- May 19, 2026
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“Challenging” would be an understatement. Perhaps “rough” is more fitting.
Whatever the word, it’s unlikely to convey just how badly 2025 went for Braden River High softball. The team finished 4-19.
An injury to then-junior ace Kaydence Evans stripped the Pirates of the pitching they needed to contend, or even compete. Losses piled up accordingly.
This season, though, has offered something dramatically different. It hasn’t even ended, and already, it ranks as a renaissance.
Braden River is bound for the FHSAA Class 5A state semifinals, having ousted Gulf Coast, 2-1, May 14 to hoist the 5A-3 regional trophy. It will face Niceville (23-7) at 10 a.m. May 22 in Longwood’s Boombah Soldiers Creek Park.
One of the all-time turnaround continues. The Pirates — now district champions and regional champions — pushed their record to 23-3 with the 18th victory in their last 19 contests, and are two shy of securing their first state title.
At this time last year, such an opportunity would’ve been impossible to believe.
“That’s a strong word — believe,” said coach Keith Jans. “That’s what I teach every day. A team that believes in itself is a dangerous team.”
There isn’t an abundance of history for the program on the statewide stage, but this will be its third appearance in the state semifinals.
Braden River made the regional tournament for the first time in 2007 following the school’s opening for the 2005-06 academic year. Entering this season, it hadn’t reached a regional final since 2017, amounting to nearly a decade of shortcomings.
When the Pirates last reached the state semifinals in 2016, they competed in Class 7A. Not once have they played for a state championship.
That might change soon.
“I’m so blessed to have such an amazing group of girls to have my back this season,” Evans said. “It’s just an amazing experience to be able to take my last ride with these girls, and to be able to go this far.”
It takes talent to fuel a season-to-season turnaround of this magnitude. Braden River has plenty of it, starting with the only senior on its roster — Evans.
She had to watch from the dugout in 2025 as opposing batters feasted on her team’s poor pitching. The Pirates allowed 11.5 runs per game and gave up 15 or more on 11 occasions.
This season, Evans owns a 1.32 ERA with 124 strikeouts en route to a 16-3 record. Her accuracy has been elite, walking only nine of 423 batters faced — a mere 2.1%.
Braden River has held opponents to no more than one run in 16 games thanks to her ever-reliable arm. That’s the difference an ace makes.
“In the past, even her freshman and sophomore year, we were lacking players sometimes,” Jans said. “To actually (have) a team right now that we have a bench to go to and that backs her up and supports her, I’m so happy for her. She deserves every bit of this.”
Her return has largely kept opponents off the basepaths.
The arrival of a stellar freshman class, meanwhile, has given her the defensive and offensive support she needs.
For this season, the Pirates welcomed seven freshmen. Those newcomers now constitute five of their top seven hitters and half of the roster.
Center fielder/left fielder Sarai Castro has hit .500 — the best batting average among them — while infielder/pitcher Cady Jones boasts a team-high 32 RBIs. Shortstop Evelyn Paul’s 41 runs are also more than any teammate.
Braden River has scored an average of 10 runs per game, making life difficult on pitchers throughout its district and region.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a team in Southwest Florida which relies on more freshmen, and still, the Pirates haven’t suffered from inexperience.
These aren’t a bunch of girls who just recently picked up the sport. They’ve grown up through the travel ‘ball ranks, building their skill sets years before playing at the high school level.
“Even though the age gap is such a big age gap, these girls have so much experience,” Evans said. “(People) don’t even realize it.”
After Braden River’s victory over Gulf Coast, the team gathered for photos by the outfield scoreboard. Jans stepped aside once his players disbanded and, for a moment or two, lingered in center field.
The third-year coach couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He’s been at the helm of a turnaround many would deem unbelievable, precisely because it is.
Jans believed this was possible. “Believe” is the relentless mantra he coaches.
“I know it sounds like a broken record, but it’s the fight in these players and the belief they have in each other and themselves. They're never out of a game,” Jans said. “No matter what.”
Braden River has followed an all-too forgettable season with one which is entirely memorable, and it’s not over yet.
For now, “triumphant” feels like the right descriptor.
