High school softball is well underway in states like Texas, Alabama and Florida while it’s just beginning in parts of the Midwest. Sadly, in some places like New York games on the field are being delayed until May.
Still, there’s plenty of good stuff to highlight in Week 5 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. 21, 2021 through Saturday, Mar. 27, 2021…
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Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week
* Being chosen as the National Player of the Week can be based on great hitting or pitching stats, yes, but sometimes the less “measurable” parts of the game (intangibles), like leadership, inspiring teammates and rallying the troops can make all the difference in the world.
That was the case this week for Brooke Blankenship, the outstanding senior shortstop ar River Ridge High in New Port Richey, Florida, who put up the big offensive numbers but was stellar across the board in other ways too to lead her team in big ways.
Brooke, who signed with Florida State last November and was ranked #5 in the 2021 Extra Elite 100, is known for her defensive skills at shortstop and she didn’t disappoint according to Head Coach Kurt Goluba.
“In the field at shortstop, Brooke was nothing short of spectacular,” the Royal Knights coach explained. “She had 15 total chances and made 10 assists and five putouts including one amazing throw from short left as a cutoff that was a perfect laser to cut down the runner sliding into home in a close game, I believe it was 0-0 at the time.”
Brooke also shined at the plate, putting up huge numbers that earned her All-Tournament Team honors in the Leopard Slam: the senior went 11-for-15 (.733 batting average) with four doubles, a triple and two home runs in six games.
The future Seminole also had a .800 on-base percentage (thanks to three walks and two HBP’s), a 1.533 slugging percentage and an OPS of 2.333. Doing all this damage from the leadoff spot in the lineup, she also had seven RBIs, batting .750 with runners in scoring position, scored 11 runs herself and even went 5-for-5 in steals.
“She’s been pretty amazing,” Coach Goluba continued. “As a leader, Brooke is always picking players up who get down with a recent bad at-bat or error and she always gets the players amped and ready to play.”
Brooke is hoping to lead her team deep into the state playoffs but it wouldn’t be the first time; as a freshman, she was on the Academy at the Lakes High team from Land O’Lakes, Florida that won the Florida Class 2A State Championship.
Pitching for that team was current Alabama star Lexi Kilfoyl and in the top of the 11th of the nail-biting title game Brooke hit a two-out single and scored on a double to the wall by Lexi that proved to be the championship-clinching run.
That memory seems to be long in the past and Brooke explains that her strong senior season start has been a long time coming.
“Due to injury and COVID,” she explains, “I haven’t been able to play a full season since my freshman year. It’s my senior year and I learned from the last two years that the season can end without any notice so I’m doing my best to leave it all out on the field every single game.”
What led to such a strong week, including a game where both she and her sophomore sister, Caitlin, hit home runs?
“This week at the plate, I focused on being aggressive and seeing the ball and finding a good pitch that I could put a good swing on,” Brooke responded. “I’ve spent a lot of time hitting off the machine for game-speed reps. I felt confident going into the week because I was really prepared.”
Runner-Up National Player of the Week
* Ariel Kowalewski, who goes by the nickname of “AK47,” had a huge week for her Travis High team out of Richmond, Texas.
Playing third base for the Tigers and hitting leadoff, the sophomore went 5-for-5 in a game last Tuesday where she hit for the cycle including a grand slam and knocked in nine runs. Ariel came back on Friday night and had another big game going 4-for-4 at the plate and knocked in 5 more RBIs.
Her week stats were quite impressive: a perfect 9-for-9 at the plate plus a walk, hit by pitch and 14 runs batted in.
We asked Ariel was it like to have a game where you hit for the cycle, had a grand slam and 9 RBIs.
“I saw the ball very clearly and could see the spin very well,” she answered. “ I really felt like I could put the ball wherever I wanted. I’ve been getting pumped up by my team and was just ready to play. For my last at bat, my teammates told me I needed a triple to hit for the cycle and they really wanted me to do it. I wanted to hit a strong line drive and was able to put the ball where I needed to give me the best chance.”
Overall, Ariel—who says she takes a lot of tee, front toss and soft toss swings to improve—has a batting average of .760 with 19 hits in 25 at-bats and has two home runs, six doubles and an impressive 22 RBIs in seven games played. She also has a 1.320 slugging percentage and a 2.087 OPS.
“I’ve been working on a lot of little things to help improve my timing, vision, and power.”
Ariel is ranked in the Top 50 of the 2023 Extra Elite 100 and a Top 10 Catcher in the Class of 2023 Position Rankings.
Honorable Mention National Players of the Week
* Another player who had a perfect week at the plate was Anna Berger of Snowflake High in Arizona who went 11-for-11 and reached base safely in all 15 plate appearances last week to be named the MaxPreps/NFCA High School Players of Week for the West Region.
Anna had eight extra-base hits, 14 RBIs, 13 run scores and a 2.454 slugging percentage. The 2021 pitcher went 5-for-5 with two triples, two home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored in one explosive game.
The right-handed pitcher also gave up just one run and five hits in 10 innings while striking out 21.
* Camryn Feast, a 2023 CF/2B for Academy of the Holy Names in Tampa, Florida, helped her team win all three games played as she went 7-for-11 at the plate with a triple and three doubles and had two diving catches in the outfield that stopped several runs from scoring.
* Lauren Garcia, a senior infielder for El Paso (New Mexico) Montwood and a New Mexico signee, already has 17 home runs in the season and had another big week last week going 7-for-8 with three home runs, eight RBIs, six runs scored and two walks.
She is hitting a home run every 3.76 plate appearances and every 2.7 at-bats; this because she also has 16 walks on the year including five that came in one game.
* Addy Edgmon, a junior outfielder for Sequatchie County High School in Dunlap, Tennessee, excelled over three games last week, going 4-for-5 with three home runs, a double that hit the fence, four runs, and nine RBI (a possible school record) in one game and going 2-for-2 with a double, two runs, and three RBI in another.
For the week she was 7-for-9 (.778 batting average) with four home runs and 13 RBIs. Addy had previously committed to UT-Chattanooga in eighth grade after being offered, but is now uncommitted. She plays for the Fury-Polk travel ball team and was named National Club Player of the Week by Extra Inning Softball in July 2019.
For the season, Addy is batting .586 with 27 RBIs, 17 runs, 7 doubles, and 6 home runs in 35 plate appearances over 10 games. She has a .657 on base percentage and a slugging percentage of 1.448.
*** 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: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
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Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Past & Present)
2021
- 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)
