About two weeks ago, Line Drive Softball published an article titled: Pro News: Gwen Svekis Announces Retirement from Professional Softball (August 24, 2024).

I covered Gwen back in her high school and travel ball days—she’s from Davie, Fla. and played for the Gold Coast Hurricanes club team—and I enjoyed watching her become an All-American catcher at Oregon (2018), compete for Team USA and also play professionally.

Back before I had started both Line Drive and Extra Inning Softball, I began publishing softball content on the Student Sports website and, even back then—more than a decade ago—I was doing player rankings and had Gwen a Top 20 player in her class, the Class of 2014.

The No. 1 player in the class as ranked at that time would be a future teammate of Gwen’s at the University of Oregon: Jenna Lilley.

Here’s the bio I wrote for Jenna more than a decade ago as she was wrapping up a tremendous high school career in Ohio and club career with the Beverly Bandits:

#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.

Another player of note in the 2014 HOT 100 Top 10 was Nicolle DeWitt, who would go on to have a prolific career for the Florida Gators and in 2015 helped her SEC team win the National Championship as a Freshman and was named to the WCWS All-Tournament Team.

Below you’ll find the complete 1-100 listing of the 2014 HOT 100 published initially on StudentSports.com which wrote in my role as Softball Managing Editor… see how many of the names you recognize from what they’d go on and do on the fields…

— Brentt Eads

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The 2014 Softball HOT 100

Initially published by StudentSports.com in the Spring of 2014