Three players from No. 1-ranked Norco (Calif.) highlight the 2019 MaxPreps 2019 Preseason All-American Softball Team.
Catcher Kinzie Hansen (Oklahoma signee), pitcher Sarah Willis (Washington pledge) and infielder Paige Smith (Mississippi signee) are three of the 36 players recognized.
The team is filled with players who've been honored previously as MaxPreps All-Americans with selections from both large and small schools. And there are a few on this list who haven't received MaxPreps postseason accolades.
It's an impressive group to say the least. All are future college players, some might be Olympians one day.
The team consists of 29 seniors, seven juniors with California leading the way with eight picks. Washington state has four on the team, followed by Florida, Illinois, Tennessee and Alabama with three each.
MaxPreps National Junior Player of the Year Joley Mitchell (Rose Bud, Ark.) and MaxPreps National Sophomore Player of the Year Bailey Dowling (St. Joseph-Ogden, Ill.) were also selected for the preseason squad. Mitchell has signed with Arkansas and Dowling is an Alabama commit.
Clemson, which makes its softball history this fall when its start-up program takes the field, has it first MaxPreps preseason All-American in outfielder Alia Logoleo of Hillsboro High School (Nashville, Tenn.).
Joining Norco with multiple picks is No. 2 Marist (Chicago) with two players — Lexi Voss (Michigan signee) and Angela Zedak (Northwestern signee).
MaxPreps 2019 preseason high school All-American Softball TeamFirst teamP — Alexis Kilfoyl, Academy at the Lakes (Land O' Lakes, Fla.), Sr.The Alabama signee led the Wildcats to a 26-4 record and the Class 2A state championship. She posted a 23-1 mark with a 0.32 ERA and 249 strikeouts in 154 innings in 2018. Kilfoyl batted .482 with five home runs, 35 RBIs, a .585 on-base percentage and .788 slugging percentage. She was a member of the 2017 USA Softball Junior National Team.
P — Sydney Supple, Oshkosh North (Oshkosh, Wis.), Sr.A two-time state Gatorade Player of the Year, Supple was 25-2 with a 0.97 ERA in leading the Spartans (25-2) to the D1 sectional quarterfinals. The Northwestern signee struck out 238 batters in 166 innings, and batted .460 with six home runs, 32 runs scored, 39 RBIs and an .828 slugging percentage.
P — Aspen Wesley, Neshoba Central (Philadelphia, Miss.), Sr.Led the Rockets to a 34-0 record and a third-straight Class 5A state championship and posted a 23-0 mark with a 0.24 ERA and 316 strikeouts in 143 innings. The Mississippi State signee batted .421 with 10 doubles, 32 RBIs and a .610 slugging percentage. A five-time, first team All-State selection, Wesley enters her senior season with a 109-4 record and 1,331 strikeouts in her high school career.
P — Sarah Ladd, Los Alamitos (Calif.), Sr.Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, the left-handed Ladd went 18-2 with a 1.20 ERA to help the Griffins earn a share of the Sunset League title. She will attend Michigan State.
P — Brooke Nelson, Bonney Lake (Wash.), Sr.Nelson led the Panthers to a 26-2 record and the Class 3A state championship when she put together a 21-2 record with a 0.51 ERA and 289 strikeouts in 138 innings. She pitched five no-hitters, including two perfect games, and recorded 30 strikeouts in a row over two games. Nelson batted .654 with 17 home runs, 46 runs scored, 51 RBIs and a 1.457 slugging percentage. She has signed with Washington.
P — Sarah Willis, Norco (Calif.), Jr.Willis was 25-3 with a 1.26 ERA and 188 strikeouts pitching against an arsenal of Orange County sluggers. The Washington commit also batted .436 with 21 RBIs.
C — Kinzie Hansen, Norco (Calif.), Sr.Hansen, an Oklahoma signee, led the California Southern Section DI champion Cougars with a .571 batting average and 35 RBIs. She had 44 hits and hit safely in 23-of-25 games. Hansen was named California Southern Section D1 Player of the Year as Norco finished No. 4 nationally and won 28-of-31 games.
C — Macy Simmons, Hamilton (Chandler, Ariz.), Sr.Simmons was a major reason Hamilton was ranked No. 1 most of the season and finished as runner-up in Arizona's large school division. Signed with Arizona State, Simmons had 16 homers, 58 hits, 59 RBIs, a .547 batting average and no fielding errors in 256 chances.
IF — Bailey Dowling, St. Joseph-Ogden (St. Joseph, Ill.), Jr.Dowling, a shortstop, hit .657 with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs to lead the Spartans (32-4) to the Class 2A state quarterfinals. Dowling ripped 20 doubles, scored 67 runs, compiled a .728 on-base percentage and a 1.529 slugging percentage. A first team All-State selection as a freshman, the Alabama commit has 42 home runs in two varsity seasons.
IF — Jayda Coleman, The Colony (Texas), Jr.The 2017 MaxPreps Freshman of the Year, Coleman had another sensational year at the plate batting .687 with 32 extra base hits, 46 stolen bases and 62 runs as Colony won 25 times. An Oklahoma commit, Coleman did not strikeout in 118 at-bats in 2018.
IF — Maya Brady, Oaks Christian (Westlake Village, Calif.), Sr.Brady batted .519, scored 52 and drove in 31 runs for 28-4 Oaks Christian. The UCLA signee homered and doubled 10 times each, stole 28 bases and fielded .971.
IF — Lauren Haskins, Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.), Sr.She finished her junior season with a .582 batting average and a nation-high 70 RBIs. She totaled 22 doubles, 98 hits, 21 home runs, 87 runs and 45 steals. She has signed with Auburn.
IF — Lindsey Garcia, Coral Springs Charter (Coral Springs, Fla.), Sr.An Auburn signee, Garcia hit .544, with 10 home runs, 48 RBIs, scored 42 and stole 14 bases as the Panthers went 30-2 and won the Class 5A crown for the fourth year in a row.
OF — Alexis Voss, Marist (Chicago), Sr.The numbers Voss put up as a junior are loud: 70 RBIs, 76 hits, 19 homers, 16 doubles and a .644 batting average. She either scored or drove in a run in all but one game. Voss, who has signed with Michigan, enters her senior campaign with a 30-game hit streak.
OF — Ciara Briggs, Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.), Sr.The LSU pledge hit .490 with 12 doubles, four triples and eight home runs. She had 30 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and was the Michelle Carew Classic MVP.
OF — Kiki Milloy, Redmond (Wash.), Sr.Signed by Tennessee, Milloy batted .692 with 12 homers and 38 RBIs to lead the Mustangs to a 27-3 season. She had 45 hits and scored 48 runs. As a pitcher, she averaged nearly two strikeouts per inning with a sub 1.00 ERA.
Util — Joley Mitchell, Rose Bud (Ark.), Sr.Mitchell, a Missouri signee, put up monster numbers as Rose Bud went 31-2. She had 71 RBIs, 24 homers, 82 runs and a .659 average. She walked 36 times and had a .766 on-base percentage to go with a 1.658 slugging mark and an OPS of 1.425. More than half of Mitchell's base hits went for extra bases. She also stole 33 bases and committed just two errors. Mitchell scored or drove in a run in each of her team's games and in 19 games had two or more base hits.
UTIL — Angela Zedak, Marist (Chicago), Sr.The Northwestern signee did it at the plate and in the circle in 2018 when she hit .505 with 18 homers and drove in 47, while slugging .957. Zedak had 14 two-out, run-scoring doubles. She was also 15-1 with a 1.59 ERA as Marist went 32-4 on the season.
Joley Mitchell, Red Bud
File photo by Ted McLenning
Second teamP — Mia Faieta, Cedar Grove (N.J.), Sr.Tossed seven no-hitters, including three during the postseason. The St. John's signee allowed 35 hits and 11 earned runs in 142 innings and struck out 298 batters.
P — Iyanla (Ice) Pennington, Jackson (Mill Creek, Wash.), Sr.Pennington allowed four earned runs over the entire regular season, including 69 consecutive innings without an earned run to start the season. As a result, Jackson won the state 4A title. The Coastal Carolina signee was dominant in the postseason, yielding three runs in six postseason games. She didn't allow a run in 39 of 40 playoff innings. She finished with a 0.35 ERA in 139 innings and struck out 282. She also batted .507 with eight home runs, 10 doubles and a .972 slugging percentage.
P — Alissa Humphrey, Gainesville (Gainesville, Fla.), Jr.The state 7A Player of the Year recorded a state-leading 343 strikeouts (in 173 innings) while posting a 20-6 record and a 1.01 ERA. She had five no-hitters and 11 shutouts and produced at the plate, leading the team with hits (39), average (.429), on base percentage (.505) and doubles (7). She is a Jacksonville commit.
P — Nicole May, Foothill (Pleasanton, Calif.), Jr.The Oklahoma pledge was 21-2 with a 0.68 ERA, striking out 209 in 128 innings and walking just 24. She also batted .404.
P — Alex Salter, Estero (Fla.), Jr.The Alabama commit was 14-0 and averaged better than two strikeouts per inning for the Wildcats. Last season, she allowed just 35 base hits in 105 innings to post a 0.26 ERA.
C — Caiti Mathes, Hurricane (W. Va.), Sr.Mathes was named the captain of the 3A All-State fist team after hitting .492 with 16 home runs and 61 RBIs to lead the Redskins to the state 3A title. She has signed with Marshall.
C — Abby Doerr, Marist (Eugene, Ore.), Jr.Though the Oregon commit only played in 11 games a year ago, Doerr managed to hit .697, drive in 29 runs and collect 23 base hits, 17 of which went for extra bases. In two seasons (just 40 games), she is hitting .611 with 68 RBIs and has 38 extra base hits.
IF — Emma Latham, Hatton (Town Creek, Ala.), Sr.Latham was walked a national leading 55 times in 60 games, but still managed to hit .600 with 73 base hits, including 25 home runs. She drove in 57 and scored 86.
IF — Maddie Webber, King's Academy (Seymour, Tenn.), Sr.Webber, who committed to Tennessee as an eighth-grader, was named All-American by MaxPreps and FloSoftball. She hit .589 with 17 home runs and 67 RBIs. She took it up a notch, hitting .655 with runners in scoring position.
IF — Fiona Girardot, Oak Park-River Forest (Oak Park, Ill.), Sr.Girardot batted .639 with 19 doubles and 14 homers. She drove in 57 runs and scored 57. She will play collegiately at Wisconsin.
IF — Camille Corona, Dripping Springs (Texas), Sr.Signed with Texas, Corona was the District 26-5A Defensive MVP set a school record with a .577 batting average and 64 hits to go along with 36 runs scored, 22 steals, nine doubles, 10 triples and 29 RBIs while registering a .593 on-base percentage. She stole 57 stolen bases as a sophomore..
IF — Campbell Kline, Severna Park (Md.), Sr.Kline led the Falcons to a 25-2 record and the Class 4A state championship when she batted .750 with 12 doubles, six triples, eight home runs, 53 runs scored, 39 RBIs and a 1.272 slugging percentage. She compiled a state-record 69 hits with 24 multi-hit games. Over two seasons, the Maryland commit has a 32-game-hit streak.
IF — Paige Smith, Norco (CA), Sr.During the 2018 postseason, no one was hotter than Smith. She led the Cougars in clutch hits, driving in 41 RBIs with seven home runs. Smith, who has signed with Mississippi, batted .470 on the season.
OF — Kylie Winton, Hartselle (Ala.), Sr.The Class 6A Player of the Year hit .448 with 35 extra base hits, including 16 home runs,18 doubles and 48 RBIs. Her biggest hit of the season was her last one, which gave Hartselle a state championship trophy with a 6-5 win over Saraland.
OF — EC Taylor, St. Benedict at Auburndale (Cordova, Tenn.), Sr.Taylor's Eagles were 10-12 a year ago, but the speedy outfielder did all she could scoring two runs per game, batting over .600 and slugging 1.048. She also averaged a stolen base per game. Taylor has signed with Florida.
OF — Alia Logoleo, Hillsboro High School (Nashville, TN), Sr.Logoleo was named 2018 Tennessean newspaper's Female Athlete of the Year. The all-stater batted .820 for Hillsboro with 32 hits in 39 at bats, including 11 home runs. She also had 17 RBIs, 30 stolen bases, and drew 19 intentional walks. She has signed with Clemson.
UTIL — Abby Herbst, Center Grove (Greenwood, Ind.), Sr.Herbst led the Trojans in hitting (.585), RBIs (48), walks (18), on-base percentage (.653) and went 21-1 with a 0.56 ERA. Center Grove reached the state semifinals and finished 30-2. She has signed with Wisconsin.
UTIL — Kasey Widmyer, Byrnes (Duncan, S.C.), Sr.The Upstate Softball Player of the Year did everything for the Rebels, hitting .543 with 50 hits, 45 RBIs and a .590 on-base percentage and slugging percentage of .837. In the circle, she finished 22-0 and gave up just 47 hits with an ERA of 0.49. She has committed to South Carolina Upstate.
E.C. Taylor, St. Benedict at Auburndale
File photo by Jim Jarrett