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, April 13, 2026, through Sunday, April 19, 2026…

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Last week was the most impressive week of the season so far with amazing on-field performances.

One trend we’re seeing: many elite players who are signed or committed to play at the next level (college ball) are starting to crank it up!

And there’s no better example of this than our National High School Player of the Week for last week who… well, just read on to see how amazing of a week she had!

Line Drive Softball’s National High School Player of the Week (April 22, 2026)

*** Head Coach Cassie Crabtree has her Melissa (Texas) High team looking strong again with the Cardinals record now at 27-2 and ranked in the Top 10 nationally per our most recent Line Drive SUPER 70 National High School rankings.

Leading the way for the Lone Star State powerhouse is junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Finlee Williams, a University of Oklahoma commit ranked No. 5 in the most recent 2027 HOT 100 rankings.

We’ve had players have “perfect weeks” before, batting 1.000 or pitchers not giving up a hit, but you will be hard pressed to find a more dominating week at the plate than what Finlee did last week.

In two games, she was 7-for-7, good for sure, but it’s the seven hits that make your jaw drop: four of them were home runs and the other three included two doubles and a triple.

In other words, all her hits were for extra base hits.

Those seven hits brought in 13 runs and, along with her perfect 1.000 batting average and on-base percentage, her slugging percentage was an unbelievable 3.286 with an OPS of an unheard of 4.286.

For the season, the future Sooner infielder is batting a sizzling .622 with 56 hits, 61 RBIs, 60 runs scored and 18 home runs, nine triples and 31 doubles.

It’s no wonder Melissa High is now 27-2.

Of the four home runs, three were hit in one game and what was impressive is one was to left field, one to center and the other to right.

Her club coach, Kevin Shelton who heads the Texas Glory organization, said:

“This kid is gonna be a problem in the future at every level—I’m just glad she is on my team! Finlee is just a joy to be around and the engine that makes our squad go.”

Coach Crabtree concurs, saying she’s enjoying having a front-row seat to her hitting star’s tremendous junior season:

“Finlee has been extremely focused and locked into her approach,” the head coach says when asked what’s going so well for her player.

“Her plate discipline and pitch selection have been so good! Finlee’s not chasing, she’s staying within herself and is consistently getting the pitch she wants. When she gets it, she’s attacking it with intent and driving it hard.”

Crabtree says the infielder’s success is largely due to the work she puts in off the field.

“What’s really separated her,” the Melissa head coach explains, “is how intentional Finlee’s been in her preparation and practice. She’s put a lot of time into the small details and she has really been working on her approach, timing, sequence, and selection. The discipline is showing up every time she steps up to the plate.”

When work ethic is paired with prodigious talent like Finlee has, good things will happen.  

“She’s also playing with a ton of confidence right now,” Coach Crabtree continues. “Finlee’s trusting her work, staying calm, and competing hard. You can see how dialed in she is, and she is dominating.”

“Finlee is a one-of-a-kind competitor,” the Cardinals leader concludes. “The way she works, the way she prepares, and the way she competes is a big separator. It’s been fun to watch it all come together for her.”

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Here are other outstanding national performances from across the continent last week…

Runner-Up Line Drive Softball National Players of the Week

*** When you have a Top 10 national team like Melissa High is, it’s usually because several players are getting it done.

Finlee’s pitcher teammate is Eloisa Maes, a 2027 grad who is committed to the University of Arizona and she had a strong week as well, pitching two no-hitters, albeit both were run-shortened games of three innings each.

Still, in the pair of appearances, Eloisa had 12 strikeouts and her WHIP was a paltry 0.33 with an impressive average of 2.00 K’s per inning.

Coach Crabtree praised her pitcher for her work ethic, too.

“Eloisa is a tough kid who puts in hard work every single day,” the Melissa head coach says.

“She’s in the circle always working, putting time into her skill, and it shows when she steps on the field. There’s a level of confidence, grit, and toughness about her right now that has been so fun to watch.”  

“Elisa’s done a great job developing her ability to mix speeds and really work off her tunnel break. That has made her extremely difficult to hit.”

“She’s not just throwing but she’s pitching with purpose and dominance. She attacked hitters all week and did a great job controlling counts, staying ahead, and dictating every ab. Two no-hitters is a result of her preparation, toughness, and execution no matter the situation.  She loves the pressure and loves to compete hard.”

*** Moving to California now, sophomore middle infielder Ashlyn Pantages at Sonora High had a great run in her four games played.

She went 10 for 13 (.769 average) with a 1.923 slugging percentage as she had three singles, three doubles and four home runs, including a walk-off home run against Yorba Linda High.

On the year, Ashlyn is batting .538 with 11 doubles and the four home runs along with a .981 slugging percentage.

The 2028 grad, who plays on her father Jason’s Firecrackers 16U – Pantages club team, is currently the leading hitter in the Freeway League of the CIF Southern Section.

*** Junior shortstop Jillian Wimmer of Coatesville Area High in Coatesville, Pa. was on fire last week, going 9-for-11 in three games with four home runs and a triple.

She drove in 13 runs in the trio of games with a 2.091 slugging percentage and a 2.924 OPS.

Jillian also scored eight times, stole two bases and was wisely intentionally walked twice as well. She also was perfect in the field defensively.

Through her team’s first 11 games, the 2027 recruit who is committed to LSU is batting .611 with nine home runs, three doubles and a triple.

Jillian also has a 1.500 slugging percentage, a 2.143 OPS and has driven in 28 runs while scoring 21 herself. She’s also stolen nine bases and is fielding at a .980 percentage.

Some other background info on Jillian: she has been playing softball since she was four years old and currently plays travel ball with Ramsey Harkness’s Mojo 18U team after previously playing with the Birmingham Thunderbolts.

The Keystone State standout is currently leading Pennsylvania in home runs and is in the Top 10 in the state for slugging and RBIs per MaxPreps She was 1st Team All-State (shortstop) in 2025 and is the reigning Daily Local News Player of the Year.

Jillian is currently ranked No. 6 in the Line Drive 2027 HOT 100.

*** Keke Jordan, a 2028 catcher who attends Boyd Buchanan School in Chattanooga, Tenn., helped her team win district as she batted .600 in two games and in each one had a home run with a pair of walks.

She recorded a slugging percentage of 1.800 and an OPS of 2.425 thanks to a third hit and a pair of walks.

For the 2026 campaign, Keke is hitting .493 with a .558 on-base percentage, a 1.771 OPS, a 1.213 slugging percentage and has 13 home runs in 25 games with nine doubles and three triples.

She’s also walked 12 times and driven in 39 runs.

Keke, who was ranked No. 8 in the 2028 HOT 100 when it came out last year (it will be updated this summer), plays her club ball with Impact Gold Jazz 16U.

Last Thursday, Boyd Buchanan earned a key 10-0 run rule win over the No. 4 team in the state, Silverdale Baptist Academy, the district rival. The victory made Boyd Buchanan High School the 2026 district champions with a 6-0 record in district and 25-4 mark overall.

*** Madison (Madi) Wainright, a 2027 catcher and third baseman at Lake Central (Ind.) High, led her team as the field general behind the dish this past week as she’s been doing for quite a while. 

The Indiana University commit played in four games and in her 15 plate appearances Madi went 9-for-19 for a .750 batting average and an .800 on-base percentage.

She smacked two home run, a triple and two doubles for a 1.583 slugging percentage and a 2.383 OPS.

Known for her infectious energy on the field, Madi is batting a strong .600 with a .667 OPB in 10 games. Of her 36 plate appearances, she has three home runs, two triples and three doubles with only one strikeout.

Also impressive, she hasn’t made an error in those 10 contests.

With a 1.6 pop time, Madi’s reputation proceeds her and in her entire high school career only two base runners have tried to steal on her!

*** Also in the Hoosier State, sophomore right-handed pitcher and first baseman Keelei Brown of Lincoln Stockton (Lincoln, Ind.) High, had a strong week of performances.

From the circle, she pitched 13 innings and struck out 22 batters while limiting the opposing hitters to just a .196 batting average against.

Keelei’s WHIP was 1.385 and batters had a 27 percent swing-and-miss rate against her.

Impressively, Keelei pitched a 10-inning win versus a conference rival and broke her high school record for K’s in a game with 19 strikeouts.

Interestingly the previous record was set by Stephanie Fougerousse (Indiana State) in 2010—the year Keelei was born!

That huge victory led to her being awarded the Davies County Athlete of the Week.

For the 2026 season, Keelei is now batting .385 with a .415 on-base percentage with 17 RBIs and only two strikeouts in 42 plate appearances.

In 46 innings pitched, the 2028 grad has recorded 71 strikeouts and should hit 200 career K’s this week. She has a 2.74 ERA with a 1.326 WHIP and a .203 BAA.

*** Julia Mahmet, a 2027 grad with the Kankakee Valley (Wheatfield, Ind.) Kougars, is a utility infielder who can play anywhere in the dirt.

Last week continued a strong 10-game hitting streak that has seen the uncommitted 2027 grad bat .636 with a 1.030 slugging percentage and eight extra base hits (a home run, three triples and four doubles).

In that hot stretch, Julia has scored 10 runs and driven in 12 and is her team leader in hits with 23 and on the season is batting .523 with a 1.341 OPS.

Julia has twice been named the Chicago Tribune Player of the Week and is being recognized as one of the most productive underclass hitters in the Midwest,

In summer travel ball play, she competes for the TN Mojo – Ramsey/Kalani team.

*** Emma Davies, a sophomore pitcher and utility player at Ursuline (Youngstown, Ohio) High, was strong in the circle and came up big at the plate when needed.

She pitched 12.1 innings and had 17 strikeouts versus just three walks and gave up only one earned run while providing a 0,.57 ERA and a .170 batting average against.

She also had a .400 on-base percentage and delivered the winning run in the top of the 8th inning with a clutch RBI single for Ursuline High.

In the victory, she pitched four shutout innings to set the tone for the game and was brought back in to pitch in the 8th inning.

In another key game, Emma helped her team secure a win against the No. 9 ranked team in the state by giving up just two hits and no runs while striking out eight in five innings on the mound.

For the season, the 2028 grad has tossed 53 innings with a 1.45 ERA and a .179 BAA. Offensively, she’s batted .477 with a .549 on-base percentage and has scored 17 runs.

*** Andela Moyo, a sophomore catcher and infielder with South Mecklenburg High in Charlotte, N.C., played in four games last week and batted .714 with a .833 on-base percentage and a 1.690 OPS.

She had five walks versus no strikeouts and drove in five runs while being error free behind the plate and at second and third base.

Andela, who plays club ball with the Stars National 16U – Cole team, is hitting .481 on the season with a .569 OBP and has a 1.273 OPS.

Impressively, she hasn’t struck out once in the month of April.

*** Addi Morrison, a 2028 outfielder and lefty triple threat for Perry (Massillon, Ohio) High, had a strong week as the leadoff hitter.

She had a 1.402 OPS with two walks and two steals while making multiple diving catches in the outfield with error free defense.

Addi is hoping to take Perry High back to the Final Four of the Division II State Tournament where her team made it in 2025.

For the season, Addi leads her team with a .486 batting average, a .604 on-base percentage and 11 walks and is tied for the team lead with 18 hits. She also leads Perry High with a 65.31 quality at-bat percent.

Interestingly, Addi is also on her school’s varsity golf team and golfs right-handed but is a lefty hitter in softball.

*** South Warren (Bowling Green, Ky.) High is now at 26-0 with a highlight of the season being a win over then national No. 1 Orange Beach (Ala.) and the team continues to be led by multiple standouts both offensively and defensively.

Here are three who last week play for the Top 5-ranked team was outstanding:

— Mac Hudson, the 2026 infielder committed to Florida State and last year’s Kentucky Gatorade State Player of the Year,  leads the state in five major categories:

• #1 Batting Average (.789, 60-for-76),
• #1 Hits (60),
• #1 Home Runs (17),
• #1 Runs Scored (66), and
• #1 Slugging Percentage (1.724, 131 total bases).

— Parker Willoughby, the third baseman, went 7-for-10 driving in nine runs while scoring six runs.

For the season, she has 36 hits for a .514 batting average and 51 RBIs—which leads the state of Kentucky.

— Layla Odgen, the senior pitcher and first baseman—who is a great complement to the other starting pitcher Courney Norwood, the Kentucky commit—went 2-0 over three games recording 15 strikeouts against only two walks.  

The 2026 grad signed with Western Kentucky and allowed just two earned run on three hits across 8.0 innings pitched last week including seven scoreless innings

At the plate, she went 5-for-11 (.454) with four RBIs in two games shortened due to the run rule.

Now 11–0 with seven shutouts, Ogden has logged 41.0 scoreless innings over 46.0 IP, striking out 72 with 14 walks and a 0.76 ERA. At the plate, Layla has 41 hits and a .519 batting average with nine home runs and 46 RBIs.

*** Jia Soe, a 2027 catcher and utility player at Ardery Kelly High in Charlotte, N.C., was strong behind the plate with 13 innings caught and threw out three would-be base stealers and picked off another.

With the stick, she hit .625 with a .750 batting average and a 2.000 OPS and, most impressively, batted 1.000 with runners in scoring position.

Jia has caught 130.1 innings this year with only two errors for a 0.981 fielding percentage.

For 2026, she is hitting .385 with a .522 on-base percentage and leads the Ardery Kelly High team with 12 walks.

*** Thea Staten, a 2026 pitcher and corner infielder who plays at Bryant (Ohio) High and is a North Carolina State commit, is carrying her high school with her pitching and offensive successes.

A member of the Beverly Bandits 18U – Meredith/Trackwell team, Thea led her travel team to Boulder IDT and Scenic City Top 25 championships.

She’s doing pretty darn well on the prep side, too.

Thea went 4-0 last week and in those four starts gave up just five hits and six walks in 24 innings and had 63 strikeouts or an amazing average of 2.6 K’s per inning.

The senior gave up no earned runs in those four victories and limited the opposing teams to just a .066 batting average.

Thea helped her cause and winning ways by batting .500 with a home run and five RBIs in her 16 at-bats and had a 1.300 OBPS.

*** Taylor Johns, a senior shortstop and outfielder for Palo Verde (Las Vegas, Nev.) High, had a huge week as she batted .727 with a 2.091 slugging percentage thanks to five home runs hit in 11 at-bats and seven RBIs.

The Georgia Bulldog signee is showing why she’s one of the best in the 2026 class—Taylor was ranked No. 10 in the 2026 HOT 100—and so far this year she has a remarkable 17 home runs in just 48 at-bats with 33 RBIs hitting leadoff.

Tahlor helped Palo. Verde win the state title last year and is looking to repeat in 2027 as the team has just one loss. She was the Nevada Gatorade State Player of the Year last season and is a two-time PGF All-American.

Another big accomplishment: Taylor broke the state of Nevada 5A/4A combined career home run record this week with four games left in regular season.  She is close to breaking the single season top spot also.

*** Taylor Dyer, a 2030 grad playing pitcher/first base for her Arab (Ala.) High team, had a tremendous week as a two-way player.

In the circle, Taylor went 7-for-9 for a .778 batting average with two doubles and six RBIs while tossing seven innings in a perfect game in which she had three strikeouts.

On the year, Taylor has a .517 batting average with a 1.241 OPS thanks to 30 hits, 12 being doubles, and 22 runs knocked in.

Pitching-wise, the young player from the South has tossed 38.2 innings with a 2.30 ERA, a 0.655 WHIP and 16 strikeouts.

*** Bella Costa, a 2027 corner infielder with Gahanna (Ohio) Lincoln High, played in three conference games last week with 10 hits including four home runs and two doubles for a .833 hitting average.

She drove in nine runs in the trio of games and scored five herself.

On the season, the junior who is a three-year varsity starter and 1^st Team All-Conference last year, is hitting .465 with a .477 on-base percentage and a 1.116 slugging percentage.

Bella has 20 hits including eight home runs and has driven in 21 runs and scored 14 herself. She’s also stolen five bases.

The Buckeye State junior competes for the Ohio Hawks National – King/Joseforsky team in the summer.

*** Lila Peters, the freshman righty pitcher and first baseman, has hit 19 home runs already this year and is drawing serious looks from top college coaches already because of her size and strength in driving pitches a long way out in the outfield.

In two games last week, Lila who plays for Spring Hill (Texas) High and was ranked No. 32 in the 2029 HOT 100 last year, batted six times and in one game was unstoppable, going 4-for-5 with two home runs and five RBIs.

In the second game she was 1-for-1 with a walk and run scored.

The young freshman had a .833 batting average for the pair of games and had a 1.833 slugging percentage and a 2.690 OPS.

Says one coach: “Lila is heavy on folks’ radar already and size with balls raveling a long way will do that.”

*** Madi Doty, the 6-foot pitcher for Grandview (Texas) High, continues to show why she was ranked No. 1 in the 2026 HOT 100 produced by Line Drive Media in October 2025.

Madi is still doing her thing, which is to pitch at a high level and show why she’s headed to the University of Texas and twice has been the No. 1-ranked player in the senior class.

In a playoff warmup game against another district winner, Madi threw a 5-hit shutout with 14Ks and in the other game, on Senior night, she threw another no-hitter.

For the two games, that’s 11 innings pitched, five hits, no runs, 23 strikeouts versus just one walk, a 0.00 ERA, a 0.55 WHIP and 2.09 strikes per inning.

This after last week, when we named her unofficially as the Pitcher of the Week when she tossed 14 innings with 30 strikeouts, just two hits and three walks, a 0.00 ERA, a 0.36 WHIP.

One of the games was a perfect game with 15 K’s.

Yea… she’s pretty good… fun times ahead for the Hook’em Horns crowds!

*** Finally, we stay in Texas to honor 5-foot-10 senior righty pitcher and outfielder Avery Howerton of Whitesboro (Texas) High.

The 2026 HOT 100 pitcher ranked No. 27 in her class and a Texas Tech signee was chosen as the Line Drive National High School Player of the Week on March 3 and continues to have a strong final high school season.

Avery set her school’s single season home record at 22 in a game on April 17 when she was 4 for 4 with two bombs.  She also threw a one-hit shut-out with 9 Ks in the four-inning win.

Whitesboro High was a state runner up to Madi Dody and Grandview High last year. 

According to MaxPreps, Avery is tied for the lead in the country with 23 home runs; the other player tied for the lead is Anleigh Wood of Wicksburg, Ala. who has hit 23 bombs in nine more games than Avery and 21 more at-bats.

— Brentt Eads/Line Drive Media

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• 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