Coral Reef’s Hawkins, Doral’s Lopez, Breaux are Dade’s 7A-6A Softball Players of the Year

Doral Academy has been the most consistent among South Florida softball programs over the past five seasons.

Two key reasons the Firebirds remained that way this season were the performances by junior pitcher Yessenia Lopez and sophomore infielder Sarah Breaux.

And over at Coral Reef, a program with its own rich past in the sport that includes a state title in 2013, junior infielder Rachel Hawkins played a key role in turning the Barracudas back into championship contenders.

The three players each return next season hoping to lead their squads to new heights. But for their accomplishments this year, they are the Miami Herald’s Class 7A-6A Softball Players of the Year.

Lopez earned Pitcher of the Year honors while Hawkins and Breaux are both Players of the Year.

Lopez, who transferred in before the season from South Plantation High where she was already a first team-All-Broward selection in 2022, compiled a 19-6 record and struck out an impressive 246 batters while compiling a 1.20 ERA.

The biggest accomplishment was Lopez’s easy transition into the lead pitching role for a Firebirds team that had a high standard at the position left behind by her predecessor, Alyssa Zabala, who now pitches at the University of Louisville.

But Lopez had little trouble handling the pressure as she delivered numerous clutch performances while leading Doral Academy back to state for the fourth time in five seasons.

“It was a big switch for me transferring to a new school, but it was easy to get comfortable and be a part of a really fun year,” said Lopez, a UCF commit. “There was a big target on my back after the season I had last year and I knew I had big shoes to fill coming to Doral. But the girls had my back and I did pretty well.”

One of the players who most had Lopez’s back was Breaux, who put up some of the most impressive power numbers of any player in the county. Breaux hit .469 with six home runs and a team-best 41 RBI. Breaux also saved some of her best performances for when it mattered most as she hit the go-ahead two-run home run in Doral’s 2-0 win over Fort Lauderdale in the regional final. She also hit a two-run home run that nearly sent the Firebirds to the state final before falling 3-2 to Bartow in the semis.

“Our schedule prepares us for this,” Doral coach Willie Viruet said about his team’s big performances. “We play a really, really tough schedule. Like day in and day out, we try to play the best and we try to travel to play the best.”

Hawkins overcame an early-season shoulder injury that limited her playing time on the field and went on to become the top hitter for a Barracudas’ squad that went 22-7-1 and made it to the regional finals for the first time since 2019.

Hawkins, a Furman University commit, hit .455 with eight home runs, 33 RBI, scored 34 runs and stole 19 bases.

“I just ‘simpled’ everything up at the plate,” Hawkins said. “I went up there with no expectations and no pressure so I thought just do my job and see what happens. The more I let go, the better results I got at the plate.”