Today, we begin our look at the top 100 players in the 2017 class! We’re spotlighting 10 each day as we count down from 100 to No. 1.



These players were chosen based on input from college and club coaches who’ve seen them play all across the nation. 

Criteria for choosing and ranking the players includes performances at the club and high school levels and projections for how they will play at the collegiate level. 



Below, we feature players No. 100 to 91 with standout players from Alabama, California (3), Delaware, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia (2). Pictured above: pitcher/power hitter Carter Spexarth who is SEC-bound.

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100—Whitney Sanford P | NC Lady Lightning (uncommitted)
Whitney is a fast-rising pitcher who throws between 63-65 mph with a selection of pitches she closes out hitters with. The right-handed hurler is on a pace to have 500 strikeouts in her high school career, and to this point in the 2016 campaign, has gone 28-6 with a 11-2 record and 0.84 ERA in her first 14 appearances. Whitney can also play the outfield and has a .431 batting average so far this spring for her North Carolina high school. Many colleges will follow Whitney looking to complete their staffs, and playing for the Lightning will earn her a lot of exposure this summer.

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99—Brooke Langston IF | Jersey Intensity (Tennessee)
A two-time FloSoftball All-American who plays for one of the premier high schools in Florida, Brooke has been part of a 5A State Championship and helped notch her team a second-place finish over the past two years. In 2015, she used her good eye at the plate, quick hands and excellent speed to bat .540 while going 25-for-25 in steals. Brooke, who committed to the Vols in February, hits a high average at the club level, too. Last summer, she hit .580, went 30-for-30 in steals and showed how hot she can get by going 14-for-22 (.636 average) at the Scenic City Showcase.

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98—Alyse Rojas OF | Sorcerer Gold (UC Davis)
One of the best-kept secrets at the club level, Alyse is poised for a huge summer. She’s one of the fastest players in the Gold game, and is Sorcerer's lead-off hitter. At PGF Nationals last summer, she hit .429 and tied for second on the team with five RBI (in seven games). At the top of the order, Alyse can put the ball on the wall or dump the drag bunt and is seldom thrown out. In the outfield, she covers a lot of ground, and has a laser arm. The Nor Cal standout verballed to UC Davis, where she will join her sister, Maddie, a 2016 grad who also played for Sorcerer Gold. According to Alyse’s coaches, several top NCAA teams are “asking how they missed her in the recruiting process.”


97—Samantha Frederick OF/2B | Jersey Intensity (uncommitted)
A late-bloomer who is just now getting noticed because she started playing softball in the eighth grade, Samantha is a well-rounded, versatile athlete with 2.6-2.7 home-to-first speed and power at the plate. She has earned the attention of coaches at major collegiate programs in the SEC and ACC and already has offers. Her cannon of an outfield arm was on full display at the D9 President’s Weekend Tourney in Orlando, where Samantha she nailed two runners at home and one at second. A Gatorade Player of the Year finalist in Delaware, Samantha was also honored as a Scout All-American after showing well at their events.

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96—Peyton St. George P | Vienna Stars (Duke)
She was Duke’s very first commit when she verballed last August to the program that starts in the spring of 2018. The Virginia pitcher has an effective curve that she can throw inside and out and take it to different planes at varying speeds. Peyton, who works with former Georgia pitching coach Ricky Pauly, also has an effective complementary change and her riseball is tough when she comes inside to batters. As a sophomore last year, she led her team to the 5A State Championship by going 11-3 with 125 Ks in 80 innings while also hitting .429 to earn first-team, all-state honors. So far this year, she has only given up one earned run. At the club level, Peyton averaged a K per inning and had a 109 ERA and .375 batting average last summer for the Vienna Starts 16U team.


95—Carter Spexarth P/UT | Texas Peppers (Mississippi State)
Carter is a pure power hitter who can pitch, play first or roam the outfield. A coach described as her as “one of the kids that you can’t afford to take off the field.” Carter led her club teams in RBI and home runs four of the last five years, and been a standout since 2012 when she pitched the win for the ASA 12U Texas State Championship game and led her team in hitting. Two years ago (2014), she batted .750 at PGF Nationals 18U Platinum, and last summer at PGF 16U Nationals, Carter pitched a no-hitter. The Texan has the athleticism to shut down the short game when playing first or track down balls when lined up in the outfield. She was recruited both as a pitcher and power hitter by schools in the ACC and SEC.


94—Morgan Parsons 1B | Explosion - Denio/Wilson (Hawaii)
One of the best power hitters in talent-heavy Southern California, Morgan—or “Mo”— is a threat to go deep every at bat. She’s also improved drastically on defense, and is now considered a very well-rounded player. Morgan performs best in the big games against the better pitching. One coach also said, “Mo is a very hard worker and a great kid on and off the field.” She had a big sophomore year as she batted .398 with nine home runs and 40 RBI on a team that finished second in the CIF-Southern Section Division III playoffs.


93—Mackenzie Nutt IF | Birmingham Thunderbolts (Auburn)
“Mac" is one of the top hitters in her class and bats for average and power. She had some health issues a couple years ago, but has returned strong and started every game last year at shortstop for the powerful Birmingham Bolts-Roberson 16U team at PGF Nationals. Now that she’s healthy, Mackenzie is swinging the bat really well and showing the talent that led her Alabama high school team to a 6A State Championship three years ago. Solid defensively, Mac can play the corner spots as well as play behind the plate.


92—Leah Shipp P | NC Lady Lightning (Michigan State)
Leah is a power pitcher who has been on the national map since her freshman year of high school when she had 233 K’s in 154 innings and hit .407 with nine home runs to earn Virginia All-State honors. Leah is able to shut down any team. She brings composure and intensity to the circle, and her desire to win gives her an edge in every game. Coaches were impressed at PGF Nationals that year when she showed a strong drop ball that induced a lot of grounders while allowing few home runs. The hurler also can throw a drop curve, change and screw. Leah committed to Michigan State in the fall of her sophomore year.


91—Cristiona Caccamise C/IF | Corona Angels (LSU)
Cristiona, who also goes by “CC,” is a prototypical power-hitting catcher with a great arm and the advanced softball IQ to call her own games for pitchers. Offensively, she can go yard at any time, but also hits for power. Her physical tools include size at 5-foot-8, strength and quickness, but equally impressive are her strong leadership abilities and presence in the dugout. Cristiona hit .477 as a freshman and followed up with a strong sophomore campaign to earn All-San Diego Section (2nd Team) honors after hitting .370. She committed to LSU following heavy interest from Pac-12 and SEC schools.