stepped out of the circle to end the championship game, her teammates handed their MVP the MAC trophy.
Pitching has been a strength for the Rattlers this season. What Reynolds has done on the rubber has her in contention for a coveted first-team all-county spot.
With Reynolds starting the game, Belleview is 10-2, which includes wins against every team in the county except Trinity Catholic, which isn’t on Belleview’s schedule this season.
“Yaya was on fire,” Greer said. “She just controlled the strike zone and had seven strikeouts, but mainly it was; she was pitching support contact, you know, getting a lot of pop ups in an easy place for our players. We didn’t have, I don’t even remember a hard-hit ball off on Yaya.”
With Reynolds controlling the game from the circle and Belleview finding their bats at the right time, they’re pushing for a postseason that’s less than 10 days away.
Finding a presence at the plate has been huge for Belleview down the stretch. Freshman pitcher Ally Axe has grown as a hitter too, delivering five of her 10 doubles and both of her triples in the last five games.
Seniors Mackenzie Quartararo and Kira Evans have nearly .150 jumps in their batting averages, all while being a calming presence on the field.
“Kira and McKenzie, they took everything that we’ve said over three years, and you could actually hear them saying it to the kids without us having to say the same words,” Greer said. “They get strategy, or why we do something. I’ll see them walk up to kids and approach teammates with respect. They’re just really good kids. They honestly are like little coaches on the fields.”
In the last ten games, Belleview has put offense and defense together every time the team has touched the field. They’re currently ninth in their district with the top eight seeds earning bids for the state tournament.
Keeping their momentum going will be key to them leapfrogging their district foes for a playoff berth. If wins against teams ranked dozens of spots ahead of them in the state don’t push them over the edge; the grit and composure the Rattlers show may be what they need to turn upsets wins into postseason success.
“We filled up our schedule since trying to give our best opportunity to at least earn a wildcard for the for the state playoffs, and we’re getting close,” Greer said. “In our district, we have the number one team in our region, the number three team in our region, and then we have us. So it’s going to be tough.”
This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ya’Mari Reynolds leads Belleview softball to a MAC championship
Continue reading...
