Each Tuesday for the next several months Line Drive Softball is honoring top high school performances nationwide with a National Player of the Week and others who are named Runner-Up Players of the Week.

If you’d like to have a player considered, scroll down to see how to send in a nomination.

Games are for Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, through Saturday, March 1, 2025…

*****

Line Drive Softball’s National High School Player of the Week (March 4, 2025)

*** Hannah Jo Sullivan, a 5-foot-4 junior catcher/utility player who committed to Mississippi State last October, had a huge week with the bat and put up impressive numbers in practically every offensive category.

For her Brandon (Miss.) High team last week, she had 11 hits in 19 appearances at the plate with a batting average of .646 and slugging percentage of 1.529.

Those impressive marks include her hitting four home runs including two grand slams.

Hannah Jo also hit for the cycle and, if that wasn’t enough, the talented player drove in 15 runs, scored 11 herself and had four steals.

She’s as equally successful in the classroom where she has accumulated a 4.0 GPA.

“Was she seeing the ball coming to the plate like a beachball?” we asked her on Monday.

“Seeing the ball has never been a challenge for me,” Hannah Jo responded. “However, understanding how my body moves has given me the ability to shift and adjust at the plate depending on the pitcher’s strengths. That’s what has led to my successful start of this season.”

Her mother, Mandy, and her father, Chip, are certainly proud of their daughter’s work ethic and desire to improve in everything she does.

“It has been fun watching Hannah Jo grow up,” her mother says. “She plays with 100 percent heart and gives 110 percent on every play. I’m grateful that I have had a front row seat to watch her grow into the young lady she has become today.”

“Her heart and dedication beat anything I have ever seen,” Mom continues. “We have never had to make her go to practice or put in the extra work. What I am most proud of, though, is the God-loving leader and mentor she has become to her teammates and people around her.”

Brandon High Head Coach Kasey McCann says Hannah Jo is also strong on the mental side of the game.

“It’s evident the amount of work Hannah Jo puts in on her own time,” the coach explains.

“Her skill set on both sides of the ball is top notch but I think something that really also sets her apart is her drive and mental preparation. She won’t back down and she just keeps going no matter the obstacles or struggles. It’s been awesome coaching her this year and I’m looking forward to watching her continue to grow!”

*****

Runner-Up Line Drive Softball National Players of the Week

*** Kristyn Embler, a senior pitcher/middle infielder for Hickory Ridge High in Harrisburg, N.C., started her season on fire in the circle as she pitched 11.2 innings and had 25 strikeouts and a 1.20 ERA. She went 2-1 with the loss being a 3-2 eight-inning game.

The Furman signee also was explosive with the bat as she had a .778 batting average as the leadoff hitter. Kristyn started the second game of the week with a home run, one of two she had on the week. She also shines in the classroom and is ranked in the Top 3 at Hickory Ridge in her class and has a good change to finish the year as Valedictorian.

*** Emery Jensen, a sophomore pitcher/first baseman for Pine Lake Prep in Mooresville, N.C., also opened her season with a great first week. She went 2-0 with 30 strikeouts in 12 innings and had a .000 ERA. Emery also gave up just one hit for the week and finished with a 0.00 ERA.

Offensively, in six at-bats she had a pair of doubles and drove in three runs as part of her sizzling .833 batting average. Emery plays travel ball with the Firecrackers – LaRousa team and has several schools keeping an eye on her including Ohio State, North Carolina State, Marshall and several mid-major programs.

*** Alexandra Akins, a freshman pitcher at Hyde Park (Austin, Texas) High, didn’t let the older competition phase her as she went 3-1 on the week with a save and 23 strikeouts. On Feb. 28—last Friday—she threw a perfect game.

She got it done with the stick as well, batting .421 with eight hits including two doubles while scoring seven runs, driving in six RBIs and going 2-for-2 in stolen bases. Impressively, she had two game-winning hits in a pair of Hyde Park’s final at-bats including one that was in extra innings.

For the season, Alexandra is now No. 4 in the state of Texas as ranked by MaxPreps for wins among freshman with six (season record 6-2) and is No. 8 in Texas for strikeouts among freshmen with 43.

The freshman is also a high honors student with a 4.0 GPA and is a member of the Junior National Honor Society. When her softball career is finished, Alexandra plans on being a veterinarian.

*** Sullivan McLaughlin, a sophomore catcher/outfielder for El Segundo (Calif.) High, played in four games and batted .417 with two home runs and a grand slam. Her on-base percentage was .462 and with her five hits drove in 10 runs.

For the season, Sullivan is hitting .391 with a .440 on-base percentage and has 14 RBIs and an OPS of 1.397. She’s a second-year varsity starter for her team in Southern California.

*** Gianna Torres is a sophomore pitcher/first baseman for Mountain Ridge (Glendale, Ariz.) High and was a two-way standout in the circle and at the plate. She pitched 21 innings with 44 strikeouts and compiled a 0.33 ERA, a .114 batting average against and a .571 WHIP. Offensively, she batted .353 with two doubles.

In her team’s first week of school play, Gianna’s team participated in the Sunrise Mountain Invitational, and she was key in helping her team secure the tournament championship.  The Class of 2027 grad had a career high 18Ks in a 7-inning game, and 12 strikeouts in the 5-inning championship game.  

Gianna, who loves to go deep sea fishing, has received high interest from several Power 5 programs in the SEC, Big 10 and Big 12, especially coming off of her Fall 2024 club season with Athletics Mercado – Hovermale.

*** Gaby Mizelle started where she left off last season when Garner (N.C.) won the North Carolina State 4A Championship and she was selected as the Player of the Game.  She batted .500 with a .556 OBP, a 2.181 OPS to kick off the season with two home runs, a triple, and a double. Gaby also knocked in six RBIs as the leadoff hitter and scored six runs herself.  She also stole five bases.

Gaby is committed to play at Virginia Tech this fall, which has been her dream since she was a freshman.  She also plays travel ball for Impact – Caymol and helped her team finish 3^rd at PGF last summer. Additionally, she has won a Gold Medal at the 2024 Pam Am Games playing with Puerto Rico’s national team. Impressively, Gaby has been a team captain since her sophomore year.

*** Brenna Edwards is back with a vengeance after missing her entire freshman season with a broken foot that had to have a screw inserted into it. The sophomore shortstop/pitcher at Lincoln County High in Fayetteville, Tenn. got her year off to a great start when she pitched a 3-0 perfect game against Mt. Juliet High School and helped her own cause by smacking a two-run home run. She also hit a grand slam in a game versus Tullahoma High.

For the season, the 2027 grad is batting .400 and, in the circle, hasn’t given up a hit while walking just one opposing hitter.

*** Ella Tweed is a middle schooler at Moultrie Middle School in Mount Pleasant, S.C. who plays varsity for Lucy Beckham (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) High. Competing with and against high schoolers, the pitcher had 14 strikeouts in 5.2 innings over three games with a 1.7 ERA and only gave up two hits and two walks.

Ella is an honors student and attends pitching lessons where she has been clocked in the high 50’s.

*** Aubrey McLaughlin, a junior outfielder/first baseman for Eleanor Roosevelt High in Eastvale, Calif. batted .462 with nine RBIs, seven runs scored and an impressive four home runs for the week.

The UCLA commit has had a great season so far, batting .462 with a .562 on-base percentage, a 1.909 OPS and already has smacked seven home runs and have 17 RBIs while scoring 11 runs herself.

*** Jil Livengood, a senior pitcher at Wake Forest (N.C.) High, went 2-0 this past week. The North Carolina commit, however, didn’t just win the pair of games—she dominated in them. Jil pitched 14 innings and only gave up four hits, but it’s strikeout-to-walk ration that’s jaw-dropping.

The East Coast standout struck out 35 batters—that’s a 2 ½ per inning average—and gave up no walks with a perfect 0.00 ERA. Jil, who plays club ball with Lady Lightning Gold in the summer, also had a miniscule batting average against (.085) while helping her own team with a batting average of .333.

*** Paige Sanchez, a senior infielder for Bloomingdale Senior High School, in Valrico, Fla., was on a terror offensively last week as she batted .875 with eight hits in 12 at-bats and had an on-base percentage of .917 and a slugging percentage of 2.000.

She has been perfect in the field defensively for the season with a 1.000 Fielding Percentage in 19 chances. For the season, in six games, she’s hitting .722 with a .783 on-base percentage and a slugging percentage of 1.500 on nine this which includes three home runs, five doubles, nine walks and no strikeouts.

*** Savannah Toukatly is a freshman pitcher and outfielder for J.W. Mitchell High in Trinity, Fla. and earned her way into an important role with her Florida Class 6A team. In her two starts from the circle, she struck out 22 batters in 12 innings while giving up just four hits and one earned run.

Savannah is also batting 2nd and 3rd in a very potent lineup this spring, complete with D1 commits. In 11 plate appearances she had a .636 on-base percentage with four singles, a triple and six RBI’s. For the season, she’s gone 10-for-18 with four walks and no strikeouts while driving in 11. Pitching-wise, she has 16 innings under her belt with a 4-0 record and 26 strikeouts. One of Savannah’s wins was against last year’s state champion.

*****

2025 Line Drive Softball National High School Player of the Week

• Feb. 25: Molly Davi (Hilo, Hawaii)
• Feb. 18: Lulu Adrian & Finlee Williams (Melissa, Texas)

*****

Nomination Process

Each week during the spring and summer high school seasons, Line Drive Softball is honoring a National High School Player of the Week.

Honorees are announced every Tuesday and the cutoff for submitting the nominations is each Monday at noon EST/9 am PST.

We’re looking for standouts who excelled in the circle, at the plate or in the field so be sure to nominate your favorite performance(s) by submitting the following:

• Player Name
• Grad Year (example: Class of 2025 or Senior)
• Position(s)
• High school team name with city/state
• Stats for the week (be as detailed as possible!)
• Up-to-date season stats if possible
• Recruiting information (if applicable)
• Any interesting background on the player
• Action and/or head shots
• If possible, contact info if we’d like more info or quotes

Email info and photos (1-4 as available) by the cutoff of Monday at noon EST/9 am PST to: Brentt.Eads@LineDriveMedia.com