We continue our look at the updated Hot 100 as we rank the top 100 players in the 2018 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, December 23, profile the No. 1 player on Saturday, December 24 and then on December 25--Christmas Day--we will reveal the "Next In (101-200)."

Finally, on Tuesday, December 27, FloSoftball will unveil our Top College Rankings for the '18 class.

Since we first released the 2018 Hot 100, there has been a lot of changes as players have emerged as nationally prominent recruits.  In fact, 43 of the players in this second version are new!

These junior standouts were chosen based on input and feedback from college and club coaches who've seen them play 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. 

Today we feature players No. 80 to 71 with standouts from Arizona, California, Georgia (3), Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.


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80--Bailey McLaughlin C/3B… All American Sports Academy (Oregon State)
Bailey is a game-changer behind the plate. This summer and fall, she threw out 62 percent of the runners who attempted to steal on her. Scouts say Bailey is continuing to perfect her swing and her ceiling is very high. She showed how dangerous she can be this past spring when she hit .490 with 40 RBIs and seven home runs in 96 at-bats for her Reno, Nevada high school. Bailey also had impressive numbers in the categories of on-base percentage (.550) and OPS (1.446) and her strong campaign at the plate and in the field earned her 1st Team All-State honors.

79--Alexandra Perez P/UT… Firecrackers -- Rico (Cal-Berkeley)
Alexandra is a 6-foot-1 lefty pitcher who throws in the low to mid 60s. The big question is whether she will pitch only in the Pac-12, play a regular position like first base, or do both. Her versatility is a strength and one coach says she's "a player in development who is still growing so we will see if she can pitch at the Pac-12 level or be more of a position player." The So Cal talent is an excellent hitter with power. In the circle, she is working on consistency in changing speeds and hitting locations. The Cal coaches reportedly saw her throw one pitch in a showcase game and were sold on offering her. 

78--Kasey Simpson MIF… Texas Glory (Iowa State)
Kasey is an outstanding shortstop with an above average arm and is key to any team's defense.  She has great range and is an uncommon communicator, keeping everyone on the same page.  At the plate, Kasey mashes to all fields and routinely finds the gaps.  The Texas junior is a good baserunner who can steal a base when needed and she often turns doubles into triples because of her excellent speed. In June, she helped lead her high school team to a Class 6A state title. She hit .471 with a team-leading 38 RBIs and 46 runs scored and, in September, she pulled the trigger in committing to the Cyclones.

77--Kaili Crawley C/3B… Tennessee Fury Fastpitch (Tennessee)
Kaili is one of the most feared hitters in Tennessee and is an exceptional catcher and corner player with one of the strongest arms in the country. She only gave up a handful of stolen bases all season mostly because no one tries to steal when she's behind the plate. Kaili led her high school team to a runner-up finish in the state finals where she hit four home runs in the tournament and earned All-State honors. For the Fury, Kaili hits clean-up and batted .415 this past summer with 15 homers and 63 RBIs to help lead her team to a 13th place finish at PGF Premier Nationals. 

76--Angelina Biele P… East Cobb Bullets -- Biele (Duke)
Angelina is a poised, control-based pitcher with great movement on her screw and rise, which are her two best pitches. The Georgia hurler has pitched well against several of the top 18U club teams this fall with a sub-1.50 ERA and over the summer she averaged a strikeout per inning with an ERA under 2.00 highlighted by a Bullets championship run at Boulder IDT. Angelina went to a new high school this fall and took a team that was 3-25 to a 24-4 record and state quarterfinal appearance by pitching 15 complete games, throwing four no-hitters with 179 Ks in 120 innings. She also bated .447.

75--Rachel Vaughan P/IF… Georgia Impact -- Lewis (South Carolina)
Rachel is a lefty pitcher who hits the gun in the mid-60s and complements her heat with a devastating change and drop curve. Scouts love how she never gets rattled and has an outstanding mound presence. Rachel has gone 24-2 the last two years at the high school level. She went 15-1 for her Georgia high school this year with a 1.30 ERA and gave up just seven walks in 89 innings.  She's also an excellent hitter and batted .419 with 11 doubles and 34 RBIs. The junior plays on the same prep team as another standout pitcher, Kelley Lynch, an Auburn commit ranked #2 in the 2019 Hot 100.

74--Jessica Lynch P/1B… Firecrackers AZ (Utah)
Jessica has been with Jeff Hinkle's Firecrackers team for four years now and continues to improve each season.  She has good size and levers that help her reach the mid 60s and she also has excellent spins. When she's not in the circle she plays first and is a standout hitter. Jessica was the starting pitcher on teams that won the TCS Elite 32 Power Play tournament in 2015 and finished 2nd at the Colorado Fireworks/Sparkler Super 48 this year. Playing at the 6A division--the largest in Arizona--she has earned 1st Team All-Section honors and has 22 wins in her two-year career with 235 Ks. She's also batting .425 with 62 RBIs and a .522 on-base percentage. 

73--Maddie Billings P/3B… Atlanta Vipers -- Moore (Georgia Tech)
Maddie had a strong summer playing on the biggest of stages. She helped lead the Vipers to the USA Softball JO Cup 16U title by hitting .391 in the tournament with three home runs and 11 RBIs and then went to PGF Nationals where she batted .357 with a homer and five RBIs. Along with Skylar Wallace, another 2018 Hot 100 pick, Maddie helped her Georgia high school team make it to the state playoffs in the highest classification and earned 1st Team All-Region honors. The junior is a strikeout pitcher who can change speeds as well as anyone else and she also has excellent movement with a plus change-up that she'll throw at any point in the count. Her biggest area of improvement has been her power hitting: she hit 20 home runs in club and high school combined.

72--Claire Swedberg IF… Illinois Chill 16U (Penn State)
Claire is a high energy middle infielder who bats from the left side of the plate and runs exceptionally well (2.7 home-to-first range) which allows her to bunt, slap and swing her way on to the base paths as a true triple threat. Claire is an offensive catalyst who uses the entire field when she hits. Defensively, she has great range and arm strength with an overhand velocity in the 65mph range. She frequently makes mind boggling diving plays from her second base position. The Illinois standout committed to the Nittany Lions shortly after finishing the eighth grade.

71--Faith Jarvis OF/IF… Lady Lightning Gold (East Carolina)
Faith is the prototypical leadoff or 2-hole hitter and is the next in a long line of speed from the Lady Lightning Gold program. She adds another dimension to any line-up and is a slasher on the bases who can practically steal at will and manufacture instant offense. Faith is a defense's nightmare as she can put the ball on the dirt and force the infielders to play tight, but then drive the ball through the gaps for extra base hits. The North Carolina standout, who had SEC and ACC interest, chose to stay close to home and will be a likely starter once she hits campus and has future All-Conference written all over her.