RANKINGS
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On Friday, April 7th, the Top 100 honorees of the 2027 Extra Elite 100 rankings were finalized with the Top 10 players being announced (note: the 101-500 players are still to be announced as well as Top Players by Position).
As we posted in the articles over the last two weeks counting down each day’s players in this class, this one had more nominations than ANY rankings class we’ve ever done and we’ve published close to 40 different class rankings covering 15 years!
Specifically, there were close to 2,000 players nominated by coaches for this most recent class along.
Not everyone can make the list, unfortunately, but this is a process—a journey—where players can work hard, be recognized and make the Extra Elite 100 down the road.
Important note: we have even had players not even ranked going into their last year or two before graduating from high school who ultimately made their class’s final Extra Elite 100!
So what benefits can be drawn from the process?
Said one softball mom, whose daughter did make it:
“It definitely motivates my daughter! She knows it doesn’t define her, but she definitely works towards moving up! Thanks for what y’all do for softball!”
Another parent, a dad, had these thoughts:
“I used to be against these 💯 but I am now 💯for them, not because of where my kid is ranked, but because it gives these kids yet another motivating factor and helps them see where they realistically stack up to some degree within reason and also to the extent of the strength of schedule they are playing.”
And we know that those whose players didn’t make it, are understandably disappointed.
As one club coach, bluntly wrote us:
“The fact that not one of these (my) girls made the top 100 is an absolute joke.”
One parent was a bit more diplomatic when her daughter wasn’t announced in the top 100:
“I’m sure you’re getting an influx of emails from parents/coaches asking questions about rankings for 2027. My daughter did not make the list, and I wanted to know what are things she can do in the future to help her get recognition on the list.”
“This was a big goal of hers this year and she’s been doing things to ranked—liked ODM metrics, Select 30, etc. If there are other things she should be doing to help her get noticed, please let me know so I can guide her. I truly appreciate your time and truly love what your company does for softball!”
So how does the process work?
We are more than happy to explain the “hows” as much as the “whys”… and there are two important things to note here:
First, we gather data and info on as many players as we can from top club coaches who work with the elite athletes doing what it takes to get noticed—by us, their peers, and, certainly, college coaches.
A primary way we received information, in this case formal nominations, is by announcing on the site the dates and schedules for each class…
Here is the schedule for the rest of 2023:
Second, and this is a key new development: with this most recent class, because of the high volume of submissions received, Extra Inning Softball reached out to over 150 top club coaches involved directly with this specific age group to get their thoughts on their players, sure, but also on top players they’ve competed against in nationals, elite tourneys, showcases and other events.
We heavily weighed the input of coaches we trust but also know that there were many coaches and players who were nominated that didn’t make the lists, not because they were talented enough to do so, but because they didn’t get the recommendations of other coaches.
Just like players are always working hard to improve, the rankings process as done by Extra Inning Softball is always looking into what athletes got better and are most deserving to be mentioned.
It’s an ever-changing, ever organically evolving process… just like sports and life where some win, some lose; some get better and some don’t.
Finally, due to the high volume of messages we are receiving, we assembled the THREE most commonly asked questions for your review and to help shine the light more on how the ranking work.
[Note that we’re addressing it to players and/or coaches here, but the info is relevant to the players themselves, too]
1—Was my player nominated? How do I know if she was or wasn’t?
After a player is nominated, we send a confirmation email to the individual who submitted the nomination. If you did not receive a confirmation email, check your spam and junk folders. As long as you received a confirmation email, rest assured that we did receive your player’s nomination.
If you are a parent and not sure if your player’s coach nominated your player, please follow up with the coach she plays for.
2—Why wasn’t my player ranked?
If your player was not ranked or you are unhappy with where she was rated, please consider the following points:
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- First, the number of nominations we receive for each class continues to grow and our Extra Inning Staff is continually exposed to more talent now than ever before.
- Second, your player may not have been nominated or the nomination received. Though rare, there are times forms or e-mails don’t get received or are stuff in spam/jump folders. There are also sometimes miscommunications or assumptions between coaches and parents and, at times, a coach may have forgotten to nominate a player or may have missed the nomination deadline. Players and parents are welcome to send information, including photos, but we highly recommend coaches are the ones to do the nominating!
- Third, over the last few months, our EIS editorial staff is working with other coaches who are weighing in on where they believe players should be ranked as mentioned above. Currently, we are in the process of fine-tuning this process and more information will be released in the months to come.
3—How can I learn more about the Extra Elite 100 process?
Here are several other articles we recommend for your review:
We appreciate the athletes who are so dedicated to this sport and who spend countless hours working to improve their game along with their families and coaches who help them “live their dreams.”
As always, we’re open to how to get better and we will–simply because we owe it to all those in this wonderful sport
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
Also, a big thanks to Bonnie Eads who helped with much of this article…