EUSTIS, Fla. — The high school softball postseason is well underway across Central Florida. Led by senior infielder Jensen Luke, the Eustis High School Panthers are primed for another deep tournament run.

Playoff time is where she is at her best.

“I enjoy this part of the season, like the post season and it’s just so much fun,” said Luke. “I feel like one of my personal strengths is that I perform well in pressure situations. Coach (Brittany Scott) Beall always says pressure breaks pipes and pressure is on big time during the postseason. You kind of see people play differently.”

Luke has seen it all in the post season during her time at Eustis High School. She has been starting on the varsity team since she was in ninth grade. That year Eustis High School won the state championship and were led by pitcher Libby Levendoski. She graduated last year, but the team has kept its winning ways.

“Transitioning from not having her, we thought we were going to have this big mountain we had to move as a team, but we have had Skylar Cloud step up and we have had an amazing hitting season,” Luke said.

It’s not the only sport Luke has competed at while her time at Eustis High School. She also competed in weightlifting all four years and seen success at the state level.

“This year I was the state runner-up for the Olympic division for weightlifting,” said Luke.

But softball is her passion and will be playing at the next level.

“I’m going to Florida International University in Miami,” she said.

Luke has played travel ball during the summers, traveling all over the country to get a scholarship. Florida International University was her first offer.

“The coach out of the bat pursued more than I had pursued them,” said Luke. “They really, really wanted me on their team and it’s good to have that feeling as an athlete, especially after being rejected.”

Last year, during the recruiting process, she was told she was too short to play for a Division 1 school. But despite being just more than 5 feet tall, that didn’t stop Luke from achieving her dreams. 

“After hearing that and getting a division one offer was very rewarding,” she said.

The Panthers would finish the regular season with a 19-2 record.