Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week—June 15, 2021 (Week 16)

This will be our final National High School Player of the Week for the 2021 season.

If you’d like to have a player considered, scroll down to see how to fill in a nomination.

Players below are recognized for play in games Sunday, June 2, 2021 through Saturday, June 12, 2021.

If players and teams continue to compete at the high school level in your state, please continue to send information of outstanding performances to us at [email protected].

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Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week

* Eden Bigham, a 2022 right-handed pitcher for Rustburg (Virginia) High once said that her goal is to win state.

She’s off to a good start: on Monday she led her team to a 10-0 win as she was one batter away from a perfect game and in the run-ruled six inning contest had 17 strikeouts while going 2-for-3 with a home run and double.

Last week, she went 2-0 with 19 K’s in eight innings pitched and compiled a 0.00 ERA while batting .500 and hitting a home run.

For the season the Univ. of Virginia commit is 13-0 with four perfect games—one was combined with another pitcher—and has seven shutouts (three were no-hitters) and she has a 0.09 ERA for the season. And 171 K’s in 74 innings with an average of 2.31 strikeouts per inning.

Interestingly, her mother Katie Bigham is her high school head coach and has an interesting perspective on the team and her talented daughter… and what the junior wants.

“Eden says that with the team’s offense and a great defense we should go far in the tournament.”

At the Lynchburg News Advance Banquet two years ago where she received Freshman Player of the Year, the standout pitcher/hitter made the statement that the following year (ultimately cancelled due to COVID) “I want to go undefeated.”

That goal is still on track.

Her club coach, Tom Bunn of the Williamsburg Starz, is high on his standout junior.

“Eden is an elite pitcher and outstanding kid,” he explains. “She is a dominant bat misser who has a dynamic rise ball to go along with a knee-buckling change up. She is one of the main reasons we qualified for a 18U Tier 1 Alliance berth on our first attempt. Eden is a smart player and great teammate and we are lucky to have her. She is a Power 5 talent who has the ability to be a program changer at Virginia and she is worthy of this recognition.”

Runner-Up National Players of the Week

* Ryan Starr, a 2022 shortstop for Massapequa (East Massapequa, New York) High, helped her team in Long Island win its first county title for the first time ever in a sweep of a three-game series after wins in the quarterfinals and semifinal rounds of the Nassau County AA conference.

In Massapequa’s four game post season run for the title, Ryan batted .643 (9-for-14) with eight steals, six runs scored and five RBIs.

She’s a Syracuse commit and what’s interesting is she just started learning to hit lefty in February of 2020, right before COVID hit and had mostly only hit righty until last Summer.

*** Scroll down to read about more outstanding performances across the nation in high school softball last week!

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Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Historically)

• 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)
• 27: P/UT Karlyn Pickens (North Buncombe, Weaverville, North Carolina)
• 20: P/IF Madison Inscoe (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Virginia)
• 13: P Keagan Rothrock (Roncalli, Indianapolis, Indiana)
• 6: C Jayla Castro (Rocklin, California)
• 30: SS Brooke Blankenship (River Ridge, New Port Richey, Florida)
• 23: SS Rylee Cloud (Fairview, Grant, Louisiana)
• 16: IF Jenna Madison (Curry, Jasper, Alabama)
• 9: P/IF Annabelle Widra (Spain Park, Hoover, Alabama)
• 2: C/3B Elizabeth Moffitt (Prosper, Texas)

2020 Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week

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 Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week

• 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 Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week

• 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)