Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week – March 8, 2022

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, Feb. 20, 2022 through Saturday, Feb. 26, 2022…

*****

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

* Jayden Nishi, a 2023 grad at South High in Torrance, California, went 5-0 in the circle last week helping the team capture the TNT Tournament championships.

Her performance included three shutouts as she gave up just three earned runs, finishing with a 0.75 ERA for the tournament. Jayden also struck out 24 in 28 innings with shutouts over Banning and Redondo Union during pool play, and then shut out hard-hitting Gahr High in the quarter finals.

Jayden then gave up one earned run to Riverside Poly in the semi-finals, and two to El Segundo in the championship game win.

For the year, the junior is 10-0 with a 0.6 ERA. She has 46 strikeouts in 55 innings against just 13 walks and has five total shutouts on the year. South High remains unbeaten as a Division 1 CIF-Southern Section team.

Head Coach Scott Hayward says that the pitcher has elevated her game this season.

“The biggest thing Jayden is doing this year that she didn’t always do last year is believing in herself,” he begins. “Her spin, command and ability to change speeds are top-notch, and she had flashes of brilliance last year. But she was inconsistent because she lacked confidence.”

“She came in this year clearly with a different mindset,” the coach continues. “I think last year she just didn’t want to let anyone down, and it’s pretty hard to play when your approach is hoping nothing bad happens, instead of expecting to play well all the time, and just dealing with challenges that arise.

“This year she came out to lead. She knows our lineup will score runs for her and make plays behind her, and that they all have her back. She trusts herself, and that’s all it took. Jayden is pitching like the winner she is.”

The South squad is loaded with talent including seven other standouts who are Extra Innings Elite 100 players or Extra Innings Elite position players in Alyssa Yee, an OF ranked #90 in the 2022 class; Jaden Moore, #22 first basemen in the 2022 class; Avary Weisbrook, #40 in the 2022 class and a SS going to Florida State; Devin Elam, #97 catcher in the 2022 class; Paige Hayward, an OF/1B ranked #38 in the 2023 class and Isabella Cacatian, a C/3B ranked #35 in the 2025 class.

*****

Runner-Up National Players of the Week

* MacKinley “MacK” Portillo, 2023 pitcher/centerfielder for the Douglas (Alabama) High Eagles, was busy this week pitching seven games and three of them ended up being no-hitters.

MacK faced 105 batters in 30 innings and struck out 73 of them while ending the week with a 0.23 ERA. In one night, she pitched eight innings giving up no runs while striking out 21.

She also was strong at the plate as she had 21 at-bats and compiled a .529 batting average, a .619 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of 1.239.

For the 2022 season, MacK is batting .481 with a 6-1 pitching record and 105 K’s in 45 innings with a sub zero ERA of 0.46.

MacKinley will be a six-year varsity player by the time she graduates next year and five of those will have been as a starter.

* Madison Runyan, a senior shortstop at West (Texas) High, had a great week as she played seven games and went a remarkable 15-for-20 to hit .750 with a home run, triple, double and nine RBIs.

The Maryland signee ranked #96 in the 2022 Extra Elite 100, also had a .815 on-base percentage.

* Makynlie Jones, a senior SS/P for Vardaman (Miss.) High, has had an explosive start to the 2022 season—in her first three games (all this week), she is batting .846 with 11 RBIs on a home run, double and triple.

The McNeese State signee is also getting it done in the circle, compiling a 1.16 ERA in the trio of games.* Gabrielle Ellis, a 2023 pitcher/utility player for Clay High in Green Cove Springs, Fla., started the season off last week with a perfect game and this week pitched her second in as many tries.

This time it was a run-rule victory courtesy of a four-inning 7K effort where Gabrielle dispatched 12 batters on 37 pitches. At the plate in that perfect game, the junior went 3-for-4 with a steal.

Gabrille, ranked in the 2023 Extra Elite 100 pitchers, finished up the week appearing in four additional games where she scattered 14 hits over 20 innings with 29 strikeouts against only three walks and no earned runs.

For the season, the 4.3 GPA dual enrollment honor student is hitting .500 (6-for-12) with six runs scored and four steals.

* Kaylee Goodpaster, an 8^th grade outfielder for North Bay Haven Charter Academy in Florida, is having an amazing start to the 2022 season.

In three games this week she batted .667 with four walks (three intentional) leading to a .818 on-base percentage. She also homered twice with one being a grand slam and totaled eight RBIs and also had four steals.

The teams fourth game of last week got rescheduled due to the wildfires in Panama City.

Kaylee plays for the Birmingham Thunderbolts – Kemp team in club ball and was ranked #26 in the latest 2026 Extra Elite 100.

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

Join Today to Get Unlimited Access to Extra Inning Softball

Join Now

Already a Extra Inning Member? Log In

*****

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: [email protected].

*****

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

2022

• 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)