Today we finish our look at the 2021 Hot 100 after spotlighting 10 or more prospects each day over the last two weeks counting down from 100 to No. 1.

Today we announce the Top 10 of the '21 class. Be sure also to check out our upcoming profile of the No. 1 player and the "Next In" classes comprising prospects #'s 101-200, 201-300, 301-400 and 401-500!

FloSoftball has ranked the Hot 100 top fastpitch prospects beginning with the 2014 Class and has done every year since: 2015, '16, '17, '18, '19 and '20 and we've also updated most of those years several times (the 2019 Hot 100 being the most recent, updated in February).








And as for this initial 2021 list of standouts--who are just in the eighth grade, even though many are playing up at the varsity high school level already--we'll update the Hot 100 list several more times over the next five years so know this is just the starting point! 

These honorees were chosen based on input and feedback from college and club coaches as well as our own FloSoftball event and in-person observations. Criteria for choosing and ranking the players includes performances at the club and high school levels and projecting how they will play at the collegiate level. 

Today we feature players No. 10 to 1 who come from Arizona, California (3), Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Tennessee.


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10--Kam Caldwell OF... East Cobb Bullets -- Caldwell (uncommitted) 
Caldwell is playing up on a 16U team composed primarily of 2019's and her game features both speed and power from the left side that allows her to start--and dominate--against players years older than her. In the leadoff spot, she's hit .454 this spring after leading the team in the fall with a .452 average and a strong .469 mark last year. Defensively, Caldwell's speed allows her to cover a lot of ground in centerfield and her very strong arm keeps base runners from trying to swipe the extra base. The Georgia athlete's versatility allows her to be used in multiple positions in both the infield and outfield and she's the ideal table setter because she can lay down the bunt or hit the ball into the gaps. Her sister, Kensey, just completed her senior season at Georgia State where she earned All-Conference honors and has been key in aiding in Caldwell's on-field development. As the family has been actively following the older player's final college season, Caldwell hasn't been to a lot of camps other than one at Florida State, but that will heat up over the next several months and expect the recruiting process to explode as Power 5 Conference schools jump into the recruiting hunt.

9--Morgan Mesaros MIF... PA Chaos (James Madison) 
Last summer, Mesaros was so skilled and advanced in her game that she played on the Chaos 18U Gold team at PGF Nationals backing up Maggie Balint, the current Oregon star pitcher and National Freshman of the Year candidate. How many players can say that, before entering the eighth grade, they were good enough to play against the top graduating high school seniors in the country? Mesaros played short and second on that team and was able to compete with players five and six years older than her because she has the mental maturity and all the physical skills: explosive quickness, great range, excellent glove and footwork and the speed and acceleration that has led to her having the fastest home-to-first and shuttle times at several combines and workouts she's attended. Mesaros can take over a tournament offensively, too; at last year's Boulder IDT she batted .522 and had an on-base percentage of .607 playing for the 14U Futures squad. She had heavy Big Ten, ACC and SEC interest and offers before she committed to James Madison earlier this spring. 

8--McKenzie Redoutey OF... Georgia Impact -- Gusaeff (uncommitted) 
Redoutey is a five-tool player who hits for power and average from the left side, smashing 20 home runs in the past year and batting .515 this spring. She also has the speed to put down the bunt and steal a ton of bases. Redoutey took hitting lessons from Gerry Glasco, currently the Associate Head Coach at Texas A&M, when she was younger and is currently a student of Rob Crews of Complete Game, one of the top hitting instructors in the country. One SEC scout said of McKenzie, "She has the prettiest swing of anyone in the country and could skip high school and play in college today." Defensively, Redoutey has a cannon for an arm and covers a ton of ground in the outfield. She also has been a standout at several elite events she's attended including being selected as an All-Star at the Faster2First camp in December and a Select 30 finalist last August. McKenzie has multiple offers on the table and has already visited Georgia, Florida, Ole Miss, Arkansas, North Carolina and LSU and plans on visiting some more campuses this summer before making her college decision.
 
7--Rylee Holtorf MIF... Mizuno Storm - Mathis/Holtorf (uncommitted) 
Holtorf is a skilled middle infielder who is sure handed with quick feet, excellent range and a strong arm. Like most players ranked this high in the Hot 100, she can hit for power and a strong average--currently for the Storm this spring she's batting .608 with 10 home runs in 147 at-bats and of her 87 hits 47 of them have been for extra bases (54%). One coach says her greatest attribute, however, is "her leadership... Holtorf owns the field when she's playing and it's like having another coach on the field." She's also a skilled volleyball player which she'll play through high school and has been called by Derek Allister of OnDeck Softball, "An athlete with a good skill set who loves to play and is a major talent." Holtorf shined at two of the OnDeck camps last year, the June Jamboree and the National Elite Camp held at Mt. SAC, California, which helped establish her on the national recruiting map. Holtorf has multiple offers and is being heavily recruited by Washington, Arizona, Oregon, Oklahoma and Auburn.

6--Savannah Polamalu MIF... Corona Angels (UCLA) 
Polamalu is an athletically gifted middle infielder who primarily plays second base at a level seemingly much older than she is. She's a very smart player who gets to balls that are difficult, but makes them look routine. Offensively, Polamalu's a skilled five-tool slapper who can play small ball, slap, power slap and swing away to set the table for one of the top 14U teams heading into this summer. The Angels are expected to compete for a PGF National Championships and are comprised of several 2020 Hot 100 players along with Polamalu like pitcher Sarah Willis (Auburn) and catcher Hannah Lerma (Central Florida) as well as two other 2021 Hot 100 players in third baseman/outfielder Cydney Sanders (Arizona State) and pitcher Savannah Hooks (UCLA). Polamalu started taking lessons with Angels head man Marty Tyson in the sixth grade and he said, following her commitment to the Bruins in early December 2016, "After the first lesson I knew she was going to be a player." Polamalu has the physical skills, softball maturity and IQ that should allow her to step in and play right away once she steps foot on the Westwood campus.

5--Alexx Waitman SS... Athletics -- Mercado (Oklahoma) 
Waitman is a triple threat lefty who is a franchise-type infielder, but can do everything well on the softball field including pitch. One coach said of her, "Athletically, Alexx is as good as it gets." Last year she batted over .520 with 55 steals playing for the Oklahoma Athletics and is now commuting to play for David Mercado's talented Athletics team in Southern California. The Oklahoma native has excellent speed and range to get to balls all over the infield and has a quick glove-to-hand transition and a "crazy strong arm," as one coach put it.  She played up for the 16U Gold team last year and playing in November with the Athletics went 7-for-9 with six steals at the Battle of the Dons and followed that up in January with a 6-for-8 performance with nine steals at the USA Select Double Down. From her first college showcase tournament in the fall of 2015, she's had major colleges after her, but Waitman's three favorites were always Oklahoma, Florida and Tennessee and, after visiting all three, she decided to stay close to home and commit to the Sooners in October of 2016.

4--Aubrey Barnhart C/3B... Tennessee Mojo (Auburn)
Barnhart is one of, if not the, toughest out in the 2021 class. The left-hander is a hitting machine who batted .622 last fall with no strikeouts in 82 at-bats. Last summer she batted .519 and only struck out six times in 241 at-bats while producing 89 RBI. Barnhart has power capabilities too and hit the only home run in the 12U All-American Games last year. At the UA Elite Select 12U Nationals she was near the top of the list in top batting average and was also honored as a Select 30 1st Team All-American. Barnhart has been with the Mojo since 8U and has won an amazing five National Championships. Defensively, she can play catcher or third because she is solid with the glove and has a plus arm. Coach Brooks Cherry said of his Mojo standout: "... she is a mature young lady who knows what she wants and how hard she will have to work to accomplish her goals." Surveying club and college coaches across the country, no hitter was listed on as many ballots as Barnhart, who committed to Auburn in November over offers from several other major programs. Said one scout simply when referring to the Tennessee standout: "Wow... just wow."
 
3--Savannah Hooks P... Corona Angels (UCLA) 
The top pitcher in the 2021 class at this point is Hooks, a left-hander who pitches in the low-to-mid 60's and has excellent spin, movement, location and command. Almost every club coach that Flo talked to who has played against her listed Hooks at the top of the list of the pitchers who gave them the most trouble. She has been the go-to pitcher for Dominique Tyson's young Angels teams for the last three years and, with the addition of Auburn-committed pitcher Sarah Willis, has pushed Hooks even harder improving not only her velocity but her movement and led to her becoming a better swing-and-miss pitcher. Says Derek Allister of OnDeck Softball, "Savannah is one of the best pitchers in the country in this class and one reason is because she's sophisticated beyond her years. She'll be a premier pitcher in any class on the West Coast in the years ahead." The future Bruin is also a talent with the bat in her hands as a great line-drive hitter and can play the outfield when not in the circle. She was heavily recruited by Power 5 Conference schools before she committed to UCLA and one source close to the Angels organization had a great line prior to her verbal: "Scouts are drooling over her," the source said. "Like as in I need to get them napkins."

2--Brooke Blankenship SS... Tampa Mustangs -- Hennigar (Florida State) 
Blankenship is a franchise shortstop who has off-the-charts athleticism, a great glove, a quick release, the ability to throw at all angles and a strong bat that has helped her play varsity high school ball since the 7th grade. The Florida star is currently the highest-rated 2021 based on OnDeck Softball's Allister Index with a 91 score recorded last summer at the Atlanta Jamboree. Other honors included being a Select 30 1st Team All-American and a Faster2First All-Star at the December camp. Blankenship finished this year's high school varsity season leading her Academy at the Lakes (Land O'Lakes, Florida) team to the Regional Championship where it lost to the eventual state winner. Still, the eighth grader finished with a sterling .522 batting average, .590 on-base percentage, 1.072 slugging percentage and an impressive 1.670 OPS to earn 1st Team Florida All-State honors as a shortstop. Incidentally, keep an eye out for Academy at the Lakes next year as Blankenship will return with two other 2021 Hot 100 players in infielder Devyne Davis, a South Florida commit, and outfielder Kendra Falby, not yet committed, plus 2019 Alabama verbal Alexis Kilfoyl, a pitcher who's on the USA Jr. National Team. Blankenship's high school coach, former Indiana head coach Diane Stephenson, calls the athletic infielder a "game changer" and she had heavy interest from schools as wide-ranging as Michigan, Florida, South Carolina, Washington, Oregon and Auburn before she decided to stay in-state and commit to the Seminoles in March.

1--Quincee Lilio 2B/OF... Athletics -- Mercado (Oklahoma) 
It's déjà vu all over again as we have a fourth straight Oklahoma commit headlining a Hot 100 class and for the second time in three years a member of David Mercado's Athletics organization out of Southern California after we previously selected pitcher Brooke Vestal (2018, Firecrackers-Rico); catcher Kinzie Hansen (2019, A's-Mercado) and infielder Jayda Coleman (2020, Texas Glory) to headline each's respective class. No, we're not on either coach's payroll (!) and, if anything, it would have made NOT putting Lilio as the #1 player the safer choice, but the evidence was too strong to go against the So Cal talent. Lilio has won a pair of PGF National Championships over the last three years and is the only 2021 on the 16U squad that Hansen happens to be on which won the 14U PGF title last year. Not only was Lilio on the team, she was a vital contributor hitting .431 with an on-base percentage close to .500. She usually bats in the 2-hole on a team that is loaded with players going to major programs like LSU, UCLA, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arizona and more. Lilio has been playing up and against the best teams in the country for years, against competitors two years older or more that are the elite in the country, and she is not just playing, she's dominating. So what does she do to make her #1 overall? For one thing, she's like a coach on the field. Says David Mercado, "It starts with her IQ, she's to the point where I don't have to teach her any more. She thinks like I think on the field." "Q" usually starts in the outfield but also can play second. Her physical tools start with her speed, which one Southeast coach calls "blazing and legit." She has the speed to slap and the power to hit away and based on what the defense gives her she will smoke the ball down the line by the third baseman if the angle is there. "She's a five-tool player, no question," continues Mercado, "and she's the best player in her age group by far. She could be playing at the 18U level, she's that good, at any position but catcher or pitcher. Lilio is simply one of the top players I've ever trained." You don't have to look far to see where her softball talent comes from--her grandfather, Eddie Aguon, was a huge baseball star in Guam--and she has a cousin, Jaylene Ignacio, who just graduated from San Diego State. With such softball DNA, it's not hard to see why she's on a fast track to success. This year she's batting .500 with six home runs already and one college coach says simply, "She's special, there no question about that. This kid should be an All-American someday."

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