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, May 2, 2021 through Saturday, May 8, 2021…
*****
Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week
* Two years ago, on April 22, 2019, Kali Heivilin was named as the Extra Inning Softball National High School Player of the Week.
A lot has happened since then including COVID-forced cancellations and quarantines but Kali has continued to shine after she was named a 2019 Extra Inning Softball All-American, committed to Alabama and was named as a Top 50 honoree in the 2021 Extra Elite 100.
This week, she continued to show the amazing stick that got her to the SEC as she played in six games, went 13-for-20 (.650) including six home runs, 14 RBIs and 14 walks for her Three Rivers (Michigan) High team
Here’s a game-by-game look at how she did offensively:
- Game 1: 1/3 w/HR, BB, 2 RBIs
- Game 2: 2/4
- Game 3: 0/1 w/ 2 BB
- Game 4: 1/3 w/ HR, RBI
- Game 5: 4/4 w/ 2 HR, BB, 5 RBIs
- Game 6: 5/5 w/ 2 HR, 6 RBIs
Kali is hitting .638 on the season with 10 home runs in 15 games, 35 runs and 13 walks.
“She is not seeing a ton of good pitches,” her father Shawn Heivilin, “but making them count when she sees them.”
Three Rivers is about halfway through the season so expect those numbers to continue to climb, especially now that the athlete is back following the pause of nine games after a player tested positive for COVID.
“I feel like I am just getting back into the groove,” Kali explains, which has to be scary for opponents who’ve already seen what she can do. “Our team had a two-week pause due to COVID and this was my first week back so do I feel I am just starting to get back going.”
With certain softball awards ahead, including a probable repeat as an Extra Inning Softball All-American, Kali can feel great that she’s already received multiple honors in other sports this, her senior, year:
- All State in Volleyball last Fall
- All State in Basketball by the AP and Basketball Coaches association
- Finalist for Detroit Athletic Clubs Athlete of the Year (six girls over all sports are finalists, Kali is the only softball player)
- Gatorade POY nominee
Overall, though, with the pandemic and how it cancelled all of last year’s softball season and already impacted games this Spring, Kali says she’s appreciative of putting on the uniform for a few more times.
“Missing the entire last year was hard on everyone,” she finishes. “I am just happy to be playing—it feels great to get dirty with my teammates and just go have fun again.”
Runner-Up National Players of the Week
* Keagan Rothrock can’t feel too bad about not getting this week’s National POW award as she captured the honor exactly a month ago.
Plus, she’s a probable Top 5 selection on Friday when the final members of the 2023 Extra Elite 100 are announced.
This week, the sophomore pitcher at Roncalli High in Indianapolis, Indiana, threw her third and fourth perfect games of the season and, surprisingly, lost a game 1-0 despite having nine K’s with no walks.
The Florida verbal struck out 13 and 15 batters, respectively, in her two perfect games and for the week went 2-1 striking out 33 of the 58 batters she faced last week.
According to her father, Greg Rothrock, “Keagan threw in her riseball and change up mixed win with her fastball and her overall speed is up. She’s trying to figure out how to make the ball move given her higher speeds so she’s making that adjustment.”
And she was as impressive off the field too. According to her father, “Keagan made her mom (Laura) a Mother’s Day card using her Cricket and computer, took her mom to dinner and then just spent time with her rest of the day! “
* Nyjah Fontenot, a 2022 OF for Barbe High in Lake Charles, Louisiana, hit .714 last week and had a home run, double, two runs scored and four RBIs—all in the State Championships win.
The Arkansas commit, who is listed at #79 in her class’s Extra Elite 100, finished the season with a .533 batting average and had 11 home runs, 62 RBIs and 23 steals.
* Abby Sabalaskey, a 2024 P/IF of Westville (Illinois) High had an 18-strikeout perfect game and came just two walks shy of another perfect game but did toss two more perfectos albeit one went five innings and other three innings.
For the week she pitched 22 innings and struck out 56 while walking just the two.
She helped her own cause at the plate by hitting a home run and knocking in seven in a doubleheader and was tabbed as the MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Player of the Week for the North Region.
Here’s some clips of Abby in action last week:
As of May 9: 6-1 record, 39 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 92 K’s, .538 ERA, .359 WHIP, 3 perfect games, 22 hitless innings, 5 Shutouts. Also selected as Player of the Week in News Gazette. @StriveSoftball @IHartFastpitch @Los_Stuff @SoftballConnect @FloSoftball @ExtraInningSB @CoastRecruits pic.twitter.com/RppKdjLgEp
— 𝔸𝕓𝕓𝕪 𝕊𝕒𝕓𝕒𝕝𝕒𝕤𝕜𝕖𝕪 (@AbbySabalaskey) May 10, 2021
Honorable Mention National Players of the Week
* Summer Bullard, a 2022 P/SS, recorded 31 K’s in two state playoff games for Purnell Swett High in Pembroke, North Carolina.
The Charleston Southern commit has 110 strikeouts on the year and has a 1.30 ERA.
* Charlotte Dwyer, a 2021 P/UT from Donovan Catholic (Toms River, New Jersey) High went 9-for-9 with three home runs and drove in nine RBIs.
In each of her team’s wins she hit a home run and also scored five times for the Griffins. Charlotte, who is headed to Franklin & Marshall to play softball, was named the MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Player of the Week for the East Region.
* Alexis Slater, a 2022 P/IF from Mariner (Everett, Washington) High struck out 43 in 21 innings of work and allowed just five hits in three games.
In one game she had a 15-K no-hitter and in two other games had 14 strikeouts in each contest to go 3-0 and earn MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Player of the Week for the West Region.
* Rycca Hinton, a 2021 P from Faith Academy (Mobile, Alabama) High, went 2-0 at the Area Tournament and struck out 33 in 14 innings pitched and had a 0.56 ERA
For the week, the #87-ranked player in the Extra Elite 100 went 3-0 with 48 strikeouts and gave up just seven hits in the trio of wins. She’s 16-2 on the season with a 1.45 ERA.
*** Scroll down to read about more outstanding performances across the nation in high school softball last week!
*****
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.
*****
Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Past & Present)
2021
- 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)
