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Over the weekend, the final Top 10 players were revealed in the updated 2025 Extra Elite 100… Click HERE to see that list and the bio on the No. 1 player announced for that class who is profiled more in-depth here…
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Walk into a room of two dozen top high-school aged softball prospects and Alisa Sneed, the outstanding freshman announced recently as the top-ranked player in the updated 2025 Extra Elite 100, probably won’t grab your attention, at least right away.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that—the Conroe, Texas athlete simply is not loud and boisterous or insistent on making her presence known in a “look at me” kind of way.
She saves that for the playing fields… or track… or court… you get the idea.
“Alisa is the most humble kid with exceptional talent that you’ll ever meet,” says her club coach, Sam Campbell and the athlete herself concedes: “I think I’m a quiet person, I’m very to myself.”
She’s also very quick to deter to others about being named the #1 player in her class over the weekend: on her Twitter page, she wrote:
“Thank God for blessing me with the gifts to play the game I Love!! Thank you to my family and all the coaches that have invested in me from day 1!
Wow, So truly excited and blessed to be ranked #1 with @ExtraInningSB! Thank God for blessing me with the gifts to play the game I Love!! Thank you to my family and all the coaches that have invested in me from day 1! @SamCamp50 @TxRiptide07 @Los_Stuff @BBOS_Nation pic.twitter.com/2p4oGQPefO
— Alisa Sneed (@AlisaSneed2025) June 4, 2022
Although Alisa may be quiet vocally, Coach Campbell still knows that his star player’s main talent lies in letting her actions do the talking for her and gives a recent example of how the player he calls “Lis” caught the eye and admiration of one of the sport’s top players last summer—even before Alisa had started her first day of high school.
Home Run Derby Winner
“It was at last Summer’s Alliance Tournament,” the head coach for the Texas Riptide begins the story.
“Lis had entered the home derby but somehow was left off the list. I reached out to Jazz (Jackson of Impact Gold) who was running the event and she arranged to have Alisa penciled in. The derby allowed coaches to pitch to their kids, so I felt really confident about our chances.”
“Long story short, Lis made it to the finals and ultimately won the home run derby, even though there were seven Alliance regions that had players of all ages represented. Former Olympian and Florida Gator standout Amanda Lorenz was over the event and good-naturedly challenged Lis to a home run derby face-off where you had to hit as many bombs as you could in 30 seconds.”
“Let’s just say that Lis gained the respect and admiration from one of her heroes that day.”
By that, Coach Campbell means that Alisa not only won the impromptu and fun event set up by Lorenz, who had three dingers in her half minute of pitches, but Lis ended up hitting five off Coach Campbell when Amanda admiringly called it in favor of the youngster.
Alisa may be quiet and, yes, sometimes overlooked initially, but once she puts on her athletic gear—watch out.
As a freshman at Conroe (Texas) High, she was 2nd Team All-District in softball but also made it to Regionals in track—in the long jump and 4×200—and was honorable mention All-District in basketball too. And, equally important, she was Academic All-District.
One of her coaches raves about Alisa’s vertical jump, insisting that “one time in volleyball she jumped, and I swear her feet were at my chest level” and you don’t have to look far to see where the teenager got her athleticism as well as her motivation.
Her father, Mike Sneed, played “all sports growing up—baseball, football, basketball and track” (sounds familiar) and Alisa’s older brother, Mikey, who is now 19 and a Class of 2021 grad, is attending a local college to study welding and was himself a successful athlete.
The matriarch of the family, Rachael Sneed, says that the older of the two siblings was a big force in Alisa growing up competitive as he played every sport in junior high and basketball, including AAU, through his senior year.
“Although they are very competitive with each other,” the teens’ mother explains, “Mikey has pushed her a lot growing up, always wanting her to keep up with him. He’s been very influential in her athletic career.”
Alisa says one of her earliest memories is watching Mikey play sports.
“I remember watching my brother compete as my friends and I played in a grassy area beside them,” the younger sister recalls. “We would play and then stop to watch our brothers.”
Skipped Walking… Straight to Running
Some athletes fall into sports late, and some are seemingly ready to compete hours after exiting the womb.
Alisa was more of the latter.
“Most kids start walking,” her mother remembers, “but this one started running and there was no stopping her after that. We joke all the time that Lis didn’t learn how to walk, she learned how to run first!”
The Texas teen’s first athletic adventure was in gymnastics and it took off from there.
“She was incredibly strong,” Rachael remembers. “A lot stronger than her peers. One story that stands out for us is when Alisa was 8 years old and was playing baseball. She hit two home runs in one game and we were like ‘Wow!’ realizing how strong she was even then. She’s had many ‘Wow!’ factors afterwards, but that was her first.”
Baseball, in fact, was the athlete’s first sport she truly took to, although she would eventually play basketball and start running track at age 5. Later, she’d even shine in volleyball, but softball—which looks to be her primary sport in the future—wouldn’t begin until she was close to 9.
“Her favorite sport that she excelled at was baseball,” explains her mother. “Then came softball.”
“My first love,” Alisa admits, “was baseball, although I have grown to love softball over the years.”
And it has come to love her back, but it hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine; some coaches wonder how good the multi-sport athlete could really be if she just played softball full time.
And then there’s been having to deal with the injuries that pop up, including a badly sprained ankle while in junior high that kept Alisa on the sidelines for six weeks.
“It was hard for her to watch her team play without her,” remembers her mother, “but she managed to get through it pretty well.”
“That has been my most challenging trial, playing through injuries like that,” the high schooler agrees. “That has tested me on how bad I wanted to play and, though playing through injuries isn’t probably the best thing to do, letting my team down was worse to me.”
That burning competitive fire is also a trait that makes her like a Michael Jordan in softball: not just skilled but driven to be the best.
Not Just Physically Gifted, But Strong Mentally & Emotionally Too
After getting her feet wet in softball—where her speed, power and athleticism would make her a .600-caliber hitter at the plate, a threat to beat out any grounder or bunt in the dirt and a definite threat to move up a base if a pitcher wasn’t paying full attention—Alisa really found her true niche in sports when she connected with Coach Campbell and his talented softball-playing daughter, Jourdyn, who just finished her sophomore collegiate year competing for the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.
“Lis looks up to Jourdyn, who has mentored her since the day they met,” explains her club coach.
Today, the soon-to-be sophomore is recognized for her leadership and skills not just physically, but also for what she brings to the team emotionally.
“Lis sets the bar for our team in terms of work ethic and skills,” adds Coach Campbell. “She is beloved by her peers and anyone who has had the opportunity to meet her. Lis is just scratching the surface and I plan to be along for the ride with the rest of our Riptide family.”
Though she is seemingly always on one team or another, Alisa does have a life away from sports.
She has a cat named Tiny and a ball python snake called Snoopy (we’ll just assume he ate Woodstock) that she takes care of and tends to, and she’s also artistic and loves to paint.
Still, even Mom concedes that what her daughter loves to do most is to compete in whatever sport is available and in season at the time.
“Ultimately,” Rachael Sneed continues, “Alisa plays a lot of sports even in her off time. Whether it be softball or basketball, she’s always working to get better.”
That doesn’t mean, though, that she neglects her academic studies and doesn’t care about her in-class advancements—far from it.
Academic Successes
The multi-sport athlete says she wants to be an Engineer someday and she has been accepted into her school’s Science and Health Academy, which is limited to only 100 qualified students out of her class of 1,230.
Taking all honors and Advanced Placement (AP) classes, Alisa had all “A’s” except for a pair of “B’s,” to end her freshman year and as a sophomore will have dual credit classes which will earn her credits from the Univ. of Texas.
The sports and academic successes, her mother believes, stems from the young teen’s skill at taking on any challenge that comes her way.
“What makes us, her family, the proudest about Alisa,” says her Mom, “is how strong she is mentally. She has dealt with playing against boys and standing her ground in multiple sports. Plus, Alisa has been the only freshman on multiple school varsity teams but hasn’t let any of that affect her playing or influence her in any way.”
So what, we asked Alisa Sneed’s mother, ultimately makes her and her family the most happy about the success the youngest has had on and off the field?
“The way she lets a lot of life roll off her shoulders and,” concludes Alisa’s mother, “how she is still the most kind, fun and humble kid…”
“That’s what makes us the most proud.”
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball