PGF High School All-American Game To Air On ESPNU

Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) will host its 2021 High School All-American Game on Saturday, July 31 in Southern California. The game, featuring college softball's future stars, will air live on ESPNU at 3 p.m. ET.

In total, 40 players were selected to participate in the game, each of whom had to go through a lengthy selection process. After being nominated by a coach and/or a PGF Selection Committee Member, the National Selection Committee decided on players who earned a spot on their “Watch List.” Following the development of the Watch List, the committee announced six Regional All-American teams (Western, Mountain, Southwest, Central, Southeast and Northeast). Two weeks later, the final All-American team rosters, with the players who will be playing on July 31, were selected.

The final 40 players are divided up into East and West teams, with 20 graduating seniors on each roster. In total, the players selected hail from 16 states, with California being the most represented. Fifteen out of the 20 players on the West roster will be playing in their home state. All 40 of the players selected will be playing Division I softball next year at several of the top schools in the country.

Twenty-six of the 40 players selected were a part of Softball America’s list of the top 100 players in the 2021 graduating class. Several eyes will be on pitcher Jordyn Bahl and catcher Sophia Nugent who are ranked No. 1 and No. 3 in their class, respectively. Although Bahl will be playing for the East and Nugent for the West during the All-American game, next year they will be a pitcher-catcher duo at Oklahoma.

Other notable players to look out for include Washington-bound infielder Rylee Holtorf (ranked No. 2 by Softball America), Oregon-bound pitcher Stevie Hansen (ranked No. 8 by Softball America) and Alabama-bound outfielder Dallis Goodnight (ranked No. 12 by Softball America).

The players selected will have the unique opportunity to be coached by several former All-Americans, national champions, Olympians and professional players. The talented coaching staff includes Natasha Watley, Crystal Bustos, Suzy Brazney, Jennie Finch, Lovieanne Jung and Tony Mascarenas, who will be split up between the East and West teams.

Additionally, this year, PGF announced the addition of a Futures All-American Game, which will include some of the best junior and sophomore high school players in the country. Differently from the East vs. West format being used for the Senior All-American Game, the teams for the Futures Game are divided up by class. The Futures Game will follow a 2023 (rising juniors) vs. 2022 (rising seniors) format. In addition, the Futures Game will include a mix of committed and uncommitted players, many of whom are hoping to find their college destination in the coming year.

For the 2022 roster, much of the attention will be on uncommitted pitcher Taylor Tinsley, who is ranked No. 6 in her class by Softball America.

There will also be a lot of excitement for Florida Gators fans, as three future Gators will be making an appearance in the Futures All-American Game. 2022 catcher Sam Roe (ranked No. 1 in her class by Softball America) will be facing two of her future teammates, 2023 pitcher Keagan Rothrock (ranked No. 1 in her class by Softball America) and 2023 infielder Mia Williams (ranked No. 3 in her class by Softball America).

Across both games, there will be fierce competition among many players who will be the future stars of college softball. With the top players in the country together on one field for the All-American Game, it will be an event you won’t want to miss. 

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