For a fourth consecutive year, St. Cloud pitcher Addison Felblinger dominated the softball scene in Osceola County and for a fourth time she is the Osceola News-Gazette Softball Player of the Year.
Felblinger is coming off another sensational season, where she led the Lady Bulldogs to an 18-win season, another Orange Belt Conference championship and another district title. The season ended with a tough 1-0 loss to Centennial in the 7A regional tournament.
For the season, Felblinger was a force on the mound and with her bat. While pitching, she won 13 games and recorded a 1.34 ERA –allowing just 90 hits while striking out 151 in 131 innings. Offensively, she hit a solid .397.
It was a typical year for the talented player, who started and starred for her entire four-year career with the Bulldogs. From 2023-26, Felblinger won 67 games and led the Bulldogs to two OBC titles, a district championship and three trips to regionals.
“It’s going to feel a little bit different next year not having Addison pitching,” Coach Ray Whobrey said. “Regardless of the opponent or situation, when she stepped out there I felt we had a legitimate chance to win the game. She was a great talent, a great competitor, a great teammate and an even better person. She was the heart and soul of St. Cloud softball for a long time.”
The departing senior says that being able to play with her teammates meant more to her than any individual accolades.
“In all four years, we were an extremely tight, close-knit group,” she says. “Through movie nights, slip and slides, and camps, we built some tight bonds. When I think about these last four years, I will remember the girls on the team more than anything else. We were a family.”
Although the team met with success throughout her career, Felblinger added that there was a little disappointment that the team did not advance further in a couple of those seasons.
“When you lose that last game of the year, there’s obviously some hurt and frustration,” she says. “But the most important thing is that after it was over, I think we knew we gave it our best shot and never quit.”
Originally, Felblinger accepted an offer to continue her career at the next level by playing for Indian River CC, but had a change of heart and has decided to retire as a competitive player and concentrate on her studies. Instead, she will enroll at Valencia State College and pursue a career in medical imaging.
“I just felt it was time to put softball behind me and begin the next step,” she says. “My ultimate goal is to help others overcome illness and injury.”
In all, the Lady Bulldogs placed five members on the 16-member News Gazette’s All-County team. Harmony and Osceola place three each; Poinciana and Tohopekaliga had two and Celebration on the squad.
Whobrey, the Orange Belt Coaches’ selection for Coach of the Year, shares the paper’s selection with Harmony’s Kristi Mindrup. Due to teacher cuts because of an expected drop in enrollment, the long-time successful Harmony coach was not offered a teaching contract for the coming year. “She has meant a lot to both Harmony and softball community and deserves the recognition,” Whobrey added.
2026 Osceola News-Gazette All-County Softball
Player of the Year: Addison Felblinger, Sr., St. Cloud (1.57 ERA, 161Ks)
All County Team:
Harmony: Emerson Aslan, 1B/DH, Sr., .458 BA, 5 HR; Elyssa Staley, P, Fr., 3.31 ERA, .356 BA; Noel Stephenson, C, Fr., .317 BA
Celebration: Isabella Bayona, INF, Jr., .636 BA, 33 RBI, 33 SB
St. Cloud: Grace Comiskey, OF, Jr., .332 BA; Zhyra Delacruz, C, Fr., .470 BA, 23 RBI; Sheyenne Hawkins, 1B, Jr., .329 BA
Osceola: Tenley Dawson, SS, Jr., .370 BA, 21 RBI; Destiny Ferrer, OF, Jr., .385 BA,; Faith Ferrer, SS, Jr., .370 BA, 21 RBI
Poinciana: Samantha Edwards, SS, Sr., 21 RBI; Keyanna Stanley, UTIL, So, 21 RBI
Tohopekaliga: Anaya Josue, INF, Jr., .417 BA; Maria Santiago, INF, Jr., .411 BA
Coaches of the Year: Ray Whobrey, St. Cloud; Kristi Mindrup, Harmony
