High school softball: MaxPreps Players of the Year in every state

Other factors in our selection process were local postseason honors, data submitted to MaxPreps and overall impact on the team.

South Dakota is the only state that does not sanction high school softball. Below are all 49 state players of the year, including the seven states that play in the fall. Alabama
Kenleigh Cahalan, Sr., Hewitt-Trussville (Trussville)
Alabama commit smashed 13 home runs, hit .529 and walked an eye-popping 46 times. She reached base nearly 70 percent of the time.

Alaska
Emily McCutcheon, Jr., South Anchorage (Anchorage)
Hit 16 bombs and batted .658 on the season. During the Wolverines' five-game Division I state championship run, the shortstop went 9-for-15 with three home runs, five doubles and seven RBI.

Arizona
Jocelyn Erickson, Sr., O'Connor (Phoenix)
The rich get richer as the Oklahoma Sooners will add Erickson's bat to the lineup next season. She was tied for second nationally with 25 home runs this season.

Arkansas
Alyssa Houston, Jr., Benton
A utility player for the 34-0 Panthers, who finished the season riding a 64-game win streak. She was 14-0 in the circle and always a major contributor at the plate hitting over .400 with 11 home runs.

California
Micaela Kastor, Sr., Oaks Christian (Westlake Village)
The Notre Dame commit was dominant in everything she did for the Lions. On the bump she was 25-1 with a 0.51 ERA and 256 strikeouts. At the plate she hit .522 with 11 long balls.

Colorado
Nikki McGaffin, Sr., Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins)
The Colorado High School Activities Association State Player of the Year and Arkansas signee finished the fall 23-3 in the circle with 1.07 ERA.

Connecticut
Kathryn Gallant, Sr., Masuk (Monroe)
Helped the Panthers win a fourth-straight Class L state championship. The Villinova commit finished her senior year 20-1 with a 0.65 ERA.

Delaware
Peyton Pusey, Sr., Red Lion Christian Academy (Bear)
Committed to Marist, the Delaware High School Softball Coaches Association Player of the Year finished with a .550 batting average, five home runs and 16 stolen bases.

Florida
Jasmine Francik, So., Melbourne
Class of 2024 ace has been pitching for the Bulldogs since she was in seventh grade. Her sophomore year was sensational as she went 19-1 with a 0.16 ERA and guided her team to a 6A state championship.

Georgia
Amber Reed, Jr., North Gwinnett (Suwanee)
The Class of 2023 lefty ace was instrumental in the Bulldogs' Class AAAAAAA state championship in the fall. She was 25-0-1 with a 0.93 ERA. She also hit 12 home runs at the plate.

Hawaii
Jenna Sniffen, So., Maryknoll (Honolulu)
Helped the Spartans win their first ever state championship. In the title game, Sniffen struck out 10 batters and hit a three-run blast to beat state power ‘Iolani 5-2.

Idaho
Delaney Keith, Sr., Skyview (Nampa)
The state's most feared hitter had a .700 on-base percentage this season after being walked 33 times. The shortstop helped the Hawks to a second consecutive 5A state championship.

Illinois
Kendra Lewis, So., Rockridge (Taylor Ridge)
The ace in the circle for another undefeated state championship season. The sophomore is 38-0 as a high school pitcher after finishing 2022 24-0 with a 0.96 ERA and 222 punch-outs.

Indiana
Keagan Rothrock, Jr., Roncalli (Indianapolis)
Powerful right-handed pitcher helped the Royals to a perfect season and the No. 1 spot in the MaxPreps Top 25 national rankings. The Florida commit pitched 19 complete game shutouts and eight no hitters.

Iowa
Jalen Adams, Sr., Fort Dodge
Adams was selected based on last year's results as Iowa concludes its play in the summer. She went 25-1 as a pitcher and helped the Dodgers to their first ever state title.

Kansas
NiJaree Canady, Sr., Topeka
For a second consecutive season, the Stanford signee helped the Trojans to a Class 6A state championship. The powerful pitcher and slugger struck out 10 in the 2-1 title victory.

Kentucky
Brooke Gray, Jr., Ballard (Louisville)
Class of 2023 pitcher went 32-0 in the circle this season and helped the Bruins to their first ever state title. She finished with 380 strikeouts in 186 innings of work.

Louisiana
Addison Jackson, Jr., St. Amant
The Boston College commit was named Most Outstanding Player by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association after helping her team win a second consecutive Class 5A title. She went 30-2 on the bump.

Maine
Charlotte Donovan, Jr., Biddeford
At selection time, Donovan and the Tigers were prepping for the Class A state championship game. The Class of 2023 pitcher was 13-1 in the circle with a 1.00 ERA. She also hit .500 on the season.

Maryland
Madison Knight, Sr., Patterson Mill (Bel Air)
The Syracuse signee had another monster season, hitting 11 bombs and batting .554. She was also phenomenal as a pitcher, allowing just six earned runs in 133 innings.

Massachusetts
Abbey Bettencourt, So., Peabody Veterans Memorial (Peabody)
Named the Player of the Year in the Northeastern Conference and had her team a win away from a Division 1 state title at the time of this selection. She did it all for the Tanners both as a hitter and on the bump.

Michigan
Morgan Sizemore, Jr., Allen Park
At selection time, the junior ace and powerful left-handed hitter had helped the Jaguars reach the Division 1 semifinals for a second consecutive season.

Minnesota
Sydney Schwartz, Sr., Chanhassen
Staying in-state to play for the Golden Gophers, Schwartz finished 21-2 on the season striking out 225 batters in 148 innings of work. She did just as much damage at the plate, blasting 13 home runs with a .560 batting average.

Mississippi
Hallie Burns, Jr., Booneville
Ole Miss pledge shined on the biggest stage during the series-clinching state title game. She threw a no-hitter and hit a home run as the Blue Devils took home their second-consecutive 3A championship.

Missouri
Taylor Pannell, Sr., Lee's Summit West (Lee's Summit)
The Missouri commit won 21 games on the bump and helped the Titans capture a 5A state championship in the fall.

Montana
Kennedy Venner, Sr., Billings Senior (Billings)
The Class AA Eastern Division Player of the Year compiled a 16-1 record, leading the Broncs to a 23-3 record and a Class AA state championship.

Nebraska
Ruby Meylan, Sr., Skutt Catholic (Omaha)
Washington signee was impressive on both sides of the ball. She was the ace for the 33-0 Skyhawks and smashed 18 home runs.

Nevada
Avari Morris, Jr., Green Valley (Henderson)
The Southern Nevada Pitcher of the Year was a rock for the Class 5A state champions, winning 17 games while also batting .450.

New Hampshire
Kristen Beebe, Jr., Exeter
Right-handed pitcher struck out 15 in an eight inning 1-0 win over Concord in the Division 1 state championship. Beebe was lights out all season for the Blue Hawks.

New Jersey
Julia Apostolakos, Jr., Donovan Catholic (Toms River)
Do-it-all player put up incredible numbers for the Griffins. As a hitter she batted .634 with 11 home runs. In the circle, she went 26-1 with a 0.32 ERA.

New Mexico
Faith Aragon, Jr., Carlsbad
Lefty multi-sport star led the Cavegirls to a state No. 1 ranking and Class 5A title. She won 16 games as a pitcher and hit 15 home runs at the plate.

New York
Brianna Roberts, Jr., Monroe-Woodbury (Central Valley)
Key to the Crusaders' 25-0 season and their finish as the top team in the state. She was nearly flawless on the bump with a 0.49 ERA and 252 strikeouts in 142 innings of work.

North Carolina
Kenna Raye Dark, Sr., Eastern Alamance (Mebane)
The North Carolina signee was a leader for one of the top squads in the country. The powerful right-handed pitcher had nearly 300 strikeouts and finished with a 0.51 ERA in 179 innings.

North Dakota
Logan Gronberg, Sr., Bismarck
Made an impact for the Demons as a pitcher, shortstop and power hitter. She was a huge reason her team won the Class A state championship.

Ohio
K.K. Mathis, Sr., Lakota West (West Chester)
James Madison University commit was a beast this season, hitting .600 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI. She did damage in the circle as well, winning 22 games.

Oklahoma
Brinly Mapels, Sr., Southmoore (Moore)
The Oklahoman Big All-City selection became just the second pitcher in 6A history to win back-to-back state championships. She finished with a 1.25 ERA and batted over .400.

Oregon
Makenna Reid, Sr., Tigard
Headed to Florida State, Reid struck out 438 batters in 199 innings of work. The hard-throwing lefty struck out 21 in 1-0, 10-inning victory in the Class 6A state championship game.

Pennsylvania
Jules Scogna, Sr., Spring-Ford (Royersford)
At the time of the selection, the Boston University signee helped her team reach the 6A state championship for the first time. The ace on the team pitched a complete game shutout to beat North Penn in the semifinals.

Rhode Island
Samantha Bergantino, Sr., Coventry
The senior utility player went out with a bang as she tossed a no-hitter to help the Oakers win their second consecutive state title.

South Carolina
Katelyn Cochran, Sr., North Augusta
Ended her fifth varsity season with the Yellowjackets on top, capturing the Class AAAA state championship.

Tennessee
Cadey McDaniel, Sr., Lexington
She was responsible for 35 or her team's 51 wins, including a 2-1 victory over Gibbs to capture the 3A state title.

Texas
Ava Brown, Jr., Lake Creek (Montgomery)
The ace for one of the best teams in the country. Lake Creek finished 41-0 thanks in large part to the Florida commit, who hit 10 home runs while going 36-0 in the circle with a 0.46 ERA and 335 strikeouts.

Utah
Kaysen Korth, Sr., Riverton
Batted .549 with seven bombs and 45 RBI while also going 14-1 on the bump with a 0.55 ERA for the Class 6A state champions.

Vermont
Emily Borrazo, Jr., South Burlington
She was a huge reason the Wolves took home the school’s first Division 1 state championship this season. She was the team’s ace but also did damage at the plate including driving in the two winning runs in the title game.

Virginia
Courtney Layne, Sr., Appomattox County (Appomattox)
The go-to pitcher for the state’s top-ranked team. The Virginia commit went 22-0 with an astonishing 0.16 ERA. She struck out 310 batters in 129 innings of work.

Washington
Grace Haegele, Sr., Redmond
Utility player helped the Mustangs capture the Class 4A state title, hitting 13 bombs and batting over .430 while also picking up 15 wins in the circle.

West Virginia
Grayson Buckner, Sr., Hoover (Clendenin)
Buckner hit .400 and went 12-1 with a 0.79 ERA as a pitcher to help the Huskies win the Class AA title.

Wisconsin
Skyler Calmes, Sr., Kaukauna
The Winona State commit led her team to back-to-back state titles, a 31-0 record and 51 straight wins dating back to last season.

Wyoming
Lauren O'Loughlin, Jr., Thunder Basin (Gillette)
A Wyoming Coaches Association All-State selection for the second straight year after capturing a state championship this season. The infielder hit .551 and drove in 40 runs.