Coach Raiven Bryant knows what it takes to win.
The former Niceville shortstop played a key role in the Eagles’ 2017 and 2018 state runner-up campaigns. Now in her third year leading the South Walton softball program, Bryant has the Lady Seahawks playing at a level this program hasn’t seen before.
South Walton is 12-2 on the season, with its only losses coming against Fort Walton Beach — the defending 4A state champion — and North Bay Haven, the defending 2A state runner-up.
- “I think that we’ve got something really special happening here,” Bryant said. “We’ve got a group of six seniors, they know what it takes to win, they’ve worked hard, they’ve built their program off their own backs. It’s really special, it’s really exciting to see the growth of our game and the growth of this program.”
At the heart of the Lady Seahawks’ surge are the Kreinus sisters, Tatum and Zoey, who have anchored the lineup all season. Both have recorded 20-plus hits. Zoey has four home runs and 32 RBIs, while Tatum has a homer and 17 RBIs and is committed to UAB to continue her softball career.
Bryant sees more than just production from her two stars.
“I don’t think you can ask for better human beings,” she said. “We can talk about their softball talent all day long, but those two kids are some of the best people I know, and one of the things that they do best is that they lift up their teammates and make everybody around them better.”
Reese VanderBaan, Reagan Rintala and Gianna Matachiero round out the Lady Seahawks’ hitting core.
On the pitching side, South Walton leans on two capable arms in MacKenzie Scozzafave and McKenzie Reiter.
- “The two of them feed off each other,” Bryant said. “One of them has got speed and the other’s got spin, and it balances each other out.”
What has impressed Bryant most this season is the team’s grit.
“How badly they want it,” she said. “They’ve got a new sort of energy.”
Bryant acknowledged the team still has areas to clean up heading into the final stretch. “Too many errors. Sometimes we get lazy and flat footed. We’re working on that.”
But the second-year turnaround has Bryant believing this group has no limit.
“I think they can make it all the way,” she said. “There is no ceiling.”
South Walton had never advanced past the Sweet 16 before Bryant arrived. If this season is any indication, the Lady Seahawks are a program to be reckoned with — and they’re just getting started.
