RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
The 2001 Extra Elite 100 updated rankings kicks off on Monday and will run three weeks including player rankings going 500 deep and college team recruiting rankings!
We’ve been spotlighting players who’ve been on the list before and have impressed; one of those we featured in July and then in November when she committed to Michigan was multi-talented pitcher/hitter/fielder Annabelle Widra from Hoover, Alabama…
Here’s a closer look…
*****
Recruiting: 2021 Extra Elite 100 Super Utility Player Annabelle Widra Commits to Michigan
Originally published Nov. 12, 2019 on Extra Inning Softball.
This week may be the start of the Signing Period for the current seniors—the Class of 2020—but that doesn’t mean there aren’t big developments going on with the junior class as well.
On Monday, Anabelle Widra–one of the top players in the Class of 2021–made her college choice official when she notified legendary Head Coach Carol Hutchins and the rest of the Michigan Wolverine coaching staff that she was ready to commit.
Anabelle visited the Big Ten school the weekend of September 28, when the Wolverine football team shutout Rutgers 52-0 and it was pretty much a done deal after that campus visit to Ann Arbor.
“I chose Michigan because I love Coach Hutch and her amazing staff,” Annabelle told Extra Inning Softball Monday afternoon.
“They made Michigan feel like my home away from home. Everything was amazing from the workout facilities, the indoor facility, academics, and especially Alumni Field. Michigan is a historic place and I love the traditions. I absolutely fell in love when I got there.”
The junior is a jack-of-all trades on the softball field and master of them all. She can pitch, play the infield and hit—all at a high level—and was one of the few this year that earned the dual honor of making the 2021 Extra Elite 100 list and being named an Extra Inning Softball 1st Team All-American.
And her club team, the Birmingham Thunderbolts, was recently ranked as one of the Top 10 teams at the 18U level to watch for the 2019-2020 season.
Much of the country may be getting a brutal blast of Artic air—it was 15 degrees this morning in Ann Arbor, Michigan—but the Wolverine softball program had to feel warm and toasty when Widra let them know her decision yesterday.
“I called Coach Hutch this morning (Monday, Nov. 11, 2019) asking her to promise me that she would hold my number (#66) for the next two years,” she said. “I told her that I wanted to come to Michigan and that I am so stoked to call Michigan my home. I am so excited for this new journey ahead of me. I am ready to represent the ‘Block M!’”
Here’s more on Annabelle in a profile we did last summer…
*****
Extra Star Power: Meet Annabelle Widra… Pitcher, Infielder, Hitter (What Can’t She Do?)
Originally posted on Extra Inning Softball on July 7, 2019
This week we revealed our 1st Team Extra Inning Softball All-Americans and one of those was “Multi-Purpose” standout Annabelle Widra from Hoover, Alabama.
Annabelle had a huge high school season but she’s been on the national radar since she was an All-State honoree in the 7th grade.
In our spotlight today, she talks about the recruiting process when she originally committed to Oklahoma State, but put herself back on the market saying, “I really felt a lot of internal pressure to make the right decision quickly.”
Today, she stands as one of the top all-around players in the incoming junior class and a prospect we, frankly, rated too low in our 2021 Extra Elite 100 rankings done in January (that will change in the next update!).
She’s been offered by at least a dozen Div. I schools from major conferences like the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, SEC and more.
Here’s a closer look at this talented pitcher/hitter/infielder who even learned a new position this year…
*****
NAME: ANNABELLE WIDRA
Hometown/State: Hoover, Alabama
Grad Year: 2021
Position(s): Pitcher/shortstop
Club Team: Birmingham Thunderbolts 02
High School (City/State): Spain Park (Hoover, Alabama)
College: uncommitted
Top Honors/Accomplishments: 2021 Extra Elite 100, Extra Inning Softball 1s t Team All-American; Max Preps All America Sophomore team; NFCA High School All-American (Pitcher); NFCA Regional 1st Team (Utility Player); Class 7A Area 6 All-Tournament Team, Class 7A Area 6 Tournament MVP, Over-The-Mountain Player of the Year, Over-The-Mountain-Team, Shelby County Player of the Year, Alabama Sports Writers All-State Team
High School Stats (2019): 46 games played; pitching— 22-2, 1.33 ERA, 137 innings pitched, 237 K’s, 12 shut-outs, 10 one-hit games and two no-hit games; batting—.504 , 72 hits, 70 RBIs, 18 doubles, four triples, six home runs (three times led off the game with a home run), 32 stolen bases.
Other Sports: Indoor Track and Field
*****
Congratulations on being named a 1s t Team Extra Inning Softball All-American as a “Multi-Purpose” standout… what does being an All-American mean to you, especially as just a sophomore this past year?
It is a great honor to be named an All-American. It is an honor to be recognized for my God-given abilities and the hard work I have put into this sport. I am thankful for all the opportunities this sport has given me. I am excited about my next two years of high school and am looking forward to playing ball at the next level. It is an honor to be recognized as a multi-purpose player. I am grateful that I am allowed to be a middle infielder and a pitcher.
*** Scroll down to read more on Annabelle including what she’s learned from the recruiting process and what advice she’d give to young players coming up!