We continue our final 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.

We'll announce the Top 10 of the class on Friday, November 4, then on Saturday, Nov. 5 we will reveal the "Next In (101-200)" and finally on Sunday, Nov. 6 will unveil our Top 50 College Classes.

There's been a lot of movement in these rankings compared to the previous list published six months ago pre-summer tourneys.  For example, there are 16 new players in the final 2017 Hot 100 (indicated with an *) and many players making being jumps up the lists. 

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

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. 

Below we feature players No. 20-11 with standout players from California (5), Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New Jersey and Oregon.


*** 

20--Chloe Romero P/UT… California Cruisers (Texas)*
No one had a more meteoric rise over the last six months than Chloe, who led the Cruisers to the PGF 18U Premier National Championship game using her enticing riseball, change, and off-speed pitches. The 5-foot-5 pitcher showed her mental toughness and intensity all summer after following on a great high school season that saw her earn 1st Team All-CIF honors after recording a 0.92 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 129 innings. She hits her spots and is rarely off the plate which is why she only gave up 12 walks all year. Chloe also shined offensively, hitting .645. She has been on the national scene since leading her team to the PGF 18U Platinum National Championship two years ago when she also was named a MaxPreps Underclass All-American. Chloe committed to Texas in December of her freshman year after the Longhorn coaches first saw her at a pitching academy.

19--Kinsley Washington SS/OF… Corona Angels (UCLA) 

Kinsley was dinged up with an injury during the summer, but showed what type of player she is at PGF Nationals when she could only play a few innings. In a key bracket game, she begged Coach Marty Tyson to let her get an at bat and proceeded to hit a home run to lead the Angels to a victory. She'll be back full speed this month showing her triple threat abilities enhanced by her great speed. Kinsley can do it all at the top of the order: slap, swing away, drive the ball to all fields, or go yard. She helped the Angels win the TC/USA Nationals in Reno a year ago and finish 2nd at PGF Nationals. She hit .400 and drew seven walks. The La Salle High (Pasadena, California) standout hit .393 with 18 runs and eight steals this year after batting .514 with 27 RBI as a junior. UCLA first saw her at their camps when Kinsley was 10 years old and she committed to UCLA in the fall of her freshman year.

18--Lauren Burke OF… Beverly Bandits (Oregon)*
Lauren was a relatively unknown national commodity up in the Northwest until this year when she earned 1st Team FloSoftball All-American honors and lead her Bandits club team to the PGF 16U National Championship. Not a bad spring and summer for the pure hitter with a great natural swing.  Lauren has pure speed which helps her at shortstop, her high school position, and outfield, where she lines up for club ball. One top coach said of her, "As far as a stick goes, Lauren is as good as it gets" and she can bat lead-off--which she did for the Bandits--or in the 2, 3 or even 4-holes. In the spring she batted .701 with a .727 on-base percentage and a 1.476 slugging percentage thanks to 21 home runs. She also added 59 RBIs and scored 67 runs while going 24-for-26 on steals. The Gatorade Player of the Year and 5A State Player of the Year, she wasn't a secret to Oregon head coach Mike White, who coached Lauren at the club level from the time she was 7 to 11 years old. 

17--Camryn Ybarra 2B/OF… Corona Angels (Oregon State)
Camryn comes from a softball family--her older sister Shianne plays at Loyola Marymount in Los Angeles and her father Troy is her high school coach at Mission Viejo High (California) and helps as an assistant with the Angels. Combine great softball intelligence in the family with great physical tools and, few, if any, played at such a high level in the last six months as Camryn. She helped Mission Viejo to a #2 national ranking in the FloSoftball FAB 50 as she caught fire in the playoffs going 10-for-18 (.555) with seven RBIs and five home runs. She earned 1st Team FloSoftball All-American honors as well as Junior Player of the Year recognition by MaxPreps and OC Register and was the  SoCalSidelines Orange County Player of the Year.  Her overall average was .514 with a .617 on-base percentage. The key to Camryn's success is consistency at a high level, both in her production and work ethic. A power hitter who is technically sound, she is also a tough-nosed infielder who isn't afraid to get dirty and help the team win in any way possible.

16--Alyssa Martinez SS… Explosion - Denio/Wilson (Ole Miss)
Alyssa is one of the top defensive infielders in the nation and also has a big bat. She has hit some key home runs this summer and fall for the Explosion. Playing for one of the top high schools in Southern California, Grand Terrace High, "AMar" led the Titans to the CIF Southern Section Div. 3 title. She has a career batting average of .392 with a .476 on-base percentage. At shortstop, she only made three errors all season and plays at a college level already, being fluid and precise in her tracking of the ball and making plays few other defenders can make.  For Explosion she batted .425 this summer with an OBP of .50. AMar also came up clutching during the PGF Shootout with a walk-off hit in ITB to help her team to a 5th place finish. She played basketball and soccer prior to deciding to focus solely on softball and is one of the top products from Explosion, a team that has produced recent standouts including Paige Halstead (UCLA) and Vanessa Shippey (Oklahoma State) among others. Alyssa committed to the Rebels in March of 2015 after considering Top 25 programs from all over the nation.

15--Kaylee Tow OF… Louisville Lady Sluggers (Alabama)*
Kaylee is a 6-foot-1 outfielder who runs well, has a great arm, and adds left-handed power to any line-up. She hit over .500 with double digit home runs for the Lady Sluggers and Coach Don Dobina said, "She got on base so much, we led her off." Kaylee began her prep career in Kentucky with a bang, hitting .565 with 17 homeruns and 45 RBIs as a freshman for Madisonville-North Hopkins. As a sophomore, she hit .701 with 19 home runs and 54 RBIs. This year, she batted .430 with a .660 OBP, 14 homers, 21 steals and 76 runs scored to earn FloSoftball All-American honors and the Kentucky 3A Player of the Year selection.  Kaylee was first noticed at the 12U ASA Nationals in 2013 and committed to the Tide in September of 2014. A great all-around athlete, Kaylee previously played basketball and soccer but quit to focus on softball only.

14--Kelsey Oh P… Jersey Intensity (South Carolina) 
Kelsey is a two-time FloSoftball All-American and is the dominant pitcher on the East Coast.  She throws 66 mph with great movement and, at 6-foot, will be a game changer for the Gamecocks. She gets a ton of swing-and-misses and averages 12 strikeouts per game. Also a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, Kelsey went 21-4 on the season with 301 strikeouts and a 0.94 ERA. She batted .441 with a .510 on-base percentage. As a freshman, she led her Mount St. Dominic High team to the state title pitching a 13-inning, nail-biting win and this year led her team to the New Jersey Non-Public A softball final. Along with her heat, Kelsey throws a rise and curve and is unflappable in the circle with scouts raving about her composure and focus when the game on the line. 

13--Danielle Romanello C/1B… Gold Coast Hurricanes (Florida)
Danielle has been a fixture on the Florida softball scene for year now after playing varsity as a freshman and winning state titles in the 8th and 9th grades.  She was the Florida 2A Player of the Year in 2016 after batting .597 with 31 RBIs in 25 games.  Her five-year prep batting average is .520 and it's no fluke: she's a consistent lefty power hitter who crushes the ball to the gaps and drives mistake pitches over the fence.  She's not one dimensional either--a black belt in Taekwondo, Danielle is a great all-around athlete with defensive skills to play behind the plate, at first, and even the outfield if needed. Many coaches say her best asset is her physical strength combined with smooth and fluid movements in the box and in the field. Danielle was all but born a future Gator as her parents are Florida grads. Danielle committed immediately in the eighth grade when offered by Tim Walton.

12--Mary Iakopo C… Firecrackers -- Rico (Oregon)
Ask scouts who the top defensive catcher is in the 2017 class and many, if not most, would say Mary, who has all the physical tools-- quickness, athleticism, power, a cannon for an arm, accuracy, and great instincts.  One coach said in the spring, "Mary deserves recognition at the highest level because she has an arm from heaven."  Her offensive skills have really come on in the last year. She plays for Los Alamitos High (California) and was the Sunset League MVP after leading her team to the CIF Southern Section Div. 1 semis. Mary batted .426 with eight home runs and 20 RBIs. This summer, she had one timely hit after another, including a key three-run homerun to left field as part of the Firecrackers run to the PGF 18U Premier National title. Mary is a left-to-right field hitter who is learning to hit well mentally as well as physically. She committed to Oregon in January of 2014 over interest from schools in every major conference including the Pac-12 and SEC.

 

11--Kendyll Bailey MIF… DeMarini Aces (Missouri)
Kendyll's stock continues to rise as a great athlete who makes plays and does it all on the field. She hits for power and average and is an excellent defensive player with soft hands, a quick release, and great range.  Kendyll has a great eye and plate discipline, rarely striking out but able to put the ball in play from line to line.  One elite club coach said of the Missouri All-State honoree: "We have competed against her multiple times and she has continued to be one of the toughest outs for us and that includes lineups such as the Corona Angels and the So Cal Athletics."  Kendyll has been one of the top players in Ryan Taylor's Aces program since she was 14 and is a consistent high .400 hitter batting in the 3-hole.  She's been described as an "RBI machine" and visited top programs like LSU, Florida State, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Oregon before picking the home-state Tigers in July of 2014 as Mizzou is only 90 minutes away from her home.