High school softball continues across the country and we honor those athletes who have shined on the field!
Each Tuesday for the next several months we’ll honor top performances nationwide; if you’d like to have a player considered, scroll down to see how to fill out a nomination.
Games are for Sunday, Apr. 17, 2022 through Saturday, Apr. 23, 2022…
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Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week
* Could lightning actually strike twice in the Sunshine State softball playoffs?
Could junior centerfielder Cassidy McLellan of Lakewood Ranch (Bradenton, Florida) High once again lead her team to another Florida state title? And get the championship-winning hit like she did in the Spring of 2021?
Last May, the Florida Gator commit was our National Player of the Week when she stroked a walk-off triple that clinched the Class 7A title for her team (click HERE to see the video of that moment!).
Similar to 2021, the Lakewood Ranch squad is heating up as it’s heading towards the playoffs with a 12-game winning streak. Heading into this week’s action, the team is 21-2 with two regular season games left and, in the latest dozen wins, the team has beaten six ranked teams.
Cassidy’s play has been a big reason why.
Last week, in four wins for the Sunshine State prep power, she went 9-for-11 (.818) with two home runs, three doubles, a triple, six steals and seven RBIs. For the season, the speedster is batting .592 with a .635 on-base percentage and has scored 43 runs with 22 steals and 43 runs scored.
Coach T.J. Goelz explains:
“Cassidy has been on base for us all year and sets the tone for our offense. She is very tough to defend against and I expect her to have another great post-season for us.”
One of the things that makes the 2023 grad so effective is her ability to take what the opposing pitcher gives her.
“I was seeing the ball really well,” she explained to Extra Inning Softball. “I barreled up most of my hits and they seemed to find the holes. Normally I try going with the pitch. I seem to get pitched outside a lot and this week my home run was to left and my triple was a slap to left-center.”
Spreading the credit around, Cassidy adds:
“The team is doing really well with everyone’s bats heating up going in to play offs. Pitching and defense has done great all season. Our regular season is ending this week and play offs start next week. We want the same end results as last year, a Florida state title.”
And, finally, what makes her .818 batting average last week so impressive was the fact she did it in front of some interested observers, namely, her future Florida coaching staff!
“I did have some extra fans cheering me on for our games in Gainesville,” Cassidy laughs. “My future coaches, including Coach (Tim) Walton, and some of the Gator softball players were in attendance. No pressure at all,” she says but then comes clean by admitting: “That’s a lie!”
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Runner-Up National Players of the Week
* Ashley Wolfe, the talented junior middle infielder from Green Bay Preble (Wisc.) who has committed to Oregon State, helped her team go 5-0 last week as she went 9-for-15 (.600 batting average) with two home runs, four doubles, seven RBIs, five steals.
The Midwest standout has played 10 games for the start of the season and is hitting .667 with 12 RBIs, 16 runs scored and 11 steals.
* Leilani Bustamante, a sophomore middle infielder for Aquinas High in San Bernardino California, was a hitting star and defensive standout for her team, the co-champs in the Ambassador League, by making a diving catch up the middle in the win over Western Christian in which she went 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
In league play, Leilani is hitting .643 with 20 RBIs for her So Cal team and, already in her first two prep seasons, has 41 RBIs.
* Tegan Gabrielse, the standout freshman pitcher for Hickory (Chesapeake, Va.) High, played two games last week and shined in both.
In the first win, she went seven innings with 10 K’s and no walks to beat last year’s Virginia Class 5A champs, Nansemond River. In that victory, she also hit a home run and a double off the fence. In the second game, Tegan threw three innings and struck out eight with no walks.
Nine games into the young season, she is hitting .407 while has pitched 51.2 innings and has 74 K’s with a 0.95 ERA. Nicknamed “Savage,” Tegan has done all of this after coming back from a tough injury last year.
* Julie Kelley, a right-handed 2024 pitcher for Spruce Creek High in Port Orange, Florida, went 11 innings in a pitcher’s duel against Melborne High and pulled out the 4-1 win after her senior teammate Taylor Hartman, a Rollins signee, hit a three-run homer.
Julie allowed six hits and one run (none earned, however) while striking out 13 in the marathon win. In the conclusion of the 5 Star Conference Championship, which had been delayed due to weather, she pulled out a 2-1 win over Deltona giving up just three hits, one earned run and five strikeouts while going 3-for-3 at the plate.
For the week, the sophomore went 2-0 with a 0.39 ERA and batting average against of just .136 to run her season record to 10-3 with a 1.05 ERA while hitting .333 with three home runs and 21 RBIs.
*** Scroll down to read about more outstanding performances across the nation in high school softball last week!
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Nomination Process
Each week during the spring and summer high school seasons, Extra Inning Softball honors a National High School Player of the Week.
Honoree are announced every Tuesday; cutoff for submitting the nominations is each Monday at noon EST/9 am PST.
We’re looking for standouts who excelled in the circle, at the plate or in the field so be sure to nominate your favorite performance(s) by submitting the following:
- Player Name
- Grad Year (example: Class of 2022 or Senior)
- Position(s)
- High school team name with city/state
- Stats for the week (be as detailed as possible!)
- Up-to-date season stats if possible
- Recruiting information if applicable
- Any interesting background on the player
- Action and/or head shots
- If possible, contact info if we’d like more info or quotes
Email info and photos (1-4 as available) by the cutoff of Monday at noon EST/9 am PST to: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
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Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Historically)
2022
- Apr. 19: P/UT Madison Knight (Patterson Mill, Bel Air, Maryland)
- Apr. 12: OF Chelsea Mack (Brecksville, Ohio)
- Apr. 5: P/IF Madison Inscoe (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Virginia)
- Mar. 29: P Rose Malen (Marin Catholic, Kentfield, Calif.)
- Mar 22: P Katie Kutz (Bishop O’Connell, Arlington, Virginia)
- Mar. 15: IF Tanya Windle (Cactus, Glendale, Arizona)
- Mar. 8: P Jayden Nishi (South, Torrance, California)
- Mar. 1: P Marissa McCann (Willow Canyon, Surprise, Arizona)
- Feb. 22: 1B Sydney Lewis (Prosper, Texas)
2021
- June 15: P Eden Bingham (Rustburg, Virginia)
- June 8: P Lauren Derkowski (York, Elmhurst, Illinois)
- June 1: SS Shayne Immke (St. Joseph-Ogden, St. Joseph, Illinois)
- May 25: OF Cassidy McLellan (Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Florida)
- May 18: IF Abby Ota (Joel Barlow (Redding, Connecticut)
- May 11: IF Kali Heivilin (Three Rivers, Michigan)
- May 4: P Maya Johnson (St. Joseph Academy, Cleveland, Ohio)
- Apr. 27: P/UT Karlyn Pickens (North Buncombe, Weaverville, North Carolina)
- Apr. 20: P/IF Madison Inscoe (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Virginia)
- Apr. 13: P Keagan Rothrock (Roncalli, Indianapolis, Indiana)
- Apr. 6: C Jayla Castro (Rocklin, California)
- Mar. 30: SS Brooke Blankenship (River Ridge, New Port Richey, Florida)
- Mar. 23: SS Rylee Cloud (Fairview, Grant, Louisiana)
- Mar. 16: IF Jenna Madison (Curry, Jasper, Alabama)
- Mar. 9: P/IF Annabelle Widra (Spain Park, Hoover, Alabama)
- Mar. 2: C/3B Elizabeth Moffitt (Prosper, Texas)
2020
- Season cancelled in March due to COVID-19 pandemic
- Mar. 17: P Kenzi Lyall (Alleghany, Sparta, North Carolina)
- Mar. 10: C Maci Bergeron (Notre Dame, Crowley, Louisiana)
- Mar. 3: IF Jayda Coleman (The Colony, Texas)
- Feb. 26: IF/P Micaela Wark (Reedy, Frisco, Texas)
2019
- Jun. 10: P/1B Sydney Supple (North, Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
- May 27: P Aynslie Furbush (Winter Springs, Florida)
- May 20: SS Bailey Dowling (St. Joseph-Ogden, St. Joseph, Illinois)
- May 13: P Britton Rogers (Cypress Ranch, Cypress, Texas)
- May 6: C Neely Peterson (Cypress Creek Middle, Wesley Chapel, Florida)
- Apr. 29: OF/IF/P Angela Zedak (Marist, Chicago, Illinois)
- Apr. 22: SS Kali Heivilin (Three Rivers, Michigan)
- Apr. 15: 3B Trinity Cannon (Forney, Texas)
- Apr. 8: P/1B Sydney Supple (North, Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
- Apr. 1: OF Leea Hanks (Eustis, Florida)
- Mar. 25: P/IF Madison Inscoe (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Virginia)
- Mar. 18: 1B/OF Avery Goelz (Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Florida)
- Mar. 11: OF/2B Tanya Windle (Cactus, Glendale, Arizona)
- Mar. 4: SS Hallie Wacaser (Bentonville West, Centerton, Arkansas)
- Feb. 25: P Stevie Hansen (Norco, California)
2018
- May 27: P Lexi Kilfoyl (Academy at the Lakes, Land O’ Lakes, Florida)
- May 20: P Ashley Rogers (Meigs County, Decatur, Tennessee)
- May 13 (tie): P Sydney Supple (Oshkosh North, Oshkosh, Wisconsin)
- May 13 (tie): OF Lexi Voss (Marist, Chicago, Illinois)
- May 6: P Danielle Williams (Amador Valley, Pleasanton, California)
- April 29: P Montana Fouts (East Carter, Grayson, Kentucky)
- April 22: IF Kasey Simpson (Keller, Texas)
- April 15: SS Jayda Coleman (The Colony, Texas)
- April 8: P Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, California)
- April 1: C Macy Simmons (Hamilton, Chandler, Arizona)
- March 25: C Paige Pfent (Springstead, Spring Hill, Florida)
- March 18: SS/OF Deja Westbrook (Arcadia, California)
- March 11: P Megan Faraimo (Cathedral Catholic, San Diego, California)
