Winter Springs softball earns board praise for back-to-back state titles

Winter Springs turned a second straight Class 5A state championship into a lesson in sustained excellence, then carried that accomplishment into recognition from the Seminole County School Board. The Bears’ 6-0 win over Niceville at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood gave Winter Springs back-to-back titles and gave Seminole County another high-profile reminder of how far the program has climbed.

The repeat was built on a season that meant more than wins and losses. Winter Springs finished 24-6 and dedicated the year to Kennedy Jackson, the freshman first baseman who died in October 2025. That loss gave the team’s run a deeper emotional weight, and the Bears answered by turning the season into a tribute that ended with another state trophy. Winter Springs also beat Pembroke Pines Charter 4-0 in the semifinal before closing out Niceville in the final.

The championship game followed a familiar script for Winter Springs against Niceville, which had also been the opponent in the 2025 title game. Last year, the Bears edged Niceville 4-3. This time, Winter Springs broke through early in the fourth inning and then put the game out of reach when junior right fielder Abigail Hooper launched a two-run home run in the fifth. The title-game lineup also featured sophomore pitcher Tiffany Seeman, senior second baseman Lilly Clark, junior catcher Laura Daugherty, senior third baseman Adison Pierce and pitcher Christina Brisson.

The victory added to a remarkable stretch for Seminole County softball. Winter Springs won its first state title in 2019, Hagerty claimed its first in 2025, and Winter Springs’ 2026 championship pushed the county’s modern run to at least five state titles overall. Seminole County schools have reached a state championship game for the sixth time in seven seasons, and for the first time, two county teams played for a title in the same season. The School Board’s praise at the Educational Support Center in Sanford fit that larger picture, with Winter Springs now standing as the local standard for what a lasting softball program can become.