We continue our Spring of 2026 series honoring outstanding performances by recognizing a National Player of the Week and others who are selected as a Runner-Up Player of the Week.

Each week through June we’ll recognize and highlight top accomplishments nationwide; if you’d like to have a player considered, scroll down to see how to send in a nomination.

Games are for Monday, May 11, 2026, through Sunday, May 17, 2026…

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Today’s National Player of the Week ended her junior season on a very high note and more and more states are in the playoffs and will be wrapping up soon.

Others like in the East are in the middle of their seasons or just starting the playoffs, so we’ll have honorees for a few weeks more!

Note: because of Memorial Day next Monday, the National H.S. Player of the Week for next week will be published on Wednesday instead of the usual Tuesday release…

Line Drive Softball’s National High School PLAYER of the Week (May 19, 2026)

*** Hinano Bautista, the 5-foot-7 junior pitcher/outfielder at Mililani (Hawaii) High, is trying to join the rarefied air that only a handful of softball players have ever accomplished in their careers—winning four straight championships.

At the college level, five Oklahoma Sooner players— Jayda Coleman, Tiare Jennings, Kinzie Hansen, Rylie Boone and Nicole May—recent won four straight NCAA National Championships in a row, from 2021-2024.

Mililani High a week ago won its third straight state championship with a 9-3 win over Moanalua High in the DataHouse/HHSAA Division I championship held at the Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium turf.

It was the school’s third straight championships win – and sixth overall when you count the 2005, 2029 and 2024 titles as well—but it was the way that Hinano finished her season that will long be remembered.

The junior struck out for in five innings of the championship game win and, in the deciding contest, she went 3-for-3 with a home run and double while driving in three of her teams runs.

Hinano, who committed to Cal last October, was named as the Most Outstanding Player for the 12-team tournament but it wasn’t just in the finale that she shined—the two-way standout came up huge in the entire tourney.

On the mount, Hinano pitched in all four of the Mililani High’s victories and won the last three, but it was her ferocious bat that did the most damage as the 2027 grad went a sizzling 12-for-15 (.800 batting average) and had five home runs with 15 RBIs.

Here’s a clip of the Mililani team’s final out and the Trojans’ celebration:

… and here’s a fun clip of Hinano being interviewed after the game:

The season-ending flourish capped a strong 2026 season the Hawaiian talent who was outstanding all season long on both sides of the plates as she batted .611 with 14 home runs and 47 RBIs while going 9-0 in the circle with a 2.30 ERA and 34 K’s in 57.8 innings.

If anyone has had a front row seat to the tremendous year her dual threat athlete had, it would be Mililani Head Coach Rose Antonio, who is as big of a legend at the school as you’ll find.

Coach Rose has been associated with the high school for 29 years and 21 as a head coach.

She played for Mililani high before moving to Hawaii-Manoa college where, the accomplished coach who has won five state titles at Milani laughs:

“I didn’t play much in college. but I learned a lot and, heck, I got a free education!”

“After my eligibility at UH Manoa softball, I decided to go back to my alma mater and give back to where I came from and my community.”

With 30 years of experience coaching at the accomplished softball powerhouse program, it’s not surprising that Coach Rose raves about her three-time state championship pitcher.

“Hinano is one of the best athletes that have come through our program,” Coach Rose explains. “She’s just a complete all-around player who’s athletic and can play any position her heart desires.”

“Hinano’s positive energy is what most coaches would like to have on your team.”

A coach who does have the standout athlete on his team and says he’s very happy to do so is Josh Danz, the head of the LK Black 16U Hawaii club team.

The junior is one of his players and he raves about her also.

“She’s the best teammate any coach or player could ask for,” Coach Danz begins. “Hinano fires everyone up and she’s our vocal leader.”

What does she do so well as a pitcher? we asked Coach Danz.

“Hinano’s a drop-down ball specialist,” the coach responded. “Her command on the mound and her fire to compete is huge.

“What sets her apart is that she’s like a left-handed shortstop playing pitcher in that her fielding at her position is unmatched?

Unmatched for her three-year career on the Islands, that’s for sure.

Including pre-tournament games, Hinano is hitting .598 with 44 home runs and 139 RBIs and has led her team to a 72-5-1 record when you add together her play in 2024, ’25 and ’26.

Her long list of individual honors is impressive and includes:

• being named three times Hawaii 1^st Team All-State
• twice being named the MVP of the State Tourney
• in club play, being a two-time Triple Crown Future Stars selection
• making the PGF All-American finalist list

But, softball is a team game and it’s there where the 2027 grad really shines for a 72-5-1 record over those three years and, most importantly, the trio of state titles.

However, it wasn’t a totally smooth sailing season for Hinano, who hit a period of self-doubt in the last month when the team lost a game and she lost faith in herself.

In a late April loss to Campbell High, the pitcher gave up three earned runs pitching-wise and went 0-for-3 at the plate, in part because of an injury that would sideline her for a week.

Hinano says she thought she would bounce back quickly from that rare bad game, but it didn’t quite work out that way.

“After the Campbell game and going into playing my first game back against Lahinaluna,” the athlete recalls, “I felt like a brand-new person, but things took a bad turn. In that game I was flinching at pitches that was right down the middle and I just wasn’t the player that everyone knows me for.”

“I went home crying and asked Coach Josh: ‘What am I doing wrong?’”

“He just said that it was a mental thing that no one can fix but myself so, that day, I went to the batting cage and started hitting for an hour, working on my craft and just trying to regain my confidence back.”

“Even before the Kapa’a game, I went to go get extra reps at the baseball field with Coach G (Glenelle Nitta) and, after that, it was history. But on the other hand, for pitching I just had to trust my mechanics to get the job done.”

That she did and the rest of the season was history… a third-straight championship history.

That return to her normal form will something that Ninano says she’ll long remember the 2026 season for.

“What was working for me was coming back from a loss that motivated not just me but the team to come back with a big and better mindset.”

“I am proud of my team and my coaching staff because, without them, none of this would have been possible. They are the people that have helped me to get to where I am today on and off the field.”

“They helped me win states, they helped me win my awards, and most of all they believed in me when I didn’t even believe in myself. They are the reasons why I am the person I am today.”

In the end, the athlete also believes she had help from a very important source that means everything to her.

“Something that has allowed me to win three-time state championships was believing in God himself,” Hinano stresses. “Without Him, none of this would have been possible.

“He was with he through my ups and my downs… and that week last month was a tough week for me. I had a week off due to my injury, but I was praying that He would be right there with me—not just to heal my injury but also on the field with me, helping me through every pitch, every swing—even if it was or wasn’t me playing.”

Ultimately, Hinano concludes, her faith helped sustain her and get to where she is today—a three-time state champion.

“I thank Him every day for the things that He has done for me on and off the field. As it says in Matthew 19:26: “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

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Line Drive Softball’s National High School PITCHER of the Week (May 19, 2026)

*** Any other week Kaylee Hodges, the junior pitcher for Matoaca (Chesterfield, Va.) High, would have been our National Player of the Week.

She pitched two perfect games and had two shutouts, but winning the state title for the third year in a row gives Hinano Bautista the lead this week.

But you can’t deny that, Kaylee, a Tennessee Vols commit and the No. 1 ranked player in the 2027 HOT 100 and the  No. 1 ranked Pitcher in the 2027 HOT 100 rankings, is having a phenomenal season and so we’re going to anoint her as the Line Drive National PITCHER of the Week.

Look at these stats and see if you can oppose this move:

• 21 innings pitched
• 54 strikeouts (2.57 K’s per inning)
• Three hits given up
• No runs allowed
• Just two walks in the equivalent of the three seven-inning games

And did we mention that she had two perfect games and two shutouts?

Woof.

But that’s not all: Kaylee also batted .600 with two home runs and seven RBIs.

For the season, her pitching totals including 84 innings with only 12 hits given up, 10 walks, three runs, NONE of them earned for a 0.00 ERA and a .262 WHIP and a .045 batting average against.

And holding to her average last week, she’s had 210 strikeouts in those 84 innings which equates to a 2.5 K’s per inning average.

Her hitting and fielding totals are just as impressive with a .595 batting average, a .654 OBP, a 2.035 OPS with seven home runs and 24 RBIs.

Her defensive stat of note is a 1.000 fielding percentage.

Double woof.

… and did we tell you she had two perfect games and two shutouts last week?

As we get closer to the end of the season, it’s time to start looking at High School All-Americans and for pitchers Hinano Bautista and Kaylee Hodges look about as sure of making the list as anyone.

On the position side, you have to start with Florida State-bound infielder McLaine Hudson of South Warren High in Bowling Green, Ky., who has been lights out in hitting and getting on base.

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Runner-Up Line Drive Softball National Players of the Week

*** The Katy (Texas) Tigers are in the Texas 6A D2 State semi-finals which will be help on Thursday (May 21) in Corpus Christi at 7 pm and the Friday, also 7 pm and on Saturday at 1 pm if necessary (if it’s the tie-break in the best of 3 series).

Leading the way for the Tigers is pitcher Haley Schmitt who had another great showing last week, this time in the State Regional Finals.

In nine innings pitched, the freshman had 18 strikeouts versus just one walk with a 0.78 ERA and a batting average against of only .156.

Also impressive: Haley gave up just one earned run and had a 74.3 strike percentage with 87.5 percent first strike percentage.

Perhaps her best state of all last week was that hitters batted 0.00 with runners in scoring positions

Haley pitched a complete game shutout in the first game last week, a 9-0 win and she had 14 K’s in seven innings with the one walk and five runners left in scoring position.

In Game 2, she started at shortstop and came in to close it out in a 5-4 tight win, as she threw two innings with four Ks and gave up just one walk and one earned run.

*** Finally, we have to shine the recognition light on two teammates at Minooka (Ill.) High who are looking to help their team on its march to an Illinois 4A state title:

— Addison Crumly, the senior first baseman for the Indians batted .600 last week with a home run, six RBIs and six runs scored.

She was named 2^nd Team All-State last year and broke the school record this week for most home runs in school history (13).

Addison also has 64 RBIs for the season and is batting a strong .592.

The Midwest standout is signed to play for St. Francis University in Joliet, Ill.

— Emma Best, the pitcher/third baseman who’s also a senior at Minooka High, went 2-for-3 in her final home game with a home run and two RBIs and that gives her a .348 batting average entering this week’s Illinois state playoffs.

The No. 1 pitcher of the staff and workhorse who has thrown 101 innings in the regular season with a 1.54 WHIP and 2:1 K/BB ration, pitched 6.2 innings last week in the second to last conference game and beat the defending 2025 4A State Champs, 7-6, with only two of the runs being earned.

Emma will play softball at Loras College and is also an Illinois State Scholar.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media

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• May 12: Anleigh Wood—Wicksburg (Newton, Ala.) High
• May 5: Addison DeRoche— Cheverus (Portland, Maine) High
• Apr. 28: McLaine Hudson—South Warren (Bowling Green, Ky.) High
• Apr. 22: Finlee Williams—Melissa (Texas)
• Apr. 14:  Addison Davis—Pearl River Central (Carriere, Miss.)
• Apr. 7:    Karmen Vazquez—Hanford (Calif.) West
• Mar. 31: Morgan Maxwell—West Forsyth (N.C.)
• Mar. 24: Siena Greenlinger—Chaminade College Preparatory (West Hills, Calif.)
• Mar. 17: Presley Kilgore— Rains (Emory, Texas)
• Mar. 10: Emma Pynes—Cornerstone Charter Academy (Belle Isle, Fla.)
• Mar. 3:   Avery Howerton—Whitesboro (Texas) High
• Feb. 24: Krimson Calhoun—Thompson (Alabaster, Ala.) High
• Feb. 17: Lolo Gamble—Dripping Springs (Texas) High

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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.

The posts are published every Tuesday and the cutoff for submitting the nominations is each Monday at 5 pm EST/2 pm 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 2026 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 (where possible)
• Recruiting Information (if applicable)
• Any interesting Background Info on the player
• Photos: action and/or head shots (as available)
• If possible, Contact Info (player, parent, coach… if we’d like more info or quotes)

Email info and photos (1-4 as available) by the cutoff of Monday at 5 pm EST/2 pm PST to: Brentt.Eads@LineDriveMedia.com