High school softball was in its relative infancy during the 1980s with a number of states not even holding state championships or fielding the sport. It's against this backdrop that the sport developed its first superstar: Michele Granger.
Granger led the nation in strikeouts in 1987 and 1988 and appears on
the MaxPreps list of the yearly national strikeout leaders over the past 40
seasons.
The hard-throwing left-hander from Placentia (Calif.) was a phenom at an early age. In Bobby Sox League, she once struck out every batter — for 12 straight games. As a freshman at Valencia, she played in the International Junior Softball Championships. By the time she was a junior, she was leading Team USA to its first ever gold medal in the Pan American Games. She eventually threw the first pitch in an Olympic softball game in 1996 and led the United States to the gold medal.
Along the way, Granger piled up strikeouts. Unfortunately, her Valencia team didn't always play up to the same level. Granger once struck out 21 batters in a game and lost. She also pitched no-hitters and lost. In her final game, she struck out 40, but lost the game to La Mirada.
Granger was the first high school softball pitcher to rack up over 500 strikeouts in a season, fanning 509 during her junior year in 1987. She graduated with a national record 1,635 strikeouts and 36 no-hitters.
Granger is one of five pitchers to appear twice on the list. Annie Willis of Westminster Christian (Huntsville, Ala.) and Anna Thompson of Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.) appear three times while Jen Bice of Woodward-Granger (Woodward, Iowa), and Jane Kremer of Dubuque Senior (Dubuque, Iowa) join Granger with two appearances.
Alyssa Faircloth of Holy Spirit Catholic (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) leads the nation this year and becomes the 14th Alabama pitcher to lead the nation in strikeouts.
Lindsey Fadney, Coalfield
File photo by Dan Browning
2022
— Alyssa Faircloth,
Holy Spirit Catholic (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), 444
2021
— Hannah Price,
Rogers (Florence, Ala.), 504
2020
— Mikayla Houge,
Collins-Maxwell (Maxwell, Iowa), 220
2019
— Kinsey Kackley,
Boyd (McKinney, Texas), 497
2018
— Leanna Johnson,
Brantley (Ala.), 536
2017
— Annie Willis,
Westminster Christian (Huntsville, Ala.), 543
2016
— Annie Willis, Westminster Christian (Huntsville, Ala.), 583
2015
— Annie Willis, Westminster Christian (Huntsville, Ala.), 495
2014
— Faith Sims,
Cordova (Ala.), 442
2013
— Taylor West,
Saks (Anniston, Ala.), 610
2012
— Lindsey Fadnek,
Coalfield (Tenn.), 567
2011
— Kayla English,
Fort Worth Christian (North Richland Hills, Texas), 522
2010
— Chelsea Sundberg,
Olivet (Olivet, Mich.), 597
2009
— Lauren Seibert,
West Morgan (Trinity, Ala.), 576
2008
— Sarah Sigrest,
Daphne (Daphne, Ala.), 622
2007
— Cathleen Hosfield,
Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 659
2006
— Anna Thompson,
Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.), 657
2005
— Anna Thompson, Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.), 562
2004
— Anna Thompson, Grissom (Huntsville, Ala.), 613
2003
— Megan Rhodes,
Lipscomb Academy (Nashville, Tenn.), 559
2002
— Holly Currie,
Pisgah (Ala.), 567
2001
— Alicia Hollowell,
Fairfield (Calif.), 636
2000
— Jenny Mackson,
Pinconning (Mich.), 643
1999
— Amanda Fitzgerald,
Byron (Mich.), 596
1998
— Jen Bice,
Woodward-Granger (Woodward, Iowa), 536
1997
— Jen Bice, Woodward-Granger (Woodward, Iowa), 570
1996
— Paige Stamp,
Lisbon (Iowa), 590
1995
— Kelly Schade,
Clarke (Osceola, Iowa), 507
1994
— Desarie Knipfer,
Soquel (Calif.), 518
1993
— Nancy Evans,
Hoover (Glendale, Calif.), 364
1992
— Michelle Martin,
Columbus (Waterloo, Iowa), 397
1991
— Jeree Carlson,
Sioux City East (Sioux City, Iowa), 396
1990
— Amy Windmiller,
Mira Loma (Sacramento, Calif.), 430
1989
— Lisa Fernandez,
Saint Joseph (Lakewood, Calif.), 467
1988
— Michele Granger,
Valencia (Placentia, Calif.), 449
1987
— Michele Granger, Valencia (Placentia, Calif.), 509
1986
— Sharon Lorber,
New London (New London, Iowa), 443
1985
— Jane Kremer,
Dubuque Senior (Dubuque, Iowa), 440
1984
— Jane Kremer, Dubuque Senior (Dubuque, Iowa), 371
1983
— Sandy Ortgies,
Newbury Park (Newbury Park, Calif.), 427
