Hot 100 2015's (#40-31)

We continue our look at the top 100 players in the 2015 class… we’re spotlighting 10 each day as we countdown from 100 to No. 1. The juniors were chosen based on input and feedback from college and club coaches. Criteria for choosing and ranking the playe

Jan 14, 2014 by Brentt Eads

We continue our look at the top 100 players in the 2015 class… we’re spotlighting 10 each day as we countdown from 100 to No. 1. The juniors were chosen based on input and feedback from college and club coaches. Criteria for choosing and ranking the players including performances at the club and high school levels and projecting how they will play at the collegiate level.

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Today we feature players No. 40 to 31 with standout players from Arizona, California, Connecticut, Minnesota, Missouri and Texas.

Check out more of Round 1 of 2015's HOT 100: 100-91, 90-81, 80-71, 70-61, 60-51, 50-41

#40... Taylor Becerra (MIF, Firecrackers-Blanco)--ASU Taylor is a table-setting athletic middle infielder who uses her speed to create havoc on the basepaths. She puts the ball in play and also has the power to drive in runs. Defensively, Taylor has soft hands, a strong arm and good feet that allow her to get in good position to make plays. She hit .457 last year at the high school level with 34 runs scored, five doubles, three triples and a .491 onbase percentage. She was seen by ASU at an Advanced Fastpitch Training Camp and offered shortly after.
#39... Taylor Blair (P/UT, KG Hitters)--ASU Taylor is a natural born leader on and off the field. She leads by example and is one of the top hitters on the West Coast. A big, strong power hitter, you can't leave the ball over the middle or she'll make you pay. Taylor hit over .550 against some of the best competition in the nation last summer guiding her team to a fifth place finish at the ASA National Championships and a 13th place finish at the PGF Nationals. During the club season, she help guide the KG Hitters to a 38 game win streak and at the high school level hit .370 while also pitching 21 complete games with a 2.10 ERA.
#38... Riley Sartain (IF/OF, Team Mizuno Impulse)--Texas A&M Riley is one of the core members of the Impulse team that has been in the top five of Nationals at every level they've played including a third place finish at 16U PGF Nationals two years ago. A clutch hitter who can swing for power and average, Riley hit .667 last season with 45 runs scored, 35 RBI, 13 doubles, 14 triples and four homers. She has a powerful bat from the right side and quick and smooth on defense. Her parents were Aggies so she chose Texas A&M over SEC and Pac-12 programs.
#37... Maddie Seifert (P, St. Louis Chaos)--Penn State Maddie is a tall, competitive pitcher who moves the ball well, hits her spots and has good spins. She has a tough dropball and is physically gifted, but it may be her mental toughness that's her greatest attribute. A varsity basketball player up until last year, she quit hoops to focus on softball. Maddie throws in the low 60Ís and mixes speeds effectively and will be even tougher in time as she's developing a tough riseball and change-up. She went 16-5 with a 1.51 ERA at the high school level and also hit .365 with 25 RBI.
#36... Paulina Anasis (3B/1B, Corona Angels)--Northwestern Paulina is a big, strong power-hitter who also hits for average. She was named a 1st Team All-Century League honoree in talent-laden Orange County, Calif. after hitting .376 with 18 RBI, 21 runs scored and four home runs. Paulina has all the tools and at 6-foot has great strength and can play either corner position well. She has a strong arm defensively, but her strength is her hitting and some feel she has the potential to be a college All-American because of her powerful stroke.
#35... Alyssa DiCarlo (OF/IF, Firecrackers AZ)--Georgia Alyssa is a late bloomer but exploded onto the national map after a strong sophomore season that saw her hit .552 with 66 RBI, 51 runs scored, 18 doubles and 11 home runs. She helped her high school team go 31-4 because of her tremendous bat which produced a .602 onbase percentage and a 1.018 slugging percentage. Alyssa is a great student with a 4.21 GPA and knows the pressure of playing in big games as she competed in the 2012 ASA 14U National Championship with Team Arizona-Henry and led her Firecracker team to the 16U PGF Nationals last year.
#34... Morganne Flores (C, OC Batbusters-Haning)--Washington Morganne is a humble, quiet player who has always been a talented backstop with one of the strongest arms in Calif., but she really came on last year offensively to draw national attention. Morganne can now flat out hit with home run power. She missed the first eight weeks of the high school season with a wrist injury but was still named 1st Team All-Orange County after hitting .500 with five doubles, two triples, three home runs and 22 RBI in only 13 games.
#33... Ashley Guillette (P, Rhode Island Thunder)--Florida Ashley has one of the best change-ups in the country and that is reportedly what caught the Gators' attention. A pitcher, not just a thrower, Ashley moves the ball around very well and really works the corners. She's still relatively young so her ceiling is very high. The East Coast star was named 1st Team All-State after compiling a 22-3 mark with a 0.86 ERA and 380 strikeouts to help her team win the Class S state title. Ashley also batted .350.
#32... Katie Reed (IF/OF, St. Louis Chaos)--Louisville Katie is a smart hitter who can bat anywhere from second to fourth in the line-up because of her speed, ability to hit for average or drive the ball over the fence. A great all-around athlete, Katie has played ice hockey since she was eight and has competed on the high level St. Louis Jr. Lady Blues hockey team where her speed makes her dangerous on the ice too. She's also played varsity basketball, but was so good so early in softball that Louisville offered her at a camp during her eighth grade year. Katie had multiple offers including some from SEC programs.
#31... Sydney Smith (P, Wichita Mustangs)--LSU Sydney is a strong power pitcher who throws in the mid 60's with an excellent down ball and a curve. She's building a change-up to complement everything else and as a sophomore helped her Minnesota team make it to the state championship game. For the 2013 season, Sydney went 17-0 with a 0.49 ERA and 116 strikeouts. She's also one of the top hitters in the state and went .537 with 24 RBI and 11 doubles last season to earn 1st Team All-Metro honors.