Santa Fe softball coach Gene Findley heard the murmurs about Rylee Swilley.
He held his doubts, even though Line Drive Media ranked her the No. 3 player in the Class of 2029.
But Findley’s coached for 20 years. He’s seen hyped-up pitchers flame out.
“You hear about all kinds of players coming in the area, and you don’t really know until they actually get here,” Findley said.
The moment she arrived at Santa Fe, Findley knew.
Swilley was the real deal.
“She’s proving herself 100 percent. She works hard, and she’s a threat at the plate too,” Findley said.
To say she’s a “threat” at the plate is a massive understatement. She’s hit nine home runs, drove in 38 runs, scored 33 and slugs 0.947. Combine that with a 0.76 ERA, 123 strikeouts and 11 wins, and Swilley is simply one of the best players in Florida – as a freshman.
With that, the interest from colleges has already begun.
“I try not to overthink it. I just go out there and do my thing, and if they want me, they want me,” Swilley said. “I’m not going to pressure myself. I’m here to play my game.”
Swilley’s main goal isn’t where she’s going to play in three years. Instead, it’s helming the Raiders to new heights. The top-seed in Class 3A-Region 2, Santa Fe will host No. 2 Eustis Thursday at 7 p.m. with a chance to advance to Final Four for just the second time in program history (joining 2015).
If SF (24-3) reach Longwood and the state semifinals, it will arrive as the No. 1 or 2 ranked team in 3A and as a Bonafide title contender.
Swilley herself has elevated her game in the postseason. In wins over Mt. Dora and Nature Coast Tech (by a combined 25-0), the ace has yet to allow a run with three hits and one walk.
A breath of fresh air
Senior Madisen Crosby has been a part of some good Raider teams, but they’ve yet to get over that hump – whether a loss to Montverde two years ago or a first round upset last season.
The difference this year? You guessed it. Swilley. Crosby’s watched her since she was seven and anxiously awaited her arrival.
“She’s very relaxing. When she turns around, she relaxes both of us, and we talk to each other when we’re both hitting,” Crosby said.
Findley said chemistry is different this campaign than those of years past.
“You can have chemistry issues with girls softball, but this team, they get along pretty well and support each other,” Findley said. “There’s nothing in the dugout that went south. Normally some people get upset when they’re not playing all the time. This group has been very unique as far as clicking together.”
Swilley creates a now trio in the area
Swilley, of course, isn’t the only dominant pitching in the area. She joins Trenton’s Addison Allaire and Gainesville High’s Leanna Bourdage. Allaire is bound for Florida softball in 2027 and Bourdage Texas A&M.
Allaire and Swilley are teammates for the Gainesville Inferno travel team, while Bourdage’s Mom is Swilley’s pitching coach, so the bonds run deep between the three.
“We go to the gym together at 5:30 a.m. before school,” Allaire said. “She’s going to be incredibly good. She’s already hanging with us, so I’m excited to see what she’ll be as a senior.”
Bourdage added she’s already got the strength and the grit to be successful.
Both Allaire and Bourdage won or played in the state championship as freshman. Swilley is two wins away from that.
Santa Fe and Eustis (20-6) have yet to play this season.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How freshman Rylee Swilley has Santa Fe softball one win away from history
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
