Montverde Academy is set to host its annual Montverde Academy Invitational Softball Tournament (MAIST) this weekend as the Eagles welcome in seven elite high school softball teams from different parts of the state of Florida. The tournament is being held Thursday, March 2, through Saturday, March 4 at the Montverde Academy Softball Complex.
The Eagles will be hosting elite high school softball programs including Apopka High School (Apopka, FL), East Lake High School (Tarpon Springs, FL), The Episcopal School (Jacksonville, FL), Fort Myers High School (Fort Myers, FL), Oakleaf High School (Orange Park, FL), South Lake High School (Groveland, FL) and West Orange High School (Winter Garden, FL).
The tournament is set to start with a game on Thursday evening when the Eagles take on South Lake High School at 6:00 pm. The games commence on Friday with five games on the slate with start times at 11:00 am, 1:15 pm, 3:20 pm, 5:25 pm and 7:30 pm. Saturday’s games are set for 8:00 am, 10:10 am, 12:15 pm, 2:30 pm, 4:40 pm and 7:00 pm. The tournament will close with an awards presentation following the conclusion of the final game.
“The girls are really excited to come together to make a statement at our tournament,” MVA softball head coach Caitlin Griffis said. “We’ve had a rough start but it’s lighting a fire under them and they’re eager to get back out there and defend our home!”
The Eagles enter the tournament with an 0-3 record but are projected to have a great season. So far through the first three games, the Eagles own a .313 team batting average and a 5.16 team earned run average. With the bat, Aracelis Jimenez has led the team with a .583 batting average and .583 on base percentage, to go along with an .875 slugging percentage and three stolen bases. Meanwhile, Lexi Perez has amassed a .375 batting average with a double, a home run and a team-leading four runs batted in.
Pitching wise, Jimenez has led the Eagles with a 2.10 earned run average, while striking out eight over 13.1 innings.
