This is Brentt Eads of Line Drive Softball (Brentt.Eads@LineDriveMedia.com)…

As far as I know, I was the first to do player rankings in softball and have been covering the sport for nearly 20 years.

“Why did you start ranking fastpitch players?” I’m often asked.

The answer is simple: back before I had started both Line Drive and Extra Inning Softball websites, I began publishing softball content on the Student Sports website and ran the company’s magazine, published monthly.

As Managing Editor, I would eventually put up cover stories on three future Hall of Famers in Tony Gonzalez (football, 2019), Joe Mauer (baseball, 2024) and, eventually, Lebron James in hoops if he ever retires!

Below is a photo of that Lebron cover which I saw today on Ebay selling for $275… hope I packed a few away somewhere for my kids future college funds!

At Student Sports, I was asked to start a softball website and pulled over what I had seen work in our boys’ sports divisions including extensive player rankings.

Rankings in those sports included 1-100 ratings, particularly in football, as well as the five star system which was very popular in basketball at the time.

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The first softball class I ever did a 1-100 ranking on was the Class of 2014 which included some future great players such as Gwen Svekis, Nicole DeWitt, Meghan King and the No. 1 player Jenna Lilley, who would go on to play for the Oregon Ducks and later Team USA.

Here’s what I wrote about Jenna at the time:

No. 1. Jenna Lilley (MIF/OF, Beverly Bandits)–Oregon

Jenna isn’t a dominating power pitcher or a five-tool speedster, but she is the top player in the 2014 Hot 100 rankings.

Why?

For one thing, she’s a winner. Following her two sisters, Tricia and Megan (who played at Purdue and Northwestern, respectively), to Hoover High in North Canton, Ohio, Jenna has won three straight state championships topped by a perfect 32-0 season in 2013.

Jenna hit .697 with 53 RBI, 46 runs scored and seven home runs in those 32 games, which gave her a .804 on-base percentage and a 1.303 slugging percentage against good competition.

She also showed she could play with the best at the PGF 18U Nationals where she hit .412 as her Beverly Bandits tied for fifth. But with Jenna it’s not just records and stats; to appreciate her game you have to see her in person.

Like the best quarterbacks in football, the MaxPreps All-American has the ‘it’ factor that winners convey. She’s intense and laser-focused on the field and studies the game.

If there’s one word to describe her, it’s “fearless.”

She attended the National Elite Camp when she was in the seventh grade and banged away with players four and five years older than her. Scouting-wise, she hits for power and average and can do both to all fields.

The Ohio senior is one of the best pure hitters in the game and can play multiple positions although she’s excellent at third with her strong arm and intuitive defense. Her intangibles, such as work ethic and attitude, are off the charts.

And the best part is, she’s as great off the field – carrying herself with dignity and class – as she is on it. Jenna, in conclusion, is everything you’d want in a softball player and someone representing the sport.

I was able to follow Jenna through her career from club and high school to college to pro and international… and what a career it was!

My wife, Shannon, took some of the photos and videos I had of Jenna over the years and put them into this fun video which covers the athlete’s career… check it out:

Beverly Bandits ➡️ Oregon Star ➡️ Team USA ➡️ Pro ➡️ Trainer & Investment Banking Analyst.
Jenna Lilley’s journey is what chasing greatness looks like. 🥎🔥#LineDriveSoftball #JennaLilley #MoreThanAnAthlete pic.twitter.com/lNJYXUg1PK

— Line Drive Media (@LineDsoftball) September 17, 2025

Finally, I pulled together the list of No. 1 players I’ve recognized over the years and hope to do for a long time, to honor them for their talent, hard work and what they bring to the sport we all love:

Brentt’s Club Softball No. 1’s Over the Years

Note: those below from 2014-2025 are final; the ones from 2026-2030 are in classes still being evaluated and may change.