National High School Player of the Week (Apr. 18, 2023)

Week 10 of our 2023 National High School Player of the Week series for the Spring campaign was our toughest yet this year in select just the one player to be tabbed because there were so many great performances to consider.

We’re heading to Texas, though, to recognize a top pitcher/hitter who missed the first part of the season playing hoops, but now that she’s back on the softball fields, she’s helped her team to an 8-0 winning streak including a perfect game two weeks ago!

Each week 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, April 9, 2023, through Sat, April 16, 2023…

Note also that these players having great weeks will also be in consideration for our Extra Inning Softball All-American Teams to be released later this year!

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

* Mallie West, a sophomore left-handed pitcher and utility player at New Waverly (Texas) High is a multi-sport athlete who joined her softball team a few weeks into its season as she was one of the leaders on the varsity basketball team.

But she’s been on fire since joining the Bulldogs roster and has helped her Lone Star State team reel off eight wins in a row.

Two weeks ago, she tossed a perfect game and had 20 strikeouts in a 2-0 victory in seven innings with the only ball put into play being a weak grounder to first base.

Last week, her team won by scores of 14-1, 4-1 and 18-2 and Mallie was huge in all of them, including a big offensive performance in the first win where she batted 3-for-4 with two home runs and a triple. In that big win over Crocket High, she also pitched five innings with 13 K’s and gave up just one earned run.

She was 1-for-2 in the second win, the 4-1 victory over Tarkington High, with a triple and had 12 K’s in 7 innings with just two hits and no earned runs given up.

A rematch against Tarkington last Friday was another big win as the Bulldogs exploded for nine runs in the top of the 9^th to push the game out of reach and Mallie helped make it a run-away, going 2-for-4 with a home run and triple to drive in four more runs.

In the circle, Mallie pitched seven innings with 15 K’s, giving up just three hits and no earned runs.

To total: offensively, the sophomore had three home runs going 6-for-10 adding a pair of triples and driving in seven runs while going 3-0 in the circle and striking out 40 in the three contests in which she gave up just one earned run in 21 innings.

Not too bad of a week for Mallie, who was ranked No. 10 last Summer in the 2025 Extra Elite 100.

We asked her today which side of the ball she was more proud of last week.

“I’ve been working hard to polish my skills as my sophomore season is coming to an end,” she began. “I’m looking forward to what the future has in store for my teammates and me in the playoffs. I was happy for pitching a perfect game; however a perfect game isn’t a solo accomplishment, it’s a team accomplishment, and I can’t thank my teammates enough for having my back!”

The lefty standout, who plays for Steve Jones’s Hot Shots club team, continues to impress as one of the top players in her class.

“I’m not surprised of her success,” her club coach begins. “Mallie’s the only 2025 on our team for a reason: she’s a gifted pitcher.  I’ve said it before, but she is an absolute joy to coach and works as hard as anyone I know.”

“Malli is a cerebral pitcher who actually understands and is inquisitive about why a pitch is called instead of just throwing pitches.  She’s a special player and person and I can’t wait to have her back in the Summer.”

First, though, there’s a lot more softball to be played at the prep ranks and it will be interesting to see how far the athlete can help take her team deep into the Texas playoffs.

*** 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 2023 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].

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Previous 2023 Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week

• Apr. 11: OF Cassidy McLellan (Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Fla.)
• Apr. 4: P/UT Julia Shearer (North Penn, Lansdale, Pa.)
• Mar. 28: SS Ashlynn Campbell (Wetumpka, Ala.)
• Mar. 21: 1B Madilynn George (Rouse, Leander, Texas)
• Mar. 14: OF Aniya Merritt (Lumberton, N.C.)
• Mar. 7 (tie):  P Jazzy Francik (Melbourne, Fla.) & P Julie Kelley (Spruce Creek, Port Orange, Fla.)
• Feb. 28: P Jayden Heavener (Pace, Fla.)
• Feb. 21: P/SS Lexie Warncke (East Bernard, Texas)
• Feb. 13: OF Gigi Ganje (Aliso Niguel, Aliso Viejo, Calif.)

Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week (Prior to 2023)

2022

• June 14: P Courtney Layne (Appomattox County, Appomattox, Virginia)
• June 7: SS Graciela Dominguez (James Madison, Vienna, Virginia)
• May 31: 1B Macee Eaton (Wheelersburg, Ohio)
• May 24: P Karyln Pickens (North Buncombe, Weaverville, North Carolina)
• May 17: P Keagan Rothrock (Roncalli, Indianapolis, Indiana)
• May 10: SS Teagan Thrunk (Point Pleasant Boro, Point Pleasant, New Jersey)
• May 3: SS Abby Hornberger (Regina, Warren, Michigan)
• 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)