This week on Line Drive Softball, we will launch the initial 2029 Line Drive Hot 100 and what a talented class it is!

One athlete to watch—and we do mean “athlete” in the strongest sense of the word—is Devaeh Crawford, who some say is the most electrifying athlete in the age group.

With her first name pronounced “Da-VAY-ya,” the right-handed athlete for the OC Batbusters – Stith/Garcia 14U team may not be the biggest player in her class, but you won’t find too many with the physical skills and the work ethic that she has.

She is the only child but comes from a family tree of Division 1 and pro football players.

The daughter of former CFL and NFL football player Demetrius Crawford, her grandfather on her dad’s side, Willie Crawford, played for USC on the 1979 Rose Bowl championship team. A cousin, Rashad Ross, also played in the NFL.

All of her relatives, not coincidentally had one common theme tying them all together: speed.

Devaeh runs track for her school, but primarily trains for speed and agility to better her softball game and it’s certainly working.

“She may be the fastest runner for her age I have ever seen,” says Scott Berndes of the San Diego-based Power Surge travel ball organization who coached Devaeh last summer.”

“She is sure to be a D-1 Power 5 player.”

This summer, the young athlete will compete for the OC Batbusters 14U team led by Mike Stith who also raves about Devaeh.

“She is a special talent for sure,” the championship-winning coach begins. “Devaeh’s really young and has many things to learn but she is clearly a strong committed athlete and has a bright future.”

“Devaeh’s speed and strength at her age are well above the normal expected level but her work ethic is what makes everything come together.”

A Top 10-caliber player in the ’29 class, Devaeh can change the game with a swing of the bat but also by making a game-saving play from her spot in centerfield.

For instance, check out the beginning of this highlight reel which shows her driving balls over the fence as well as to the fence and coming around to score thanks to her lightning speed.

Last summer, Devaeh helped her Power Surge 2028 team finish in the Top 10 at PGF Nationals as she batted .462 with a sizzling .516 on-base percentage, but what really catches your eye are these numbers:

• 103 hits
• 100 runs scored
• 9 doubles
• 13 triples
• 6 home runs
• 54 RBIs
• 62 steals

The stats have’t gone unnoticed and not just by Top 25 Div. I programs that are following the Las Vegas resident closely.

Former MLB superstars such as Ken Griffey Jr. and Pete Rose have been wowed by her skills set as have former college softball standouts such as Anjelica Selden (UCLA) and Lindsay Gardner (Texas).

Griffey Jr. has stamped Devaeh as “a talent to watch” and has met with and called her personally. Another Hall of Famer, Pete Rose, has giving her batting tips and worked with her in the cage.

The middle school athlete born in the Bay Area of Calif. has gone on the offensive to promote herself on social media and catch the eyes of online media outlets such as Whistle Sports, a popular website-based media company that has produced nearly 3,000 videos online and attracted over three million subscribers.

Last year, in a spotlight feature on Devaeh titled “12-Year-Old Is The Ken Griffey of Youth Softball,” the talented athlete who also likes to box, is shown training in a way that would make an Olympian athlete proud.

Here’s that six-minute clip on the “No Days Off” series produced by Whistle which has received almost a quarter million views and nearly 1,500 likes:

Devaeh has shined for top club programs in NorCal and SoCal including the Power Surge, the Corona Angels and now the highly heralded Batbusters led by club head Mike Stith.

The athlete’s father has preached the mantra “Outwork Everybody” to her and Devaeh has taken that to heart in a big-time way.

Her intense workouts have resulted in her achieving impressive home-to-first speed times clocked regularly in the high 2.5 to 2.7 seconds range despite her coming from the right side of the plate.

And don’t underestimate Devaeh’s pop in her bats that keep defenses honest and on their heels. Of her 103 hits, 27 percent of them were for extra bases including an impressive 13 triples and six home runs.

On defense, the centerfielder can play foul pole to foul pole and regularly takes away shots in the gaps that appear headed to the fence.

Devaeh’s work ethic has drawn several corporate companies in the athletic realm including her being sponsored as a featured athlete by Camwood Bats as well as DeMarini.

But it’s her overall approach to life, not just softball and training, that impresses her father the most.

“The thing I’m most proud of with Devaeh is her overall commitment to leveling up in all aspects of her life,” Demetrius explains. “I love her overall dedication in the classroom (3.8 GPA), her love and commitment to the game of softball and staying humble through it all.”

— Brentt Eads, Line Drive Softball