Corine Poncho just keeps getting better. The 5-foot-9 senior infielder, outfielder and pitcher leads the nation with 29 home runs for
Notre Dame (Crowley, La.), which last season broke the national record for home runs in a season.
Poncho has hit 54 home runs in her three-year career, starting with seven as a sophomore, increasing to 18 last season and through 31 games in 2022 has blasted nearly one per game.
The Pioneers (26-5) closed the regular season with a 9-5 win over Airline (Bossier City, La.) on April 9 when Poncho blasted a season-high three home runs, tying her mark during a 16-1 win over Sacred Heart (Ville Platte, La.) on March 17.
Poncho, who signed with the University of Houston in November, has hit home runs in 20 games this season and multiple dingers in seven of those. She's hitting .484 (45 for 93) with 64 RBI, which ranks fourth in the country. She's chasing the national record of 37 home runs in a season set in 2019 by Olivia Baker of Alabama.
Notre Dame broke the national mark with 94 home runs last year, led by
Maci Bergeron, who slugged a national-best 30. Bergeron, an LSU commit, is tied this season for eighth in home runs with 15 and yet another Pioneer,
Abigail Savoy, ranks tied for second with 23 homers. Notre Dame, which opens the playoffs Saturday, has blasted 81 homers in 2022.
Poncho is not just a slugger, but she's 12-1 on the mound with 53 strikeouts in 53.2 innings.
MaxPreps compiles leaderboards from statistics supplied by high school coaches from throughout the country.
National Home Run Leaderboard
| Leaderboard - Player Home Runs |
| 1 | | 29 |
| 2 | | 23 |
| 3 | | 23 |
| 4 | | 20 |
| 5 | | 18 |
| 6 | | 18 |
| 7 | | 16 |
| 8 | | 15 |
| 9 | | 15 |
| 10 | | 15 |
| 11 | | 15 |
| 12 | | 15 |
| 13 | | 15 |
| 14 | | 15 |
| 15 | | 14 |
| 16 | | 14 |
| 17 | | 14 |
| 18 | | 14 |
| 19 | | 14 |
| 20 | | 13 |
| 21 | | 13 |
| 22 | | 13 |
| 23 | | 13 |
| 24 | | 13 |
| 25 | | 13 |
| 26 | | 13 |
| 27 | | 13 |
| 28 | | 13 |
| 29 | | 13 |
| 30 | | 13 |
| 31 | | 13 |
| 32 | | 13 |
| 33 | | 13 |
| 34 | | 12 |
| 35 | | 12 |
| 36 | | 12 |
| 37 | | 12 |
| 38 | | 12 |
| 39 | | 12 |
| 40 | | 12 |
| 41 | | 12 |
| 42 | | 12 |
| 43 | | 12 |
| 44 | | 12 |
| 45 | | 12 |
| 46 | | 12 |
| 47 | | 12 |
| 48 | | 12 |
| 49 | | 12 |
| 50 | | 12 |
