The 2026 high school softball season is nearly underway. Ahead of opening pitch, we are looking at the best player from each state heading into the spring, as well as those that played in the fall.
Our preseason coverage continues this week with a look at the best team from each state.
Alabama
Katie King, Orange Beach
Infielder | Class of 2026The reigning Alabama Player of the Year hit .586 as the Makos won their fifth straight state championship. Heading to Arkansas, King has 106 extra-base hits in her career.
Alaska
Sela Rodriguez, Bettye Davis East Anchorage (Anchorage)
Pitcher | SeniorWent 14-2 with a 0.57 ERA for the No. 3 team in Alaska. The St. Bonaventure pledge is also a power hitter who hit 11 home runs as a junior with 27 in her career.
Arizona
Lilly Goodwin, Desert Mountain (Scottsdale)
Pitchers | SeniorHeaded to Northwestern, the first team MaxPreps All-American holds a 55-1 career record in the circle with a 0.38 ERA. The .552 hitter helped Desert Mountain win its third consecutive state title last season.
Arkansas
Darby Burnett, Bentonville
Pitcher | SeniorThe ace went 22-3 with 207 strikeouts while leading the Tigers to their second-straight state championship. Committed to Texas A&M, she had 24 total strikeouts in her final two postseason games.
California
Ayla Tuua, Destiny Christian Academy (Sacramento)
Pitcher | SeniorOver the past three seasons the LSU pledge has wracked up 35 wins in the circle and 29 home runs with her bat.
Colorado
Ireland Heer, Broomfield
Pitcher | 2026Iowa signee wrapped up her career in the fall with a state championship while recording an 18-1 record with 118 punch-outs.
Connecticut
Abigail Corris, Foran (Milford)
Pitcher | 2026Reigning Connecticut Player of the Year is headed to Central Connecticut State and struck out 363 batters last season. In Foran's 1-0 state title victory, Corris struck out 32 batters in 13 innings.
Delaware
Bayli Glanden, Lake Forest (Felton)
Infielder | 2026The Delaware pledge helped the Spartans finish No. 3 in the state during her junior season.
Florida
Annie Abdullah, Doral Academy (Doral)
Infielder | 2026Helped lead the Firebirds to a state championship last season and No. 3 national ranking. Abdullah will play her college softball at Texas and mashed 15 home runs as a junior.
Georgia
Caroline Stanton, Buford
Pitcher/Utility | 2026Finished her high school career in the fall by leading her team to a state championship by hitting a home run and allowing just one hit in the title contest. Now at Florida, Stanton holds Buford's single-game strikeout record with 20.
Hawaii
Sienna Yamashita, Kapa'a
Utility | 2026Kapa'a went undefeated and won its second straight state championship after the Arizona State pledge hit over .600 last season.
Idaho
McKenna Chavez, Capital (Boise)
Infielder | 2026The BYU commit hit .587 with 37 RBI and 26 extra-base hits as a junior. In three years of varsity she has 35 career home runs, including 12 as a freshman.
Illinois
Jaelynn Anthony, Oswego
Pitcher | 2026The Purdue commit has hit 72 miles per hour in the circle and struck out 194 batters during the Panthers state title run last season. Also a star with her bat, Anthony batted .483 with 57 RBI and 13 bombs.
Indiana
Addy Ware, Floyd Central (Floyds Knobs)
Outfielder | 2026Hit .471 with 17 extra-base hits as the Highlanders reached the state semifinals. The Florida State pledge has a .500 batting average in 101 career games.
Iowa
Avery Scieszinski, Ankeny Centennial (Ankeny)
Catcher | 2027Helped the Jaguars finish No. 4 in the state during his sophomore season. Now heads into her junior year as an Oregon commit.
Kansas
Abreya Perry, Valley Center
Utility | 2026The Texas A&M commit gets runs across the plate every way possible, including an inside-the-park home run last season.
Kentucky
Layla Ogden, South Warren (Bowling Green)
Pitcher | 2026Headed to Western Kentucky, Ogden dominates in the circle and at the plate for the Spartans (34-4). The senior went 12-1 last season while hitting .530 with 24 bombs, the most in Kentucky.
Louisiana
Kynzee Anderson, Calvary Baptist Academy (Shreveport)
Pitcher | 2026The Louisiana Player of the Year won 24 games with 245 strikeouts for a Cavaliers squad that won its fifth straight state championship. The Georgia commit also bashed 14 home runs while hitting .466.
Maine
Addison DeRoche, Cheverus (Portland)
Pitcher | 2027Went 10-0 with a .535 batting average for the No. 3 team in the state last season. The Florida State commit has a career record of 18-1 with a 0.31 ERA and 313 strikeouts through two years of high school.
Maryland
Ava Twilley, Mardela (Mardela Springs)
Pitcher | 2026Led the Warriors to their first state championship since 1980 last year. The Mississippi State signee has been on varsity since her freshman year and has never posted an ERA over 1.00.
Massachusetts
Jillian Ondrick, Weymouth (South Weymouth)
Pitcher | 2026South Carolina pledge has over 750 strikeouts in her career and averaged over two strikeouts per inning as a junior.
Michigan
Abby Curtis, Saline
Pitcher | 2026Wayne State commit helped the Hornets win their first state crown as junior. Curtis went a perfect 18-0 on the season with a 1.02 ERA and 235 strikeouts in 116.2 innings pitched.
Minnesota
Mariah Anderson, United South Central (Wells)
Pitcher | 2026Recorded a perfect 22-0 as the Rebels won a state title. The senior is headed to Minnesota State and hit .582 last season to go with her 0.15 ERA.
Mississippi
Macie Dever Boaz, Hernando
Utility | 2026Hit .521 with 38 RBI and 25 extra-base hits for the No. 5 team in the state. In her career, the Arkansas pledge has hit 32 home runs and stolen 101 bases.
Missouri
Kelsie Donaldson, Raymore-Peculiar (Peculiar)
Pitcher | 2026The North Carolina State pledge just ended her high school softball career in the fall with a state championship and a No. 3 national ranking.
Montana
Ryan Lucier, Frenchtown
Pitcher | 2027Lucier went 19-1 in the circle and hit .532 at the plate. The sophomore saved her best for the state title game by hitting two home runs and pitching six shutout frames in the win.
Nebraska
Maisey McCarty, Lincoln Southwest (Lincoln)
Pitcher | 2028McCarthy wrapped up her sophomore season this fall with a 22-2 record and a 1.13 ERA. McCarthy pitched a complete game and struck out 10 in the state championship victory where the .420 hitter also hit a RBI double.
Nevada
Taylor Johns, Palo Verde (Las Vegas)
Infielder | 2026The reigning Nevada Player of the Year hit .642 with 11 home runs on an undefeated state title squad. The Georgia commit was also an All-America selection and started the 2025 spring season by getting 25 hits in her first 33 at-bats while scoring 26 runs in that span.
New Hampshire
Elisabeth Kearney, Londonderry
Pitcher | 2026Dominated last spring with a perfect 16-0 record and a 0.43 ERA as the Lancers won their second straight state title. The Stonehill pledge also batted .441 with 29 RBI.
New Jersey
Jillian Cianfrocca, Mount St. Dominic Academy (Caldwell)
First base | 2026The Villanova commit hit .516 as the Lions won the state championship. Of her 49 hits, 26 went for extra-bases with 10 being home runs.
New Mexico
Malie Satete, West Las Vegas (Las Vegas)
Utility | 2028Was a second-team All-America pick after hitting .700 and blasting 22 home runs as a freshman. She has been on varsity since her eighth grade year and has 47 career bombs with 146 RBI.
New York
Sienna Bocchino, Xaverian (Brooklyn)
Outfield | 2026Hit .650 with 27 RBI and 26 stolen bases as a junior. Headed to Ole Miss, the speedy outfielder has 65 RBI and 81 stolen bases in her career.
North Carolina
McArtney Harrington, South Caldwell (Hudson)
Catcher | 2026The future Clemson Tiger hit .510 last year with 45 RBI as the Spartans won the state title. Over a five-game stretch starting in March, Harrington went 12-for-16 with 12 RBI and three home runs.
North Dakota
Alana Thomas, Williston
Pitcher | 2026Led the Coyotes to their first state championship in school history as a junior by pitching a complete game and striking out nine in the final. Had 13 appearances where she had more strikeouts than innings pitched.
Ohio
Ivee Rastatter, Kenton Ridge (Springfield)
Pitcher | 2028As a freshman, Rastatter led the Cougars to a state crown by going 28-0 in the circle with a 0.74 ERA and 210 strikeouts. Also lethal at the dish, Rastatter hit .667 with five home runs.
Oklahoma
Keegan Baker, Edmond Memorial (Edmond)
Pitcher | 2026Oklahoma signee wrapped up her career with four state championship appearances with one state title. Playing in the fall, Baker recorded a 0.70 ERA and 211 strikeouts.
Oregon
Olivia Pompetti, Central Catholic (Portland)
Catcher | 2027The catcher committed to Oregon after hitting .492 with 28 RBI as a sophomore. She holds a .518 batting average in her career with 78 RBI and 36 extra-base knocks.
Pennsylvania
Callee Leffler, Pine Grove
Outfielder | 2026The Florida State pledge helped the Cardinals win the state championship by hitting a triple in the title game. On the season Leffler hit .536 with 10 doubles, 11 triples and eight home runs.
Rhode Island
Hailey Vigneau, La Salle Academy (Providence)
Pitcher | 2026The Marist commit is coming off a 20-1 season with the state champs where she fanned 157 batters with a 1.35 ERA. Has a chance to finish her career with four straight state titles.
South Carolina
Aspen Boulware, Gray Collegiate Academy (West Columbia)
Infielder | 2026The South Carolina commit raked as a sophomore with 22 bombs and a .573 batting average. She has played on varsity since seventh grade and has 52 career home runs.
South Dakota
Elisabeth Miller, West Central (Hartford)
Pitcher | 2026Led the Trojans to their second championship in three seasons by pitching a complete game, allowing just three hits in the title game. In three state tournament games, the Dordt University pledge struck out 32 batters and allowed three earned runs in 21 innings.
Tennessee
Kaylor West, Liberty Creek (Gallatin)
Pitcher | Class of 2026The Western Kentucky pledge led the Wolves to consecutive state titles. She dominated in the circle, allowing just two runs during the team's title run.
Texas
Mia Clemmer, Coahoma
Catcher | 2026Went deep 20 times last season with a .611 batting average. Clemmer, a Texas commit, helped the Bulldogs finish the season ranked No. 8 in the nation.
Utah
Brielle Gardiner, Bear River (Garland)
Pitcher | 2027Throws 70 miles per hour and struck out 89 batters over 62.2 innings pitched at Ridgeline last season. The Texas A&M commit also hit .583 with 17 jacks.
Vermont
Megan Gonyeau, Bellows Free Academy (St. Albans)
Pitcher | 2026Gonyeau struck out 16 batters in a complete game shutout as Bellows Free Academy won the state championship and finished with an undefeated record.
Virginia
Kaylee Hodges, Matoaca (Chesterfield)
Pitcher | 2027The Tennessee pledge struck out 256 batters in 105 innings with a 0.27 ERA average for the Warriors as a sophomore. Hodges also excelled with her bat for the state semifinals squad by hitting .476.
Washington
Shelby Southard, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell)
Shortstop/Pitcher | 2026Led the Eagles to a 21-5 record and a deep run in the state playoffs by hitting .726 with 16 home runs. The Nebraska pledge also won 12 games in the circle.
West Virginia
Drea Watts, Cabell Midland (Ona)
Pitcher | 2026Guided the Knights to a state title as a junior by recording 14 strikeouts in the final game. The Bowling Green commit finished the season with a 22-1 record and a 0.86 ERA.
Wisconsin
Reese Grudzielanek, Wisconsin Lutheran (Milwaukee)
Infielder | 2027Helped the Vikings go 21-2 as a sophomore while hitting .473 with 31 RBI. The Oregon pledge had a four-game stretch totaling 11 hits and 14 RBI in April.
Wyoming
Sadie Cole, Campbell County (Gillette)
Pitcher | 2026Led the Camels to a state title by winning 15 games and striking out 188 batters as a junior. Came through in the batter's box as well with a .537 batting average and 19 RBI.
