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, Apr. 24, 2022 through Saturday, Apr. 30, 2022…
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Extra Inning Softball’s National High School Player of the Week
* It’s memorable enough for Abby Hornberger, the senior co-captain and starting shortstop for Regina High in Warren, Michigan, to be playing in the final year of the record-setting career of Coach Diane Laffey, who is retiring this year after 60 years of coaching as the state’s all-time winningest high school softball coach with over 1,200 wins.
Coach Laffey has been with the school as athletic director, basketball and softball coach since 1970—making it 52 years at the one school—and announced earlier this Spring that she’d be retiring at the age of 83 with seven state titles so far in her amazing career and in the Top 10 all-time most wins in prep softball history (currently #9).
Abby is doing her best to help Coach Laffey finish with a bang as the Princeton-bound player played in 10 games last week including two in the Backyard Brawl, a premier Michigan tournament, four in league and another four in the Armada Tournament which Regina won.
In those 10 games, Abby helped her team go 8-2 by going 19-for-32 (a .594 batting average) with 15 extra base hits including eight home runs (yes, eight in one week) including two grand slams to go with four doubles, three triples and six walks.
Her prodigious hitting also accounted for 29 RBIs and she scored 17 runs. After the first 19 games of the season, Abby—who also carries a 4.3 GPA and is the Class Valedictorian and Senior Class President—is batting .520 with 10 homers, 21 extra-base hits and 43 RBIs… which is a great season for most high schoolers.
“This past week my timing was great,” the senior told Extra Inning Softball. “I was playing relaxed and calm and the game really slowed down for me. I hope to continue with this feeling as we finish our season.”
Regina is an all-girls Catholic School and plays at the Division 1 level, the highest in Michigan. Abby, who will major in Economics at Princeton, says she’s motivated to end her last year of high school—and her coach’s—as strongly as possible.
“Coach Laffey has done so much for girls softball not only at Regina High School, but the entire state of Michigan,” she adds. “It is an honor to be the co-captain of her last team and we want to do whatever we can to send her off on a high note.”
The record-setting coach had high praise for her standout senior as well.
“Abby really is a driving force on our team,” commented Coach Laffey. “The past two weeks she had bee really stinging the ball and pushing her teammates to play better.”
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Runner-Up National Players of the Week
* Addison “AJ” Jackson a right-handed pitcher for St. Amant (Louisiana) High, ended her season perfectly… literally.
The junior ranked in the Top 20 of the 2023 Extra Elite 100 and a Boston College commit threw a perfect game in the Louisiana Class 5A State Championships held last week and was named the Class 5A Most Outstanding Player.
She also hit a home run in the championship win as she threw 12 innings in the semi and title game combined with a 0.00 ERA, 11 K’s and just one walk. Addison, who plays for Top Gun 18U National in the summer, also batted .571 in the final two games with the home run, two doubles and pair of RBIS.
* Addy Edgmon, a centerfielder/pitcher for Sequatchie County High School in Dulap, Tennessee, helped her team to a 3-0 record last week and 24-8 mark overall as she did everything to help her team win—from hitting two home runs, scoring eight runs, driving in five and getting wins and 19 Ks in two games in the circle as she’s pitching for the first time since 12U travel ball.
The Western Kentucky-bound senior, ranked high in the state in several offensive categories, is hitting .657 for the season with 15 home runs, 14 triples, 13 doubles, 58 RBIs, 66 runs, and 49 stolen bases. She had a recent streak of getting on-base in 18 consecutive at-bats over four games.
Addy is also a multi-sport athlete, earning All-District in basketball three years.
* Victoria Hunter, a junior shortstop and third baseman for St. Pius X (Houston, Texas) High, stepped in to pitch three innings after the team’s ace went down with an injury and, although she’s not usually a pitcher, struck out four and gave up just one run while going 3-for-3 at the plate with a walk and four runs and two RBIs to help St. Pius secure the win.
The Texas commit as helped her team make it to the District playoffs as she was was hitting .611 with 33 hits and 12 home runs heading into the week while leading the team in RBIs (31), runs (40), and walks (25), mostly intentional.
A member of Impact Gold 18U – Jackson in club play, she also has a stellar .744 on-base percentage.
* Ashley Bush, a junior catcher for Ocean Lakes High in Virginia Beach, Virginia, went 8-for-14 last week (.571 batting average) and hit four home runs, two doubles and a triple and scored six runs and had nine RBIs.
Her numbers across the board were stellar: a .647 on-base percentage, a 2.361 OPS and a 1.714 slugging percentage.
Ashley, who is currently uncommitted, calls the pitches for her team and threw out three of the five base runners who tried to steal on her. For the season, she is hitting .519 with a .568 on-base percentage.
*** Scroll down to read about more outstanding performances across the nation in high school softball last 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 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: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
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Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Historically)
2022
- Apr. 26: OF Cassidy McLellan (Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Florida)
- Apr. 19: P/UT Madison Knight (Patterson Mill, Bel Air, Maryland)
- Apr. 12: OF Chelsea Mack (Brecksville, Ohio)
- Apr. 5: P/IF Madison Inscoe (Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, Suffolk, Virginia)
- Mar. 29: P Rose Malen (Marin Catholic, Kentfield, Calif.)
- Mar 22: P Katie Kutz (Bishop O’Connell, Arlington, Virginia)
- Mar. 15: IF Tanya Windle (Cactus, Glendale, Arizona)
- Mar. 8: P Jayden Nishi (South, Torrance, California)
- 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)
