Join Our Newsletter! Get The Latest Delivered Right To Your Inbox

2022 Top 100 Recruiting Rankings

2022_Recruiting.jpg

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.

Updated on: 6/30/2021 See Full List
  1. 1
    Last: 2
    Screen Shot 2019-11-07 at 11.39.10 AM.png

    Sam Roe

    Niceville (Niceville, Fla.) C/SS
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Birmingham Thunderbolts
    COLLEGE: Florida

    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.
  2. 2
    Last: 1
    Screen Shot 2019-11-07 at 11.47.23 AM.png

    Maci Bergeron

    Notre Dame (Crowley, La.) C
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Tennessee Mojo
    COLLEGE: LSU

    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.
  3. 3
    Last: 3
    Screen Shot 2019-11-07 at 11.34.31 AM.png

    Jordan Woolery

    Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.) SS/3B
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Sorcerer Old Skool
    COLLEGE: UCLA

    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.
  4. 4
    Last: 4
    Screen Shot 2020-07-06 at 2.22.00 PM.png

    Kaila "Lefty" Pollard

    King (Riverside, Calif.) SS/OF
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Athletics Mercado
    COLLEGE: Florida

    "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.
  5. 5
    Last: 5
    Screen Shot 2020-07-06 at 2.22.48 PM.png

    Taylor Pannell

    Rock Island (Rock Island, Ill.) 3B/SS
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Tennessee Mojo
    COLLEGE: Tennessee

    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.
  6. 6
    Last: 6
    Screen Shot 2020-07-06 at 2.20.52 PM.png

    Taylor Tinsley

    George Walton Academy (Monroe, Ga.) P/1B
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Georgia Impact
    COLLEGE: Uncommitted

    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.
  7. 7
    Last: 7
    Screen Shot 2019-11-07 at 11.43.43 AM.png

    Viviana Martinez

    Tolleson (Tolleson, Ariz.) INF
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Arizona Storm
    COLLEGE: Texas

    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.
  8. 8
    Last: 8
    Screen Shot 2020-07-06 at 5.06.28 PM.png

    Karlyn Pickens

    North Buncombe (Weaverville, N.C.) P/UTL
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: SC Elite
    COLLEGE: Tennessee

    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.
  9. 9
    Last: 9
    Screen Shot 2019-11-07 at 11.46.09 AM.png

    Lillian Vallimont

    Cabrini (Allen Park, Mich.) C
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Beverly Bandits
    COLLEGE: Northwestern

    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.
  10. 10
    Last: 11
    strood.png

    Emma Strood

    Clear Springs (League City, Texas) P
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Birmingham Thunderbolts
    COLLEGE: LSU

    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.
  11. 11
    Last: 12
    berzon.png

    Sydney Berzon

    Baylor School (Chattanooga, Tenn.) P/1B
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Fury Platinum
    COLLEGE: LSU

    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.
  12. 12
    Last: 13
    rijo.png

    Atalyia Rijo

    Corning Painted-Post (Corning, N.Y.) SS
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Team NC-Eaton
    COLLEGE: Virginia

    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.
  13. 13
    Last: 14
    kennedy.png

    Dakota Kennedy

    Sheldon (Sacramento, Calif.) OF
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Lady Magic
    COLLEGE: Arizona

    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.
  14. 14
    Last: 15
    goodwin.png

    Jaydyn Goodwin

    Bourbon County (Paris, Ky.) UTL
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Tennessee Mojo
    COLLEGE: Georgia

    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.
  15. 15
    Last: 16
    roberts.png

    Millie Roberts

    Daviess County (Owensboro, Ky.) C
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Beverly Bandits
    COLLEGE: Auburn

    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.
  16. 16
    Last: 10
    Screen Shot 2020-07-06 at 2.56.31 PM.png

    Jocelyn Erickson

    Sandra Day O'Connor (Phoenix, Ariz.) C
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: OC Batbusters
    COLLEGE: Oklahoma

    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.
  17. 17
    Last: 17
    grant.png

    Megan Grant

    Aragon (San Mateo, Calif.) SS
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: West Bay Warriors
    COLLEGE: UCLA

    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.
  18. 18
    Last: 19
    garner-mackinnon.png

    Sophie Garner-MacKinnon

    Hall (West Hartford, Conn.) P
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Rhode Island Thunder
    COLLEGE: Duke

    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.
  19. 19
    Last: 39
    fantucci.png

    Avery Fantucci

    Marist (Atlanta, Ga.) SS
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: East Cobb Bullets
    COLLEGE: Michigan

    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.
  20. 20
    Last: 18
    magee.png

    Kylee Magee

    Canyon (Anaheim, Calif.) P
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Corona Angels
    COLLEGE: Arizona State

    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.
  21. 21
    Last: 20
    donahey.png

    Bridget Donahey

    Xavier College Prep (Phoenix, Ariz.) C/INF
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Arizona Storm
    COLLEGE: Northwestern

    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.
  22. 22
    Last: 21
    hodge.png

    Avery Hodge

    Tompkins (Katy, Texas) SS
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Impact Gold
    COLLEGE: Oklahoma

    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.
  23. 23
    Last: 22
    johnson.png

    Alea Johnson

    Fairhope (Fairhope, Ala.) P/1B
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Birmingham Thunderbolts
    COLLEGE: LSU

    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.
  24. 24
    Last: 23
    powell.png

    Kennedy Powell

    Conroe (Conroe, Texas) INF
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Diamond Sports Hotshots
    COLLEGE: UCLA

    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.
  25. 25
    Last: 8
    guerin.png

    Savannah Geurin

    Leander (Leander, Texas) P/1B
    Notes:

    CLUB TEAM: Diamond Sports Hotshots
    COLLEGE: Oklahoma

    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.
Loading
Close

Are you a member?

In order to access this exclusive content you must have a Softball America Account. 

Login or sign up  

of Free Stories Remaining