Biography

After winning a Texas 5A championship as a junior, Brown, a pitcher/first baseman, has her school in-line for a second straight state championship. Lake Creek has advanced to the state semifinals and the program is currently 42-1, ranked No. 1 in the nation by MaxPreps.com.

Brown’s strong right arm is the reason that Lake Creek was able to put together a state record 82-game win streak that came to an end earlier this month. After going 30-0 as a junior, Brown is 25-0 this season with an ERA of 0.58. Offensively, she’s hitting .477 with nine home runs and 62 RBI’s.

Brown, who was Gatorade’s Texas Player of the Year as a junior and senior, has accepted an athletic scholarship to the University of Florida.

Brown is the fourth Texas athlete to win the NHSCA National Senior Softball Athlete of the Year Award.

Records

2x 5A State Champion

Boasts 830 career victories

Professional Achievements

2x Texas Gatorade Player of the Year

2x Max Prep First Team All-American

Personal Honors

Attends the University of Florida

Biography

Bergeron, a catcher, led Notre Dame to its fourth straight Louisiana state softball championship. ND won the Division III state title with a 6-4 win over St. Charles in the championship game.

Bergeron finished her senior season with a .515 batting average with 16 home runs and 55 runs batted in. She finishes her career with 78 homers and 225 RBI’s.

She was a three time Division III All-District and All-State honoree.

MaxPreps named her a first team All-American after her junior season. She has signed a college
scholarship to play at LSU. Bergeron is the first Louisiana athlete to win the NHSCA National Senior Softball Athlete of the Year Award.

Records

4x Louisiana State Champion

Professional Achievements

2x Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attends Louisiana State University

Biography

Mitchell has had an outstanding high school career that is closing-out with her team competing in their fourth straight Arkansas state championship game. Rose Bud won the state title game during her sophomore season.

Mitchell, who has accepted a scholarship to play at the University of Notre Dame, will enter this year’s state championship game with a career batting average above .600, with 57 home runs and nearly 200 runs batted in. She was the MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year after blasting 24 home runs with 71 RBI and a .659 batting average. The switch-hitter also stole 33 bases, drew 36 walks, scored 82 runs and compiled a 1.658 slugging percentage.

Mitchell saw action her first season at Notre Dame. During the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, she was the DH in four of the games and had a .364 batting average and a .909 slugging percentage.

Professional Achievements

MaxPreps Junior Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attends Notre Dame University

Biography

Bengston is a four-year member of Grant’s varsity team during which time she’s been named the team’s MVP as a freshman, sophomore and junior. She was also the team captain as a sophomore, junior and senior. Last season she hit 22 home runs, which was tied for the third most in the state of Illinois. She also set a single-season record with 70 RBI’s.

Bengston, who will attend Holy Cross, won the team’s Scholar Athlete in 2015, 2016 and 2017, plus she’s a member of the National Honor Society. She is currently serving as team captain during her senior season.

Bengston started 47 of 48 games as a freshman. She set a single season record with 16 doubles. She had an .291 batting average. Her sophomore season was off to a similar start until it ended due to Covid. She started in all 11 games and led the team with six runs batted in.

She started 11 games during the shortened 2020 season and all 28 in 2021. She was named to the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll three times over the duration of her career. She was also a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

Records

3x All Conference

Set a single-season record with 70 RBI’s

Personal Honors

Attends the College of the Holy Cross

Biography

Taylor McQuillan, the 2014 Gatorade National Softball player of the Year, led her school to a #1 ranking in the nation by MaxPreps for most of the year. She was named All-State three times over her career.

During the 2015 season, McQuillan set a new California record for wins with 103.  She finished the year with a 30-1 record and a 0.31 ERA.

McQuillan played for the University of Arizona.  As a Wildcat, she continued to lead her team to victory. She was part of the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. As a junior, she became the first Wildcat to lead the nation with 15 shutouts. Her senior year she was named First-team NFCA All-American. She was named All-Conference all four years, the first to hold that honor since 2006.

In October of 2020, McQuillan returned to the dugout for the Wildcats as the graduate manager while completing her Master’s degree.

McQuillan will represent Team Mexico at the 2021 Olympic Games.

Professional Achievements

First-team NFCA All-American

2014 Gatorade National Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended the University of Arizona

Biography

Johanna Grauer had a nearly perfect senior season for Amador Valley in 2014.

Grauer, who will attend UCLA, had a perfect 26-0 record with 14 shutouts.  She fanned 290 batters in just 190 innings with an ERA of 0.51 and opponents batting only .097.  In three years, Grauer was 73-3 with 900 strikeouts.

This past year Amador Valley was named national champs by MaxPreps.com.  CalHiSports.com named Grauer Ms. Softball 2014.  Grauer is the fifth California softball player to be honored by the NHSCA.

As a freshman at UCLA, Grauer earned All-Pac-12 Freshman Honorable Mention honors, completing the season with a 10-1 record. She and the Bruins made four College World Series appearances.

Records

Part of the 2014 National Championship team

High School Career Record of 89-6

Personal Honors

Attended UCLA

Biography

Stanford-bound Carley Hoover was virtually un-hittable during her senior season. Hoover finished the season with a 0.15 ERA with 338 strikeouts in 138 innings. She led her team to the State Finals where she pitched a shut out to win the state title, revenging their second place finish the season before.

The four-time All-State selection was also great at the plate – hitting .500 with four home runs and 45 runs scored.

Hoover is equally as impressive off the field. She holds a 3.84 GPA. She also served as her senior class president. She also is a letter-winner for basketball and volleyball.

Hoover spent her freshman year at Stanford where she posted a 2-0 record. The following year she transferred to Louisiana State University. She went on to have a storied career as a Tiger. As a sophomore she was named First Team All-SEC and to the SEC All-Freshman Team. As a senior, she was named to the NFCA Third Team All-American and First Team All-South Region. She was also honored on the 2018 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List.

In 2018, Hoover played on the USA Softball International Cup team boasting a 0.00 ERA, striking out five batters and one hit during her 5 inning on the mound.

Records

4x All State Selection

Led team to the 2013 AAA State Championship

Personal Honors

Attended Stanford University and LSU

Biography

A rare junior to be awarded First-Team All-America honors by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association in 2010, DiPrima, an outfielder, holds virtually every school season and career offensive record. Last year, DiPrima batted .583 with 10 home runs, 43 RBIs and 67 hits – all school season records – and also had 16 doubles, a slugging percentage of 1.035 and 33 runs scored.

As a sophomore, DiPrima batted .542 and set another school record with 23 doubles, recording 65 hits, and she batted .459 as a freshman with 15 doubles, 50 hits and 29 RBIs. Through her junior year, she owned career records for batting average (.529), hits (182), doubles (54), home runs (13), extra-base hits (77) and runs batted in (95). She had 25 hits through her team’s first 18 games this year.

A four-year starter at guard on the Bison basketball team, DiPrima scored 1,027 points in her career and played on a state tournament team as a freshman. Also an outstanding student, DiPrima, who ranks in the top 3 percent of her class with a 5.28 GPA (of 5.0), will attend Northwestern University.

DiPrima saw action all four years at Northwestern. Her senior season, she had a .389 batting average with 10 home runs and 45 RBIs. She was also named to the Second Team All-Big Ten honors twice during her career. She was also a three time Academic All Big-Ten honoree.

Records

Set multiple career records

Professional Achievements

2x All Big Ten Second Team honoree

Personal Honors

Attended Northwestern University

Biography

It’s not often you see a 6-foot-5 setter, but Broekhuis is one of the best, in addition to her skills on the front line. Colorado Springs Christian School has now won six consecutive 3A state championships, and Broekhuis, playing for her father Mike, has been an integral part of the last four.

A two-time Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year selection, Broekhuis was named ESPN RISE Player of the Year after recording 465 kills, 411 assists, 40 blocks, 167 digs and 30 aces to lead the Lions to a perfect 30-0 record as a senior. She was selected an Under Armour First Team All-American, played in the Under Armour All-American match and earned Best Setter honors in the event’s skills competition.

The second-youngest member of the U.S. Women’s Junior National Team that competed at the FIVB World Championships in Mexico in 2009, Broekhuis also was selected to the U.S. National Training Team in 2008. Broekhuis, who also played basketball for the Lions for three years, graduated after the fall semester with a 3.7 grade-point average and enrolled at the University of Nebraska, where she will play her college volleyball.

At Nebraska Broekhuis was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. She was named CoSIDA Academic Second-Team District VII twice. Off the court, she was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2012 and Academic All-Big Ten Team Member her sophomore, junior and senior year.

Records

4x Colorado State Champion

Professional Achievements

3x Academic All-Big Ten Team Member

Big 12 All-Freshman Team

2x Gatorade Colorado Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended the University of Nebraska

Biography

Escobedo burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2007 when she led St. Mary’s to its first 5A Division 1 state championship, pitching a four-hitter and striking out 17 in an eight-inning 2-0 victory over Sierra Vista Buena High to earn Big School Player of the Year honors from the Arizona Republic. She finished that season with a 27-8 record, 16 shutouts, five no-hitters, a 0.73 ERA and 501 strikeouts in 260 innings. She broke that record this season, striking out 520 in leading the Lady Knights to the championship game. That included a 6-0 record at the MaxPreps Tournament of Champions, featuring a 12-inning perfect game with 21 strikeouts in a 4-0 championship win.   She struck out 172 in her first 10 wins.

St. Mary’s also advanced to the state semifinals her sophomore and junior seasons. As a sophomore, Escobedo pitched a perfect game, four no-hitters and nine one-hitters, also hitting .357 with eight home runs, 33 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. Rated the nation’s No. 1 player by ESPN RISE, she will attend Arizona State University.

In 2011 the Sun Devils played in the college world series, where Escobedo helped them win the National Title. She was also picked to play on USA Softball’s Junior World Team, who won the gold medal at the Pan Am Games. She completed her college career with a record of 115-26 and had a of 1,222 strikeouts.

After college, Esobedo was the National Pro Fastpitch No. 1 draft pick in 2014 and continued to play professionally. She most recently qualified Mexico to compete at the 2020 Olympic Games.

Records

Arizona State Champion

Professional Achievements

Won 2011 College World Series

Personal Honors

Attended Arizona State University

Biography

Last spring the 6-foot Fowler became the first softball player – and the 10th in any sport – to be named Gatorade National Player of the Year as a junior after pitching Canyon del Oro to a 33-4 record and its second consecutive Class 4A Division 1 state championship. After overcoming life-threatening surgery and eight days in intensive care for a vascular condition, she finished 24-1 with a 0.28 earned-run average as a junior, striking out 309 batters in 148 2/3 innings while recording four no-hitters.

She also excelled at the plate, batting .448 with five home runs and 33 RBIs. As a sophomore she was 28-1 with a 0.16 ERA. This spring, Fowler, whose fastball has been clocked at 71 miles per hour, is 20-2 and pitched a perfect game in her final regular-season start. Fowler, who has a 3.39 grade-point average, will attend the University of Arizona.

As a freshman, Fowler and the Wildcats reached the Women’s College World Series and advanced to the Championships Series before being derailed by UCLA. Fowler entered in with the fourth-most wins for a season in program history (38).

Near the end of her sophomore season Fowler was hit by a foul ball during a night game and missed three weeks of the season with a concussion.

During her freshman and junior year Fowler was named  (one of 25 players) as a USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist. She was a two time NFCA All-American, one time First Team and one time Second Team.

Fowler graduated with her degree in Journalism and was hired as an analyst by the Pac-12 Networks.

Records

2x Arizona State Champion

Professional Achievements

2X NFCA All-American

2x Gatorade National Player of the Year (2008 & 2009)

Biography

Valencia is ranked No. 1 in the USA Today Super 25, and Taylor, one of five Valencia players committed to Division 1 college programs, is one of the major reasons. Heading into the Division 1 South Section state playoffs, Taylor had posted a perfect 28-0 record, with a 0.23 earned-run average and 348 strikeouts in 185 innings. She threw a perfect game and nine no-hitters during a junior season that saw her finish 26-5 with a 0.13 earned-run average, and her 416 strikeouts (in 215 innings) made her the first girl to exceed the 400-strikeout mark in Santa Clarita Valley history. Taylor ended an 18-3 sophomore season with 58 consecutive scoreless innings. She will attend the University of Michigan.

While at Michigan, she finished her career with 8 no-hitters and a 107-18 career record. Her winning percentage and strikeouts top the conference. She is 7th overall in the NCAA for Division I with career saves.

After school she began to pitch in the NPF after she was drafted in the third round in 2011 by the USSSA Pride and played until 2017.

She also won a Gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games.

Professional Achievements

3x All-Big 10 First-Team honoree

2010 Big 10 Pitcher of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended the University of Michigan

Biography

Often compared to former NHSCA Senior Athlete of the Year and University of Texas pitching ace Cat Osterman, the 5-foot-11 Shortridge improved to 24-1 this season after pitching back-to-back perfect games on April 22, striking out 30 of the 45 batters she faced. She has a 0.13 earned-run average and 331 strikeouts in 160 innings for Keller, ranked No. 2 nationally.

Offensively, she is hitting .539 with six doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 24 RBIs and 36 stolen bases. Over the past two seasons she has allowed just five earned runs in 414 innings. A two-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team selection, Shortridge will attend Baylor University.

While at Baylor, she was named Big 12 Conference Freshman of the Year. She was also deemed First-team All-Big 12 Conference selection. After her freshman year Shortridge transferred to LSU. In her senior year she was one of four who started in each game. She’s the fifth player to be designated Louisville Slugger/NFCA First Team All American honors in the program’s illustrious history.

Professional Achievements

2x National Fastpitch Coaches Association First Team selection

2010 All-SEC First Team

2010 USA Softball Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist

Texas Softball Gatorade National Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended Baylor University & Louisiana State University

Biography

A third baseman who also can catch and play the outfield, Chapple led Olathe East High to a 26-1 record and the Class 6A state title last season when she hit .636 with 40 RBIs. Olathe East stands unbeaten at 20-0 and is ranked No. 1 in the state entering this year’s state tournament series.

A three-time All-State selection, Chapple entered her senior year already in possession of eight school records, including batting average (.598), slugging percentage (.978), on-base percentage (.602), doubles and triples. Chapple, who will continue her career at the University of Kansas, was a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-America First Team selection as a junior.

Upon graduation from the University of Kansas, she was hired as the head coach at Lansing High School.

Professional Achievements

2x Academic All American

3x All State Selection

2005 Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Academic All-Big 12 First Team

ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Second Team

Biography

Selden is also a pitcher with a regular season record of 22-3 and a .04 ERA. In 187 innings Selden amazingly allowed just one earned run, while collecting 422 strikeouts. She tossed 14 no-hitters on the season, including six perfect games and allowed only 14 hits all season long. Ten of Selden’s no-hitters came in a stretch of 71 and 1/3 innings of no-hit softball. At the plate Selden, who will attend UCLA, batted .453 with six home runs.

At UCLA Selden continued to succeed. She culminated her career with a 110-37 record while a starter with a 1.35 ERA. She was named NFCA First Team All American twice in her career (2006 and 2008).

After graduation Selden was selected 4th overall in the National Pro Fastpitch but decided to play overseas for des Caserta in Italy.

Upon wrapping up her professional career, Selden went on to coach and do private lessons. In 2018 she was hired as the assistant coach at University of California, Berkeley.

Records

Pitching Record of 110-37

Professional Achievements

Earned All America status

Played professionally in Italy

2004 Gatorade California Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended UCLA

Biography

“Lisa Dodd has concluded what can only be termed a remarkable high school career,” said NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro. “The NHSCA is proud to be honoring her as its senior softball athlete of the year.”

Dodd, who played for Mira Mesa High School until her senior season, capped a tremendous prep career by leading University City to the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Section Division III title. Previously, Dodd had led Mira Mesa to a pair of Division II titles. The championships are the greatest team reward possible for softball in California, a state that does not yet sponsor an overall state championship tournament.

In her entire prep career, Dodd pitched in nine playoff games and never allowed a single run. During her senior season she was 16-2 as a pitcher with a .16 ERA, striking out 204 batters and walking just 18. Additionally, Dodd set several hitting records during her career, including 224 career hits, 62 single-season hits as a senior, and 17 home runs, also as a senior. Dodd will take a 3.2 GPA and 1,210 SAT to UCLA next season to continue her academic and athletic careers.

As a Bruin, Dodd was named three times as All-Region and All-Pac-10 selection. In 2004, she was part of the Championship team that won the College World Series.

After graduation Dodd remained at UCLA as the Graduate Assistant. She then was the assistant for a year at Nevada, then three seasons at Oregon. In 2013, she was named the head coach at UNLV where she stayed until 2017. In addition, from 2013-16, Dodd was an assistant coach for the US National Team. In 2018 Dodd was named the head coach at Santa Clara University, where she stepped down after two seasons.

Records

Was a CIF Section winning team member

Professional Achievements

2004 NCAA Championship Team Member

2003 Gatorade National Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended UCLA

Biography

“Athletes like Alicia Hollowell are among the success stories produced in high school athletics today,” NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro said. “She has worked extremely hard to develop her skills and has become one of the best softball players not only in the state of California, but the entire nation, and we are proud to be honoring her.”

Hollowell, who will attend the University of Arizona, became the first pitcher in national high school history to record 2,000 career strikeouts, finishing her career with 2,127 strikeouts overall. Her career record was 126-15, and in four years allowed just one earned run, for an earned-run average of 0.08. The 6-foot-2 Hollowell became the first player to record back-to-back seasons with 600 strikeouts or more, and once fanned 61 batters in a 30-inning game. Her record this spring was 24-7, with five of the losses by 1-0 scores. Sports Illustrated magazine also recognized Hollowell’s distinguished career with a mention in its “Faces in the Crowd” section this year.

While a Wildcat, Hollowell finished her career with 144 wins and 1,768 strikeouts. Both of these are within the top 10 in NCAA history. She played for 4 years on the US National Team and two years in the Nation Pro Fast-pitch League.

Records

1st pitcher to record 2,000 strikeouts in high school

Professional Achievements

4x NCAA All American

2008 Olympic Team Alternate

Played in the National Pro Fastpitch League

Inducted into the University of Arizona Hall of Fame in 2001

Personal Honors

Attended the University of Arizona

Biography

Schmidt has enjoyed an outstanding career at North Shore. A right-handed pitcher, she was voted her team’s Most Valuable Player three times. After giving up only one earned run as a freshman, she helped lead North Shore to the state’s Class 5A title as a sophomore in 1998, a year she earned All-Tournament Team and First Team All-State honor. She pitched her team to the regional quarterfinals this year.

Also an outstanding student with a 4.0 grade-point average, Schmidt has accepted a scholarship to the University of Notre Dame, one of the nation’s elite college softball programs.

“Athletes like Kristin Schmidt are among the success stories produced in high school athletics today,” NHSCA executive director Bob Ferraro said. “She has worked extremely hard to develop her skills and has become one of the best players not only in the state of Texas, but the entire nation, and we are proud to be honoring her.”

Schmidt continued to Notre Dame for one year after graduation. She then transferred to LSU. where she excelled. She was named the Women’s College World Series MVP in 2004, despite the Tigers not making it to the finals. The three- time All American recorded 1,000 career strikeouts and boasts 116 victories.

Records

Career record of 53-10 as a starting pitcher in high school

At LSU, boasts 116 career victories

Professional Achievements

2x NFCA High School All American

3x NCAA All American

2004 First-Team All-SEC

2004 Women's College World Series MVP

2004 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 25 Finalist

2017 LSU Hall of Fame Inductee

Personal Honors

Attended Nortre Dame her Freshman year, before transferring to Louisiana State University

Member of the National Honor Society

Biography

Maddy Barone, a right-handed pitcher led Silver Lake to a 23-1 and a runner-up finish in the South Division 1 sectional tournament. She led Silver Lake to the 2015 Division 1 championship game as a junior.

Barone was named the 2015 All-Scholastic Division 1 Player of the Year by The Boston Globe and Boston Herald. She was also a three time All-Scholastic honoree by both publications.

Barone also was a member of the basketball and soccer programs all four years of high school.

Barone will enroll at Southern New Hampshire University in the fall.

She earned All-American Honorable Mention after going 20-7 as a junior. Her career was cut short due to the pandemic. Barone graduated with her degree in mathematics and a 3.95 gpa. She was an Academic All-American.

 

Professional Achievements

2016 Gatorade Massachusetts Softball Player of the Year

Personal Honors

Attended the University of Southern New Hampshire