Extra Elite 100 Rankings… What They Are, What They’re Intended to Be and How a Player, Parent & Coach See Them

This is Brentt Eads of Extra Inning Softball…

Later today, we’ll reveal the Top 10 of the updated 2025 Extra Elite 100—the first edition for this year (2023) was originally published last month but thanks to a technical gaffe by yours truly, many deserving players were left out of that 2025 class.

We revisited it and kept those 100 listed in while adding some deserving players over the last two weeks.

To tie or not to tie… that is the question, and when the softball market responded to a poll we did—over 800 people voted—the results were 66% in favor of ties. And why? Because it allows more players to be honored and recognized.

I want to emphasize that word honor… that’s what the rankings are all about: honoring players for their talent, hard work and accomplishments.

Still, the rankings were getting a wee bloated with all the ties (sometimes 4-5 players deep at any number) so we’ve made it clear we’re going to cut back… for instance, this class right now has close to 200 players where last year’s same class of 2025’s had more than twice that number.

Let me state the obvious: Extra Inning Softball is a media company; not a scouting service or a recruiting company. That being said, we take the rankings very seriously and want it to be as credible as possible but is it perfect? Hardly.

NFL, MLB and NBA scouts make mistakes regularly in drafting players who disappoint while future stars may not get the “love” they deserve.

I once did an article on a young California QB who only had two offers, Cal and Michigan. He went to Michigan and at first was a part-time starter with a much more ballyhooed “big name” quarterback.

And this player that only had two offers coming out of high school was a sixth-round draft pick, the seventh QB chosen and was #199 in the 2000 NFL draft. Any ideas who it is? Only seven-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady!

We at EIS hear quite often, “My player is so much better than the player you have ranked No. so and so.”

Time will tell, of course, and we love seeing players prove us wrong… Shoot, if we can be a motiving tool for anyone, that’s great—even those who aren’t particularly happy with the Extra Elite 100 rankings.

Because we’re cutting back on “ties,” players, parents and coaches are disappointment when Sally Softballer, who was ranked #51 last year, drops out of the top 100. Sometimes it’s because other players have improved and/or their game hasn’t advanced as much as their peers, in addition to the reduced number of players overall.

I mention that because the following is an email we received just last night from a parent and/or coach:

“Not sure where this nomination got lost, she was ranked last year #xx and has definitely did a lot as a player, athlete, and individual. Definitely deserves to have been moved up respectfully.”

“These girls named in the top 100, she has definitely faced a few and has shut them down and competed from the circle and offensively. As to the other girls across the nation, she has faced them with her travel ball team and has done the same as she (has successfully) pitched against the better teams.”

Here are some numbers for you:

• Overall, for the 2025 Extra Elite 100, we received over 1,300 nominations from coaches.
• For the Top 20 alone, we received 235 recommendations.
• And, for the Top 10 alone, we received 110.

I’m no mathematician, but not ever nominated or recommended player can make the list when you have a 13-to-1 ratio between submissions and those who make the top 100.

We really try to do a thorough job of vetting the players as only nominations from coaches are considered (player and parent info is kept on file, however).

Also, we reached out to over 90 coaches in this class alone to get input and feedback which helped us narrow the rankings down as best we can.

But let me emphasize that this is still just a list with bios and photos included—a compilation of a lot of work and feedback, but it’s not an indication of the value of a player or person. It’s a prediction of how they will do in the future and we’ve had some pretty impressive No. 1’s including Amanda Lorenz (Florida) and Jayda Coleman (currently at Oklahoma), to name just two.

The rankings are supposed to be a positive and uplifting honor (there’s that word again), but I had two club coaches call me last month after the initial 2025 Extra Elite 100 went public saying they had players who were sobbing because they didn’t make the list.

Ouch.

I’m happy that the rankings mean something, for sure, but, to me, this is like the Gatorade Player of the Year or Dallas Morning News Top 100 Players in Texas… they are admirably researched and are quite often dead on but nevertheless can be missing some deserving players.

For us at Extra Inning Softball, each class ranking is a work in progress—the 2025 Extra Elite 100, for example, will be updated, revised and published again next year.

But this is just me blabbering on… I thought it would be helpful to show a representative email from three different sources that we feel appreciate the rankings in the spirit they’re intended:

1. a player
2. a parent
3. a club coach

In my opinion, they get that it’s supposed to be a positive and is just one component of how we cover these amazing softball athletes. We also do editorial stories, player spotlights, team profiles, club and high school team rankings, human interest features and much, much more in addition to the rankings, which admittedly are high profile.

So now let’s hear from the perspective of these three people—the player, the parent and the club coach—who we believe see the Extra Elite 100 rankings in the proper light and emailed us the info below….

Brentt Eads/Extra Inning Softball

*****

THE PLAYER

• Carrie Green
• 2024 Outfielder
• From Loganville, Georgia
• Committed to Southern Mississippi

It had been so much fun watching the ‘25 class go through what I did a year ago.  It was exciting, nerve-racking, and many other emotions all rolled into one.  I keep waiting to see who will commit to my school, of course.

I was reading some of the headlines and talking to my mom about the stuff about the rankings.  I see all sides.

As I’ve said before, thank you for everything you all do.  The awareness you bring to the sport is amazing.  As for the rankings, like everything in this world there are pros and cons to them.

The pros are it is good recognition for the girls that work hard, in some cases it makes you work harder (it did me).

I started in the lower end of the rankings and decided I wanted to get into the top 20.  I have been as high as 25 and I think I’ve definitely proved that I deserve to be up there, but I don’t make the rankings, I don’t do the write ups, so it’s not up to me.  Not sure I’ll hit my goal of top 20, but I’ve realized that every year I have still improved on the last year and I don’t need the rankings to tell me that.

I can look at the numbers and see that. For example, this year I set an organizational record of batting .512 and when I think about the competition we faced, I just think “Wow, I’ve hit off of pitchers going to Power 5’s and ranked in the top 10 by you guys.

Does that make me better than the girls above me? Some might say yes, others might say no.  As my mom says it’s all relative.

In the end it’s about what I believe—am I getting better? —and the answer is “yes.”  But so are others and that’s where it becomes difficult.  We all have different skill sets so is it fair to compare me to a pitcher or catcher or power hitter?

I don’t think so… as a slapper with speed, my job is to get on base, catch balls in the outfield, etc. Is that more or less important than pitching?

At the end of the day, it’s nice to be ranked but you have to remember it’s just a number.  The cons are that people take it personally.  And, of course, it’s the parents who are more hurt than the kids.

Here’s a thought: have you asked the kids how they feel?  Isn’t this about us anyway?  I think you’d be surprised.

Thanks again for all you guys do.  Remember you can’t make us all happy and do it for the sport.

Carrie G

*****

THE PARENT

• Requested anonymity

My two cents on rankings… just cause everyone else seems to have an opinion.

I think I’ve been a subscriber since March 2019, and I’ve always felt you guys have done a great job in covering the sport and giving exposure to the game. And still do.

And as far as the player rankings go it’s obviously an inexact science. Regardless there’s always going to be noise coming from the peanut gallery. Similar to the umpires who bust their butts to get it right and still people aren’t happy and in, some cases, parents are just downright rude, as my girls would say.

So here’s my take on the rankings.

When you first rank a class (2028 for example) include as many as you see fit. Recognize the talent that’s in the class regardless. They’re young and still developing. A straight “100” when they’re young is too restrictive and selective at such an early stage.

As subsequent rankings are released, pare it down with fewer ties as they get older and the cream rises to top, as they say. And for the final rankings for the class (senior year) you should have a true “100” as you’ll have four plus years of tracking a kid’s progress.

And as far as people complaining about parents submitting their kids’ information, only one coach has ever submitted my daughter’s information. Without me, taking the initiative, she would not have been recognized most likely. Although as she’s gotten older, she enjoys the fact that no one knows who she is.

Thank you for all you and the staff do for our kids. We appreciate all your hard work.

Requesting anonymity… why? My girls would be mortified… you know how teenagers are 🤣

Again, we appreciate all the hard work everyone at Extra Inning does for fastpitch softball! Seriously, with all the other options out there, you guys offer a far superior product.

Thanks again! 

*****

THE COACH

• Scott Berndes 
• President, Power Surge
• San Diego, Calif.
• Note: this letter was originally published Aug. 23, 2023, on EIS.com

Brentt,

Please don’t say “oh crap” here comes that crazy guy from San Diego again. And I hope you are not cringing. And don’t move to the North Pole, unless they have good softball there.

I saw your recent article on updating what you may do with the snafu that occurred with the recent 2025 rankings.  You had a nice email from a mom on what the rankings are all about. She is absolutely right and you like percentages so I would say 85% agree and 15% don’t with her.

But that is not the issue at hand, where you are ranked.

The issue now is, WERE you ranked?

For the 2025 class, that is the issue. Seems you will be redoing the 2025 ranking and I applaud you for making that decision.

But I think many do not understand the importance of your ranking system.

Brentt, you have created a monster, and we all love it. I want people to know for us that run and administrate the softball organizations—especially those trying to hang with the Big Dogs, i.e. the Batbusters, the Firecrackers, etc.—the rankings are huge.

They are not as people say, “a nice list of girls and a nice way to recognize the girls but the rankings are really not important.” The rankings are IMPORTANT!

It is a way to say such and such organization is doing it right! They are training and developing their players. Look what so and so from that organization is ranked. Or look how many from that organization are ranked. They must be doing something right.

Let’s give that organization a look at the next tryouts. Rankings are huge for us administrators!!

(And, I argue to the people that say the rankings aren’t important, the players that play sure think they are important)

P.S. Here is what I think is a great story about how important the rankings are.

We were playing in a very small nondescript Triple Crown Tournament in BLD Mira Loma. If you know the park the main fields are in one area with a snack bar, etc., and then there are fields way, way off by themselves in the middle of nowhere.

Needless to say, not the fields you want to play on… but we are on the farthest outer field.

Well, here comes walking up in all Oklahoma gear, JT Gasso, the Assistant Coach at Oklahoma and the famous Patti Gasso’s son.

This is not a recruiting tournament. There are NO college coaches anywhere so what the heck is he doing thousands of miles away from Oklahoma at this little tournament on the worst field?

I walk over and say hi and inquire what the heck is he doing here. We were a 14U team, so I was confused even more.

He tells me he saw the rankings on Extra Innings Softball and noticed a highly rated catcher we had and wanted to see her and start recruiting her.

“Wow! I thought. Thank you, Extra Inning Softball!!!

By the way, she ended up at UCLA… it was Sofia Mujic, a Top 10 catcher in the 2024 Extra Elite 100.

Thanks for what you do and know that all the schools look at the rankings as a resource and reference tool.

Of course, they must put their eyes on the recruits themselves and see if it’s a good fit, but the attention the rankings bring to the sport has done a world of good for these rising softball players.

Scott