We’re finally into April now as we continue into Week 8 of our 2023 National High School Player of the Week series for the Spring campaign.
Once again, we honor those athletes who have shined on the field with their impressive play.
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, Mar. 26, 2023 through Saturday, April 1, 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
* We’ve had perfect hitting weeks, say where a batter goes 10-for-10, and perfect pitching weeks, with so many no-hit, no-walk innings, but almost never do you have the type of week that Julia Shearer of North Penn High School in Lansdale, Pa. had at the plate AND in the circle.
The Maryland signee went 9-for-9 at the plate with—oh, how we love to type it—a 1.000 batting average and a video game-like 2.556 OPS as she smacked a home run, a pair of doubles, drove in eight runs and even swiped three bases.
And then, on the mound, Julia was all but perfect as she went 3-0 and in 16 innings gave up just one hit and one run while striking out 40 batters (by our math, that’s 2.5 batters per inning!) as she allowed but seven hits, a paltry .133 batting average against and a 0.44 ERA.
It’s not as if she just suddenly emerged from nowhere, however.
The 2022 Pennsylvania Gatorade Player of the Year has also shined on Joe Garvey’s Newtown Rock Gold club team and last year was ranked #21 in the 2023 Extra Elite 100 and even earned 2022 1st Team Extra Innings All-American honors as a pitcher.
It looks like this will be her third time being 1st Team All-State also and she’s a finalist on the PGF Regional All-American Watch List.
Dan Santelli, a coach in in the Newtown Rock club organization, has had a front row seat to the senior’s great play for the last several years and nominated her this week.
“Julia has been a dominant two-way player (P/OF) and exceptional athlete since 14U,” he told Extra Inning Softball this weekend.
“When she joined Newtown Rock Gold 18U- Garvey as a sophomore, we discussed whether her future was as a pitcher or a position player. We all agreed that she should continue to pitch and table that decision until it became recruiting time.”
“Julia continued to grow as a pitcher along the way and added a devastating change-up to her repertoire. Needless to say, no decision was needed, as she has continued to be both a dominant pitcher and hitter. Julia is the ace of our staff as well as making our offense go hitting in the 2-hole. Basically, she never comes off the field except if she needs to warm-up to pitch which she typically does between innings.”
EIS also caught up with the athlete and asked which aspect of her game—her hitting or pitching—she was most proud of this week.
“This week,” she replied, “even though I felt strong on both sides of the ball, I think I am prouder of my hitting this week. I felt extremely confident at the plate especially with my pitch selection and made pitchers throw me pitches that I wanted to hit.”
For her final prep campaign, the senior is now 5-0 in the circle with 66 K’s over 28 innings, just the one run allowed and, equally impressive, just two walks so far. Overall, her ERA is a microscopic 0.25 and opposing batters are hitting an anemic .098.
And yet, we jokingly prodded Julia about that one big run she allowed, and she responded good-naturedly that it’s keeping her up at nights (not really).
“That one run scored this week is really bothering me, yeah,” the two-way standout continue, “but my recovery is what mattered and I am so locked in right now that I think my pitching is what’s carrying me right now.”
“My hitting is great, too but there’s no better feeling than keeping other teams off the bases.”
When Julia looks back years from now on winning National High School Player of the Year, she will likely remember one play, one hit… ‘cause it was a big one.
“The highlight of my week was hitting my first grand slam in high school,” she recalls fondly. “I came up with the bases loaded with the intent to crush the ball and I did. It was so exciting sharing that moment with my teammates.”
*** 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: info@extrainningsoftball.com.
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Previous 2023 Extra Inning Softball National High School Players of the Week
- 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)
