Bald Knob leads the way but also watch out for Greenwood, Cabot, Bentonville and North Little Rock in the Arkansas #MaxPrepsFab5.
2016 Arkansas Preseason Softball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard
1. Bald Knob2015 record: 30-2, Class 3A state champion
Head coach: Todd Finley
The Bulldogs finished off a storybook season by winning their last 25 games, taking home a state title and being ranked No. 19 in the final MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball Rankings presented by the Army National Guard. How do they provide an encore after capturing back-to-back state championships? Leave that up to
Autumn Humes. The Gatorade State Player of the Year was almost unstoppable during her junior season with a 26-1 record and 0.41 ERA. She struck out 246 hitters in just 155 innings and tossed three perfect games. Humes also hit .543 with 11 home runs and 67 RBIs. Senior
Lindsey Duncan is coming off a great season as well, with a .453 average, 52 runs scored, five triples and 25 RBIs.
Kynlee Brimer (.379 average, 24 runs) and
Hanna Smith (.388 on-base percentage, 26 runs) are both coming off strong freshman campaigns.
See last season's Arkansas softball computer rankings2. Greenwood2015 record: 25-6, Class 6A state champion
Head coach: Ronnie Sockey
The Bulldogs brought home the program's first state softball title last season since 1998. The team has a lot of experience coming back this year, led by the battery combination of senior pitcher
Victoria Taylor and junior catcher
Sydney Parker. Taylor was 9-1 on the mound with a 0.37 ERA and struck out 129 batters in just 75 innings. Parker hit .442 with 14 extra-base hits, including four home runs. Leadoff hitter
Sydnie Henson will be relied upon to get on base for the big hitters in the lineup.
Pheobe Ulmer and
Madison Jewell both earned all-tournament honors at state.
See Arkansas softball pro photo galleries 3. Cabot2015 record: 27-5, Class 7A state runners-up
Head coach: Chris Cope
The Panthers had a team with some pop in its bat last season. The girls tallied 25 home runs to help them get to the 7A state title game. Shortstop
Heather Hill collected six homers as a junior and was second on the team in RBIs while also hitting over .400. Second baseman
Rachel Allgood hovered around .400 and collected over 20 RBIs. Senior pitcher
Kaitlyn Felder was strong in the circle last season, going 8-1 with an ERA under 1.00. The Panthers will miss the bat of all-state player Megan Goodnight, who hit over .450 with nine home runs.
See last season's Arkansas softball playoff brackets4. Bentonville2015 record: 22-7
Head coach: Kent Early
Losing in the state quarterfinals in 2015 will motive the Tigers this season. Three all-state players return:
Madison Prough,
Payton Wildeman and
Haley Cornell. Prough was steady in the circle as a sophomore, going 17-6 with a 1.99 ERA and striking out 112 batters in 154.1 innings of work. Wildeman, another junior, was a rock at shortstop who hit .430 with 15 extra-base hits, 31 RBIs and 36 runs scored. Cornell, the team's catcher, hit .390 with five homers and 25 RBIs. Sophomore
Tymber Riley tallied a .404 average to go with 24 RBIs and 32 runs scored.
See last season's Arkansas softball stat leaders5. North Little Rock2015 record: 21-8, Class 7A state champion
Head coach: Jason Houle
The Charging Wildcats return just four starters from last season. But after winning three straight state titles, someone is going to have to knock them out of the top five teams in the state. Senior second baseman
Sydney Parr leads the way after batting over .450 a season ago. Shortstop
Cassidy Tucker had a strong season as a freshman. Right fielder
Hannah Lovercheck and center fielder
Reagan Sperling will be key pieces on defense as well as at the plate. First-year head coach Jason Houle will have to replace battery mates in catcher Mckenzie Escovedo (over .400 with three home runs) and pitcher Rachel Gregory (17-8).
