On this Thanksgiving holiday, Amanda Lorenz – the No. 1 rated player in the 2015 Hot 100 – provides a list of those who she is grateful for and explains how they helped her on her journey in softball and life.

Amanda is a senior from Moorpark (Calif.) and was a 2014 1^st Team Full Count Softball All-American in high school last spring when she hit .642 with eight home runs and 22 doubles.

She also added “National Champion” to her resume as she hit lead-off for the OC Batbusters-Haning/Stith team that won the PGF 18U Premier Nationals in August, hitting .478 for the week in bracket play and had at least one hit in all seven games (with two hits in four of the seven). In the championship game, a 3-0 win over the Corona Angels, Amanda went 2-for-3 with a key RBI double.

As a sophomore, the Florida commit won several national, state and local honors at the high school level in 2013 including MaxPreps Underclass All-American, CalHiSports.com All-State and Ventura County Star Player of the Year after batting .626 with 17 home runs and compiling a spectacular 1.377 slugging percentage.

In 2013, Amanda also helped lead Team Mizuno-Stith to the PGF 18U National Championship game and in 2012 she was part of the 16U team that won the PGF national title.

Finally, her prolific hitting stroke has some coaches and scouts saying she’s one of the best hitters to ever come out of Southern California.

Click here to read Amanda’s earlier blogs and those from our other outstanding bloggers!

Also, check out the video of Amanda after she learns of being named No. 1 in the 2015 class

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This Thanksgiving I have a lot to be thankful for!

• First of all, I’m thankful for the blessings God has given me to play an amazing sport at an elite level.
• I’m thankful for my parents who have been driving me two hours to practices/games since 7th grade so I could play with the OC Batbusters. My parents have always supported me in everything I do and are also there when I fail.
• I’m thankful for my incredible teammates on the Batbusters who are much more like sisters than teammates. They are so talented and they make me a better player just by being around them.
• I’m thankful for my sister who is my best friend and also very supportive.
• I’m thankful for the opportunity the University of Florida and Coach Tim Walton have given me to continue playing the game I love, attend an amazing university, and get a degree to help me in the real world after college.
• I’m thankful that I will have two former teammates who are already at UF (Justine McLean and Janelle Wheaton) and thankful that I will be going in with my current teammate, Sophia Reynoso.
• I’m thankful for Meaghan Stotts who is my high school coach and has been such an inspiration and mentor to me since I have been six years old. She played college softball at the University of Arizona and from a young age I had a strong example of where hard work could take me in this sport. She is always there for me and without her I would not be the player I am today and I would not have signed on Signing Day.
• I’m thankful for Mike Stith who has pushed me to my limits since eighth grade to be a better player and person. I have no idea what kind of player I would be without his coaching. Our team would not be as successful as we are without him and his dedication to making us better.
• And lastly, I’m thankful for a happy, healthy family and how we are all going to spend Thanksgiving dinner together.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone, I hope everyone has a great holiday spent with family and friends!

Amanda