10 high school softball players from the Madison area to know in 2024
From state tournament representatives to Division-I recruits, there is plenty of high-level softball players from the area. The softball season is underway in the Madison area, with several high school athletes returning from previous state tournaments. Tayler Baker, Sr., from Sun Prairie East, led the team with a.500 batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBIs (30), hits (44), and home runs (8) last season. She is committed to playing softball at South Dakota State. Sierra Ejercito from Verona was an All-Big Eight selection last year and finished with a total of 11 stolen bases. Addie Fritts from Madison Memorial finished last season with a batting average of.325 and was an honorable mention All-big Eight selection. Elena Koepke from Stoughton was a first-team All-Badger East Conference pick and second team All-State last season, while Raegan Smith from Mount Horeman was a standout player.
Opublikowany : 4 tygodnie temu za pomocą mark mcmullen, Mark McMullen w Sports
The softball season is underway and there is plenty of talent surrounding the Madison area.
Sun Prairie East has made it to each state tournament contested since 2018. The Cardinals return their ace, who is among several Division I recruits in the area.
Here are 10 players to keep an eye this spring.
Tayler Baker, Sr., Sun Prairie East
Position: Pitcher
Notable: Tayler Baker is committed to play softball at South Dakota State . In the circle, Baker had a 17-4 record with 213 strikeouts and a .943 ERA and a .164 BAA. She gave up 79 hits and walked 27 batters. She led the team with a .500 batting average, on-base percentage (.500), slugging percentage (.874), RBIs (30), hits (44) and home runs (8) last season. She was first team All-Big Eight Conference and only struck out twice during her junior season.
Quotable: “What makes Tayler a great pitcher: Her leadership on and off the field, her composure on the mound, how she controls the game and her corkiness,” Sun Prairie East coach Jamie Olson said.
Sierra Ejercito, Jr., Verona
Position: Center fielder
Notable: Sierra Ejercito was an All-Big Eight selection last year. She used her skills to get on base at a .418 clip and finished with a .370 average last season. She also had 11 stolen bases.
Quotable: “She’s a good softball player; very smart, savvy baserunner, skilled slapper, tremendous speed on bases and really covers ground in center field,” Verona coach Todd Anderson said.
Addie Fritts, Jr., Madison Memorial
Position: Third base
Notable: Addie Fritts finished last season with a .325 batting average and was a honorable mention All-Big Eight selection.
Quotable: “Addie is a great leader. She has come up clutch for us in some very high situations, whether it be a two-out home run in the bottom of the seventh or fielding a hard hit ball down the line to secure the perfect game in our regional championship. All of that can be accredited to the hours of work she puts in during practice and on her own in the offseason,” Madison Memorial coach Kourtney Peters said.
Reese Koepke, Sr., Stoughton
Position: Shortstop
Notable: Reese Koepke was a first-team All-Badger East Conference pick and second team All-State last season, when she hit .547 (35 hits) with 10 doubles, six homers and 30 RBIs. She had a .958 fielding percentage. This is her fourth season starting varsity.
Quotable: “One of the most impressive things is her composure. She never gets too high or too low. She makes an error, she doesn’t dwell on it; she has four RBIs in a game, she doesn’t showboat. She’s also just such a natural out there. When we played Monona Grove last year, their head coach Chris Ushan joked about doing a mid-game trade. She just covers so much ground and makes it look easy,” Stoughton coach Cassie Bonde said.
Luciana Moreno, Jr., Sun Prairie West
Position: Shortstop
Notable: Luciana Moreno new to Sun Prairie West softball, but not the school. Her sophomore year she played for the baseball team and during her freshman season she played softball for Sun Prairie. With the Cardinals, she finished her freshman season with a .385 batting average with 37 hits, 25 RBIs and scored 39 runs.
Quotable: “Luci is determined and dedicated to being the best. She pushes her teammates to be better. Her knowledge of the game goes unmatched at the high school level,” Sun Prairie West coach Ellyn Presto said.
Gina Rhiner, Sr., Mount Horeb
Position: Left field
Notable: Gina Rhiner finished with a .450 batting average and had six home runs last season.
Quotable: “She is a solid player because of her work ethic and she will hit for a very high average, and hit with a lot of power and fun to be around. She brings a lot of good qualities to our team,” Mount Horeb coach Jeramie Holman said.
Raegan Smith, So., DeForest
Position: Shortstop
Notable: Raegan Smith finished last season with a .418 batting average, .620 slugging percentage, 33 hits and 10 RBIs as the leadoff hitter. She scored 26 runs. She is a three-sport athlete with cross country and basketball.
Quotable: “Her quickness and her range ties in with her quickness, and her ability to throw wrong footed, and throw at different angles (makes her a solid player),” DeForest coach Lori Grundahl said.
Hailey Stroede, So., Middleton
Position: Catcher
Notable: Hailey Stroede finished her freshman season with a .416 batting average, 13 doubles, three triples and 29 RBIs. She had 172 putouts on defense.
Quotable: “Hailey brings an energy that’s absolutely unmatched. She’s confident, competitive and incredibly athletic. As a catcher, she’s quick and snappy and wants to make those tough throws and impossible plays. As a hitter, she could be the toughest out in the Big Eight Conference. ... She’s a hitting machine and I think a lot of her success comes from keeping it simple. She doesn’t try to do too much. No moment is too big for her,” Middleton coach Brittany Clark said.
Cathryn Zegadlo, Jr., Monona Grove
Position: Shortstop
Notable: Cathryn Zegadlo finished with a .433 batting average, eight home runs, 17 doubles and 37 RBIs. She was a first-team All-Badger East Conference player last season.
Quotable: “She’s a quiet, confident and very humble player who is relentless in perfecting the fine details to her craft. She easily grabs an extra 30 reps at practice and has operated like this well before high school. Others see it and it becomes infectious, which helps everyone get better,” Monona Grove Chris Uschan said.
Carly Zych, Sr., Oregon
Position: Utility
Notable: Carly Zych hit a team-best .519 last season and had five triples, two homers to go with a team-high 19 home runs. She only struck out twice. She’s committed to play softball at Villanova. She is willing to play any position needed, including pitcher and several others.
Quotable: “I think what makes her a good player is that she loves the game, competition and continually evolves in every aspect of the game. Carly plays enough softball between her Glory (Fastpith) club team and her high school team that her softball IQ is very high. You only play as much softball as she does if you love the game,” Oregon coach Scott Mirkes said.
Tematy: Softball