WEST PALM BEACH — The Oxbridge Academy Thunderwolves received their state championship rings this week, celebrating their Division 2A softball title from earlier this year.
The team was honored during a halftime ring ceremony at a home football game. The rings feature diamonds and school colors.
🥎 WATCH: Standout players Riley Lyons and Aubrey Vital recount the win with WPTV's Eleanor Sheahan
Senior pitcher Aubrey Vital said the rings look pretty cool.
“I love it, they are so amazing, so nice,” Lyons said.
The championship would not have been possible without standout players Riley Lyons and Aubrey Vital. The two formed a key unit as pitcher and catcher throughout the season, working together on the field.
"She's telling me what's working, what's not working in between innings. We have a lefty batter, we have a different approach than with the righty,” Lyons said.
That communication proved critical against Cornerstone Charter Academy in the state championship game.
"There are a lot of bigger hitters like towards the end of the lineup. So we know in the beginning we need to get our outs. We need to pound the zone quick so we don't have anybody on base when we face the bigger hitters," Lyons said.
The Thunderwolves were tied 1-1 heading into the seventh inning. Lyons stepped up to bat with runners on first and second.
"I was just thinking, barrel through the zone," Lyons said.
Her RBI hit sparked a four-run seventh inning, and Oxbridge Academy went on to win the state championship 5-1.
"That was a really fun one. I remember being on base and the whole dugout, like, erupting after that hit," Lyons said.
The road to the championship was built on preparation and trust in their coaches.
"They didn't really put a lot of pressure on us when we got to our last games because throughout the whole season, we knew our goal was to make it to states. We knew our path from the beginning and how it would take a lot of hard work to get there, but we all knew we had a really good team,” Lyons said.
She said the Thunderwolves leaned in to each other.
“I think we all knew our role going into our last couple games and just all our hard work was there for a reason," Lyons said.
Vital notes how proud she is not only of herself, but her teammates and what this win means for the program.
"I'm really proud we did it together, because Oxbridge had never gotten one of those before. So just accomplishing that made me feel really happy and proud," Vital said.
Lyons added that the rings serve as a reminder of everything the team put in.
"Like, know that all of our hard work really paid off at the end," Lyons said.
With the next season expected to begin in January, Vital is already looking ahead.
"I'm really excited for this season too because we have a lot of newer girls. So I'm really excited to see how we can all probably win again," Vital said.
Lyons said her softball journey began at a young age, though it was not always a straight path to the championship.
"If we go all the way back to the beginning, I played T-ball with my little sister when I was around, like, 7 years old and then I was on a team called the Green Machines out of Palm Beach Gardens,” Lyons said.
Lyons said she took a break from the sport a couple of times growing up, but eventually after COVID she reached out to Coach Ed and began playing again.
“That's when I started catching for the first time, and I played in one rec league and I did pretty good. After that, I kind of reached out to Coach Ed, and I started playing travel ball with him, and the rest is history," Lyons said.
Lyons said she is still with softball. While she has her senior year season still ahead of her, Lyons is already prepared for the next step with a verbal offer in-hand to play in college.
