2022 Top 100 Recruiting Rankings

Here are the best 100 players in the class of 2022.
In formulating rankings for the sophomore through senior classes, Softball America places an emphasis on real-time developmental growth in conducting player-profile analysis. Prospect potential, projected upside, overall and position-specific athleticism as well as other quantifiable metrics are key components of evaluation. At the same time, current skill set, production and impact at the club and/or high school level are fundamental analytical data points. SA’s methodology includes consultation with club, scholastic, collegiate and Team USA sources nationwide.
- 1Last: 2
Sam Roe
Niceville (Niceville, Fla.) C/SSNotes:CLUB TEAM: Birmingham Thunderbolts
Roe has attracted widespread attention ever since her middle school days, and she's been one of the top prospects in the nation ever since. She committed to Florida at age 13, choosing the Gators over at least four other SEC schools. In 2021, Roe hit .421 with an OPS of 1.270 and will play in the PGF Futures All-American Game on ESPNU on July 31.
COLLEGE: Florida - 2Last: 1
Maci Bergeron
Notre Dame (Crowley, La.) CNotes:CLUB TEAM: Tennessee Mojo
Louisiana's 2021 Miss Softball did not slow down once her sport resumed after the pandemic cut her sophomore season short. Instead, Bergeron got stronger. Her Notre Dame team broke the national record for home runs in a high school season, with Bergeron hitting 30 of their 96. She also hit .571 with 78 RBI while striking out four times, and posted a 0.38 ERA in 36.1 innings in the circle.
COLLEGE: LSU - 3 –Last: 3
Jordan Woolery
Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.) SS/3BNotes:CLUB TEAM: Sorcerer Old Skool
After committing to UCLA before she started high school, Woolery made an immediate impact at Clayton Valley Charter, hitting .600 as a freshman and being named her league's Freshman of the Year. Club teammates call her "superhuman" because of her diverse skillset, and she hardly ever strikes out. Kelly Inouye-Perez is getting a good one.
COLLEGE: UCLA - 4 –Last: 4
Kaila "Lefty" Pollard
King (Riverside, Calif.) SS/OFNotes:CLUB TEAM: Athletics Mercado
"Lefty," as Pollard is nicknamed, will head across the country next year, joining Roe in Gainesville. Prior to the abrupt end to the 2020 season, Pollard was hitting .610 with five homers and plays outstanding defense at short. She chose Florida over more than 10 offers from Power 5 schools.
COLLEGE: Florida - 5 –Last: 5
Taylor Pannell
Rock Island (Rock Island, Ill.) 3B/SSNotes:CLUB TEAM: Tennessee Mojo
Pannell is the first player on this list not to come from a traditional softball hotbed, but she'll fit in just fine in Knoxville. She initially committed to Auburn in eighth grade, then reopened her recruitment last fall before deciding on Tennessee last September. Pannell also had offers from Arkansas, Alabama, Florida State and Michigan.
COLLEGE: Tennessee - 6 –Last: 6
Taylor Tinsley
George Walton Academy (Monroe, Ga.) P/1BNotes:CLUB TEAM: Georgia Impact
Georgia is one of six states to play high school softball in the fall, so Tinsley didn't get a full junior season due to the status of the pandemic at the time. But the top uncommitted player in the Class of 2022 dominated every time she took to the circle, going 12-0 with an 0.28 ERA and compiling an incredible 179 strikeouts in just 77 innings.
COLLEGE: Uncommitted - 7 –Last: 7
Viviana Martinez
Tolleson (Tolleson, Ariz.) INFNotes:CLUB TEAM: Arizona Storm
Martinez initially committed to Oregon, flipping to Texas after coach Mike White left Eugene for Austin. She burst onto the scene as a high school freshman, batting .612 with 15 home runs and 44 RBI in just 25 games.
COLLEGE: Texas - 8 –Last: 8
Karlyn Pickens
North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.) P/UTLNotes:CLUB TEAM: SC Elite
A tall, hard-throwing right-hander, Pickens regularly hits 70 miles per hour while standing 6-foot-1. And she's not just a pitcher, either. In one week in March 2020, just before the pandemic hit, Pickens recorded 27 strikeouts in 12 innings and also hit three home runs.
COLLEGE: Tennessee - 9 –Last: 9
Lillian Vallimont
Cabrini (Allen Park, Mich.) CNotes:CLUB TEAM: Beverly Bandits
Vallimont returned after the pandemic-shortened 2020 season for a monster junior year, batting .544 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI in 30 games. She helped lead the Beverly Bandits to the 16U Premier national championship in 2019.
COLLEGE: Northwestern - 10Last: 11
Emma Strood
Clear Springs (League City, Texas) PNotes:CLUB TEAM: Birmingham Thunderbolts
Strood is a true two-way player. In 2021, she hit .446 and drove in 31 runs in 29 games, walking more than she struck out. In the circle, she was even better, posting an ERA of 0.52, a 21-0 record and 234 strikeouts—compared to just 20 walks—in 134.1 innings of work.
COLLEGE: LSU - 11Last: 12
Sydney Berzon
Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) P/1BNotes:CLUB TEAM: Fury Platinum
The 2021 Tennessee Gatorade Player of the Year, Berzon led Baylor to its sixth consecutive state championship. She was 17-0 in the circle, striking out 179 batters in just 77 innings. She also hit two home runs in the state championship game.
COLLEGE: LSU - 12Last: 13
Atalyia Rijo
Corning Painted-Post (Corning, N.Y.) SSNotes:CLUB TEAM: Team NC-Eaton
Rijo has the potential to be the cornerstone player the Cavaliers haven't had in a long time. A slapper, Rijo was first-team all-state as a freshman, when she got on base at a .553 clip. She is the niece of Jose Rijo, who helped lead the Cincinnati Reds to the 1990 World Series title.
COLLEGE: Virginia - 13Last: 14
Dakota Kennedy
Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) OFNotes:CLUB TEAM: Lady Magic
Kennedy had numerous Power 5 offers when she was in middle school, but she held her commitment until early in her junior year. In 2021 she batted .581 in 23 games with 44 runs scored while posting a perfect fielding percentage.
COLLEGE: Arizona - 14Last: 15
Jaydyn Goodwin
Bourbon County (Paris, Ky.) UTLNotes:CLUB TEAM: Tennessee Mojo
Nicknamed "Shorty," Goodwin was named the best high school player in Kentucky before the 2021 season. The lefty has the ability to slap or hit for power, and she won a 14U national championship a few years back with the Tennessee Mojo.
COLLEGE: Georgia - 15Last: 16
Millie Roberts
Daviess County (Owensboro, Ky.) CNotes:CLUB TEAM: Beverly Bandits
Roberts committed to Auburn as an eighth grader—before she blasted 16 home runs during her first high school campaign. She struggled somewhat (by her standards) in 2021 before a late-season surge that gave Roberts the school record for career homers with a full season still to go.
COLLEGE: Auburn - 16Last: 10
Jocelyn Erickson
Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz.) CNotes:CLUB TEAM: OC Batbusters
As a freshman, Erickson hit .530 and threw out 80 percent of would-be base stealers. Her stock may fall a bit after she tore her ACL while playing basketball in January, which cost Erickson her junior softball season, but she should be more than fully recovered by the time she arrives in Norman.
COLLEGE: Oklahoma - 17 –Last: 17
Megan Grant
Aragon (San Mateo, Calif.) SSNotes:CLUB TEAM: West Bay Warriors
Grant led Aragon to its first-ever Central Coast Section championship as a freshman, leading all of CCS with 13 home runs and 51 RBI. And she's only gotten better since. Aragon only played 16 games in 2021, but Grant hit .706 with eight homers and 31 RBI for a stunning OPS of 2.630.
COLLEGE: UCLA - 18Last: 19
Sophie Garner-MacKinnon
Hall (West Hartford, Conn.) PNotes:CLUB TEAM: Rhode Island Thunder
Garner-MacKinnon may not be the hardest thrower in the world—she sits comfortably in the mid-60s—but her command is as good as it gets. She throws both a rise ball and drop ball, which helped her rank seventh nationally with 240 strikeouts (in 113 innings) during her freshman year.
COLLEGE: Duke - 19Last: 39
Avery Fantucci
Marist (Atlanta, Ga.) SSNotes:CLUB TEAM: East Cobb Bullets
A stellar defender, Fantucci should be much appreciated by Michigan's perennially strong pitching when she arrives in Ann Arbor. Her offense is no slouch either—she hit .420 during her sophomore fall season with 28 extra-base hits.
COLLEGE: Michigan - 20Last: 18
Kylee Magee
Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) PNotes:CLUB TEAM: Corona Angels
Magee struggled in 2021 due to a lengthy bout with COVID-19, not making her season debut until April 19. She pitched a complete-game shutout that day, but overall had an up-and-down year. Still, she's one of the best pitchers in a region overloaded with softball talent.
COLLEGE: Arizona State - 21Last: 20
Bridget Donahey
Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) C/INFNotes:CLUB TEAM: Arizona Storm
Donahey had a standout freshman year at Xavier College Prep, hitting .581 with 28 extra-base hits in 22 games. She has a powerful arm behind the plate and can play third base as well. Her positional versatility will help her fit right in at Northwestern.
COLLEGE: Northwestern - 22Last: 21
Avery Hodge
Tompkins (Katy, Texas) SSNotes:CLUB TEAM: Impact Gold
Hodge played with Team USA at the U17 level in the fall of 2019 and was selected for the U18 national team selection trials this year in Oklahoma City. In the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, Hodge hit .553 and scored 25 runs in 15 games.
COLLEGE: Oklahoma - 23Last: 22
Alea Johnson
Fairhope (Fairhope, Ala.) P/1BNotes:CLUB TEAM: Birmingham Thunderbolts
Johnson began competing at the high school varsity level in eighth grade, when she went 15-1 with a 1.07 ERA. She's only improved since then. She was 18-1 with an ERA of 0.62 in 2021, allowing just 28 hits in 101.1 innings.
COLLEGE: LSU - 24Last: 23
Kennedy Powell
Conroe (Conroe, Texas) INFNotes:CLUB TEAM: Diamond Sports Hotshots
A speedster who can hit the ball to all fields, Powell hit .545 as a freshman, stealing 22 bases. The following summer, despite playing on a torn MCL, Powell batted .450 for her club team. She has the ability to play multiple positions in the infield.
COLLEGE: UCLA - 25Last: 8
Savannah Geurin
Leander (Leander, Texas) P/1BNotes:CLUB TEAM: Diamond Sports Hotshots
Geurin transferred from the Houston area to the Austin area before the 2021 season, joining the top-ranked high school team in the nation. A tall left-hander, Guerin has been committed to Oklahoma since September 2017.
COLLEGE: Oklahoma
