Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week – March 23, 2021 (Week 4)

High school softball continues its start across the country in places like California, Arizona and Tennessee as we spotlight some of the standouts in Week 4 of the season.

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 in a nomination.

Players below are recognized for play in games Sunday, Mar. 14, 2021 through Saturday, Mar. 20, 2021…

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

* There’s being in a grove, then there’s being unconscious and then there’s being in a cloud… a Rylee Cloud (see what we did there?).

Rylee, the 2022 shortstop for Fairview High in Grant, Louisiana, put up numbers that will be hard for any offensive player to match this year… or, like, ever.

The Arkansas commit played six games last week—three in district action—and went 17-for-19 (a ridiculous .895 batting average) with eight home runs, one of which was a grand slam, plus two doubles, a triple, five intentional walks, 16 RBIs and, for good measure, 13 steals.

All eight home runs were over the fence and two of them were estimated to be around 250 feet based on where they landed… as you can see in this Twitter highlight, the grand slam came close to doing some damage on a school bus!

Just a lil bat flip action! 💣 pic.twitter.com/9JH4fHrkZL

— Rylee Cloud (@RyleeCloud) March 23, 2021

 

What’s even more amazing (if that’s possible), is that Rylee, who is ranked in the Top 30 of the 2022 Extra Elite 100, just was coming off of a second straight state basketball championship for her school so she and several other dual sport participants on her softball team didn’t have much of a preseason to get used to going from court to field.

“We are typically 15-to-20 games behind most other schools before we ever get started,” Rylee explains. “As you can imagine, this impacts our ability to practice and prepare. We were literally on the basketball court on a Saturday and playing district softball the following Tuesday.”

In the summer and fall, the Louisiana standout plays for the prestigious Birmingham Thunderbolts travel ball organization and credits her club play in getting her ready to explode out of the games last week.

“I have been itching for softball season to start!” she admits, and explains it’s been a long time coming. “I sat out the entire 2019 year due to injury (torn knee suffered playing hoops) and only played two games in 2020 due to COVID.”

“Playing with the Bolts has definitely forced me to step up my game, both mentally and physically, so I was extremely prepared to start high school ball.”

Still… what made her that prepared that the only outs she made in six games were a pop up to left and a ground out to short?

“I’d have to say my success at the plate has been from my ability to learn the game – which I have to give my coaches all the credit for that. It’s not just been stepping up to the plate and swinging at pitches, it’s been knowing the situations, learning the pitcher’s tendencies, knowing which pitch I want to hit and when to expect it.”

“One home run was on the first pitch of the game. I knew the pitcher wanted to get ahead and set the tone for the game. I was expecting a fastball down the middle and that’s what I got.”

“My approach this year has been to not swing out of my shoes and focus on line drives. Something Coach Jay Roberson (Bolts head coach) has helped me with over the Fall. I can definitely see the results from the adjustment.”

“I wouldn’t say I am doing anything differently, but maybe all of the practice and preparations are all coming together.”

Runner-Up National Player of the Week

* How is this for a stat line: 13 innings pitched, 33 strikeouts recorded, a no-hitter, two shutouts, a 0.00 ERA and a personal high of throwing 72 mph in the game.

We do think the radar gun captured the fast ball thrown by Karlyn Pickens, the Tennessee commit and Top 10-ranked 2022 Extra Elite 100 franchise player who attends North Buncombe High in Weaverville, North Carolina, and not passing traffic on the freeway!

But as impressive as those stats are, her batting numbers in the two wins might have been even better.

Karlyn was walked intentionally EVERY time she came to bat—eight for eight in walks and a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage—and she scored seven out of the eight times! As if her 72 mph pitching wasn’t respected enough by opponents, her dangerous batting skills were.

“I acknowledge the respect that comes with intentional walks,” the future Vol began. “I love to hit but I know it helps my team by getting on base no matter how that happens. I am the 3-hole batter and there were times when runners were on and I was intentionally walked.  Some innings I was the leadoff and they walked me.”

The opposing team didn’t even try to challenge her—no pitches were thrown– and the competition just pointed to first.

“That definitely motivates me to work harder on the mound and my teammates backed it up with hits!” Karlyn added. “I felt like all my pitches were working and once I had a few strike outs (note: the first three batters she struck out on the minimum nine pitches) I was able to command my pitches and felt very confident.”

Honorable Mention National Players of the Week

* Brooklyn Carreon, a 2022 pitcher for Whittier Christian in La Habra, California, pitched a perfect game last Saturday and had 16 strikeouts in a seven inning win after striking out 14 in a seven inning one-hitter the day before.

The Utah commit also had a two-run homer and went 2-for-4 in the Saturday 5-0 win. For the week (and the start of the season), Brooklyn is 2-0 and has given up just one hit in 14 innings while recording 30 K’s.

Extra Inning Softball asked if she was aware she had a perfect game happening.

“Yes, I knew it was happening through the game,” Brooklyn said. I just felt on my game and untouchable. I felt like I was throwing gas and my movement was on point. I felt like any pitch I threw was gonna do exactly what it was supposed to do. I was just so on my game that I was capable of facing anybody in that moment.”

* Carson Shaw, a 2022 corner infielder for Summerville (South Carolina) High, also opened her season with a bang as she went 7-for-13 (.538) and had four home runs with 12 RBIs in three games and produced a 1.462 slugging percentage and a stellar 2.033 OPS.

For her high school career Carson is batting .535 in 53 games played and has 74 hits with 18 home runs, 93 RBIs and 45 walks versus just 11 strikeouts.

She was profiled on Extra Inning Softball last fall and is following in the family footsteps of playing for Summerville High as her mother, aunt and both of her bothers have played for the school.

* Another Arizona standout, Abby Ritchhart, a 2024 catcher/middle infielder for Corona Del Sol High in Tempe, Arizona, opened her season by batting 7-for-10 in three games.

For the season, she has a .778 batting average, a 1.111 slugging percentage, and 1.911 OPS with two stolen bases.

* Jocelyn Briski, a 2023 pitcher/first baseman at Desert Vista High School (Phoenix, Arizona) had an exceptional opening week of high school softball in the circle.

Right out the gate ,she threw a perfect game with 19 K’s and followed that with a four-inning 12 strikeout performance. Then, in her final game of the week she threw a 7 inning complete game with 17 K’s.

Jocelyn has 48 strikeouts versus just four walks in 18 innings to start the season and has compiling a 0.78 ERA.

Jocelyn is an Extra Elite 100 player who is being heavily recruited by nearly every power 5 program across the country including Michigan, Arizona State, and Alabama.

She burst onto the national scene in 2019 when she led her first-year Arizona Storm club team to the finals of the PGF 14U Premier championship game and was later profiled in an Extra Star Power article.

* Alexis “Axe” Milanowski, a 2022 standout committed to Auburn, had a big week for The Houston Academy Raiders, a 3A team in Dothan, Alabama which had a 19-3 record after the weekend.

Axe helped her team win the Gulf Coast Classic in Gulf Shores, Alabama as she went 9-for-16 (.563) with a home run in the championships game and thanks to three doubles, a triple, four walks and three HBP was on-base 15 of her 22 at-bats (.682).

Her pitching stats were equally impressive as she went 7-0 for the week with four shutouts and had 18 K’s in 26.2 innings and gave up just three earned runs.

For the season Axe is 14-1 with 61 K’s and leads the state with her 10 home runs and her 14 wins. She has a team-leading .517 batting average and a 1.819 OPS.

*** Scroll down to see more Honorable Mention National Players of the 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 2021 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: [email protected].

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Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Past & Present)

2021

• 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)