Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week – May 20, 2019

This week’s Extra Inning Softball National High School Player of the Week is a Georgia-bound pitcher who came up big in the Texas high school state playoffs last week and we also feature top performances including a “perfect strikeout game” where all 21 outs were made via the “K!”

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

Bailey Dowling, the junior shortstop for St. Joseph-Ogden High in St. Joseph, Illinois, has been on a power surge recently that has seen her break a state record and draw within sight of several others.

In three games last week, the Alabama commit went 6-for-7 (.857) but five of her hits were home runs. Bailey had a .890 on-base percentage and scored seven runs.

All five home runs came in the first two games when she went 2-for-3 and 4-for-4 is. In the third game, she didn’t have an official at-bat as the opposition did its homework: the slugging shortstop was walked intentionally three times.

The home run explosion put her at 65 in her career which broke the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) record of 60… and the underclassman still has a season-plus to add to the mark.

“Breaking the career home run record as a junior in high school means the most to me,” Bailey responded when asked which of all her accomplishments she favors the most. “Knowing that I have another year to work on this gives me motivation to train harder before next high school season.”

Heading into the week, St. Joseph-Odgen is 22-9 and Bailey has been a big reason for the success of Larry Sparks’ team. She’s hitting .674 with a .752 on-base percentage and a 1.495 slugging percentage.

Still, she defers to others for the team’s productive year.

“The key to my great season has definitely been my teammates,” Bailey says. “They always are so supportive and we lift one another up. The coaches have been awesome too – they are always there for us no matter what!”

The infielder has 64 hits so far this season and has scored 65 times. Not surprisingly, she’s been walked 27 times in her 125 official plate appearances.

Her big junior campaign has put on the IHSA record book list in several categories. Her 22 home runs has put her on the top single-season list for the third time in her career (it ranges from 18 to 24) and her three homers in a game last week also puts her in the top 10.

Bailey has 201 career runs scored and needs 32 to more to break the IHSA record. Her 183 RBIs puts her 48 off the state’s all-time best. She’s using the records as a motivating tool.

“It is very exciting to know that my name is in the record books, especially career records that I can hopefully continue to work on.”

With her team in playoff mode, the Midwest star has also been keeping an eye on another team currently in the playoffs.

“It has been so fun watching Alabama in the playoffs while we are in our postseason,” she adds. “I am hoping we can both continue to keep playing for the next couple of weeks!”

Runner-Up Players of the Week

* Last week we honored Shannon Becker, the sophomore pitcher from Mahopac (New York) High who threw a “perfect perfect game” as she struck out all 21 batters she faced. CBS News, in fact, did a nice video piece on her talking about Shannon on and off the field:

https://www.facebook.com/CBSNews/videos/359901771540903/

This past week she continued to dominate as she went 3-0 in the circle with three shutouts including two one-hitters and a no-hitter. She pitched 21 innings giving up just two hits while striking out 49. Also, she went 5-for-9 at the plate with two doubles, three RBIs and five runs scored. Shannon ended the season 17-3 with 14 shutouts, four no-hitters and in 141 innings pitched recorded 332 strikeouts and compiled a 025 ERA while opponents hit a miniscule 0.85 against her. The 6-foot pitcher has SEC, ACC and Pac-12 schools after her.

* Micaela Wark, a sophomore infielder for Reedy (Frisco, Texas) High and a commit to the Univ. of Houston, helped her team reach the 5A Region II finals, the first time the school—which has only been in existence three years—go that deep in the playoffs. Named as the Dallas Morning News Player of the Week, she had two home runs including a grand slam and was 3-for-5 with eight RBIs in a two-game sweep of Hallsville High in a Class 5A Region II semifinal series. Her home runs continued a streak of having hit at least one home run in five straight games. Micaela also pitched back-to-back complete games in the series. For the season, she is hitting .596 with 42 runs, 57 RBIs and 16 home runs, second best in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and only one behind former National Player of the Week Trinity Cannon (April 15).

* Madison Inscoe, the freshman pitcher for Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Virginia who was our National Player of the Week for March 25, 2019, finished off her initial high school season with a bang as she pitched two complete game shutouts in the semis and championship game to lead her team to the VISAA Virginia State title for the first time in 26 years. In the semi-final win she threw a four-hitter striking out four while going 2-for-3 at the plate. In the championship win, she pitched a 1-0 shutout with four K’s in seven innings of work. Madison was a 1^st Team All-State honoree as she compiled a 11-3 record with 109 K’s in 75 innings for the season. She had 10 shutouts and two perfect games as well.

* Kaylie Northrop, a junior pitcher for Richland High out of Richland, Washington, pitched three complete game wins, leading her team to the District 8 championship and sending the Bombers to the Washington State tournament as the #1 overall seed. For those three victories Kaylie had 22 K’s and a 1.00 ERA while giving up just a .180 batting average to opponents. The lefty pitcher committed to UNLV had an 18-0 record with a 1.10 ERA heading into this week.

* Senior pitcher Blake Craft of Yuba City (California) High led her team to the semi-finals of the CIF San Joaquin Section Div. 2 playoffs for the first time ever as she was dominating in the circle, pitching a two-hitter with nine K’s in fiving innings in one playoff win and striking out 13 in another five inning run-ruled game. Prior to yesterday’s 3-2 win in the playoffs, she had a 16-0 record with a 0.56 ERA and was also batting .500 hitting fourth in her line-up.

* Addison Blair, a sophomore first baseman/outfielder at South Caldwell high in Hudson, North Carolina, had a big week last week in Rounds 3 & 4 of the North Carolina 4A state playoffs. She helped her team advance to the Regionals for the second year in a row as she hit .800 (4-for-5) with six RBIs and a 1.800 slugging percentage and 2.65 OPS. Over her last four games she’s hit four home runs with 12 RBIs.

* Megan Schumacher, the senior pitcher/first baseman for John Jay High out of East Fishkill, New York and our latest blogger for Extra Inning Softball, continues to have an All-American-type year as she went 3-0 in the circle with 26 K’s and no earned runs allowed in 15 innings pitched. She also went 7-for-10 at the plate with nine RBIs. Megan has signed with Missouri.

* And last, but certainly not least, Sarah Willis, the outstanding junior pitcher for Norco (California) High, led the Cougars to a repeat CIF Southern Section Div. I championship last Friday night in the 2-0 win over Great Oak. The Washington commit gave up just three hits while striking out eight and in 28 innings of playoff pitching didn’t allow a run and gave up just 10 hits. She finished 22-1 with a 0.82 ERA and had 196 K’s. She will repeat as an Extra Inning Softball High School All-American.

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Previous 2019 Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week

• 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)

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Each week during the spring and summer high school seasons, Extra Inning Softball will honor a National High School Player of the Week.

The honoree will be announced every Monday night/Tuesday morning; cutoff for submitting the nominations is each Sunday at 11 pm EST/8 pm 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 2018 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 your info and photos (1-4 as available) by the cutoff of Sunday 11 pm EST/ 8 pm PST to: [email protected].