- April 2, 2026
-
-
Loading
Loading
Cleats were worn in lieu of glass slippers. They donned jerseys instead of ball gowns. To a symphony of extra-base hits, strikeouts and dugout cheers, they danced.
Sarasota High softball was the Cinderella of last year’s FHSAA Class 7A postseason.
After falling in the first round of the 7A-12 district tournament, the team rattled off three straight wins, reaching the state semifinals for the first time since 2015.
But this year’s squad is no Cinderella — at least, not how coach Andrew Jensen sees it.
“We’ve got a good run in us, 100%,” Jensen said. “We just want to take it one game at a time.”
A long postseason is what Jensen anticipates, and what the Sailors expect of themselves. They sit at 11-4, as of March 30, just past the midway point of the regular season. They’re ranked No. 8 in 7A, per the FHSAA, and No. 38 in the state.
Four of their top six hitters from 2025 are back in the fold, including senior third baseman/pitcher Ashlan Guengerich and senior center fielder/outfielder Gianna Williams. Those two batted .455 and .430, respectively, as juniors.
Gone from the equation are now-Saint Leo outfielder Sommer Speers and now-Georgia Southern outfielder Carley Ramsden. They combined for 27.4% of Sarasota's hits last season, while Speers carried a team-high .500 batting average.
This year’s group, though, has operated at an even higher level than what Guengerich witnessed as a junior.
“This team has more grit. We have more hustle,” Guengerich said. “All of us want it so bad, and it’s really different to have everyone on the same page.”
Continuity contributed to the 2026 roster, but change came from the top down. The Sailors welcomed in new leadership ahead of this season.
Jensen was announced as their coach on Oct. 6, 2025. He made the move from Lakewood Ranch High, where he guided the Mustangs to a 13-12 record in his first and only season.
Former coach Heather Mushrush spearheaded Sarasota from 2022-25 following three seasons as an assistant for the program. The team went 69-31 with her at the helm.
Taking over those reins marks a homecoming for Jensen. He played for Sarasota baseball in 1994 en route to the 5A state title, and with the Class of 1995, graduated from the school.
“What better opportunity than to come back and coach at your alma mater?” Jensen said. “I always felt like I looked better in black and orange than forest green."
Before taking the job, he knew what he was getting into — a winning situation. He understood the Sailors returned multiple impactful players from the state semifinals.
Guengerich was one of them.
This season, she’s hit .528 with 12 RBIs across 53 at-bats, as of March 30. Her 1.387 on-base plus slugging, 28 hits and 23 runs all rank as best among her teammates.
Mushrush’s tutelage was all she knew in her high school career. For her final year, Guengerich has been asked to embrace a first-year coach in Jensen.
“He’s brought a lot of energy this season. He has a lot of heart, and he cares about us a lot,” Guengerich said. “I love a coach who’s invested in us, no matter what.”
Sarasota rolled to an 8-0 start, but lost four of its following seven contests. It played eight games from March 13-28 — all in tournaments — which were separated into four-game stretches over two-day spans.
Wear and tear from all those back-to-backs factored into mixed results, Jensen said. He also said injuries to key players have mounted.
Junior pitcher/outfielder Gemma Mulhollen is unavailable, as of March 30, with lower back soreness. Then there’s Williams, who has been out with a broken hand, but should return to action in a week, per Jensen.
When healthy, Williams is one of the busiest bats in the lineup. She had a .579 batting average and .692 on-base percentage — both team-highs — through seven games played before her injury.
Mulhollen is Sarasota’s ace with a 1.60 ERA in 57 innings pitched, featuring 49 strikeouts against 19 walks.
“The biggest thing we teach her is to try to get ahead and attack the hitters early in the count," Jensen said. "She’s a workhorse. She’s our No. 1, no doubt. We need her healthy.”
Offensively, senior second baseman/utility Madison Culbertson has stormed onto the scene. It's the first season of high school softball she's played since her freshman year at Lakewood Ranch.
All that time away hasn't seemed to hurt her game. She owns 18 RBIs and 21 hits, as of March 30, and her .438 batting average trails only Guengerich among those with 10 or more games played.
"It's definitely a mental game and going up (to the plate) relaxed," Culbertson said. "If I go up there knowing I can't do it or I can't hit this pitcher because she's too fast or too slow, that just gets me in my head."
Postseason play is fast-approaching. District tournaments begin April 27 across the state and run through April 30.
That gives the Sailors less than a month to not only get healthy, but also round into the form of a contender instead of relying on a Cinderella run.
They'll continue charting a course which, they hope, will bring them back to the statewide stage.
