FloSoftball continues our look at the Class of 2019 as we update the Hot 100 for the current sophomore class. We're spotlighting 10 each day on the countdown from 100 to No. 1.

The Top 10 prospects of the class will be announced on Friday, February 3 and shortly after we will profile the No. 1 player, the "Next In (101-200)," recruits "On the Bubble (201-300)" and finally the "Top College Rankings" for the '19 class.

Since we first released the 2019 Hot 100 a year ago at this time, there has been a lot of changes as players have emerged as nationally prominent recruits.  In fact, 39 of the players in this second version are new!

These sophomore 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. 70 to 61 who come from California (6), Florida, Georgia, Ohio (2), Oklahoma and Texas (2).

70--Kendall Jennings SS… So Cal Choppers-Fausett (Oklahoma State)
Kendall travels from Flower Mound, Texas to practice and play with her Southern California-based team, the Choppers, coached by Dean Fausett. The team tied for 3rd at PGF 18U Nationals last summer.  Kendall is a skilled defender who can play any position up the middle, though primarily shortstop where she has a quick first step allowing her to have great range and get to balls most infielders can't. Kendall is smart and instinctive in always knowing what play to make. The lefty bats in the 3-hole and can slap all over the field and hits for a high average. She had interest in Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12 schools before committing to OSU in April of 2016.

T-69--Katie Perkins 2B/1B… Atlanta Vipers-Vallery (North Carolina)
Katie played for the Atlanta Premier organization for several years where she finished as high as 2nd at ASA Nationals before coming to the Vipers last year. Daughter of former Georgia Tech coach Sharon Perkins, who now assists with Coach Dick Vallery's Vipers, Katie is a prolific lefty hitter who consistently hits for a high average--since 2014, when she started at 14U, she's hit .371 at leadoff and in the 2-hole including a .418 mark in three ASA Nationals. She also comes up big in key games. She had the game-winning hit in the Georgia 5A State Championship for her Buford High team. Simply, she's a gamer who, the better the pitching, the better she seems to get and the bigger the moment, the better she seems to play. Katie committed to the Tar Heels in the fall of her freshman year. 

T-69--Emily Tinkham 1B… So Cal Choppers-Fausett (Ohio State)
Emily is the prototypical power-hitting first-baseman who is the RBI-producer while providing a great glove in the infield. She's won multiple championships in the Choppers organization and can hit for average and power. As a freshman, Emily earned All-Region and All-District honors as she hit .554 with eight home runs and 23 RBI. Ohio State head coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly first learned of the recruit from the coach's father, who advised her to check out the La Canada, California infielder. Coach Kovach Schoenly recruited Emily from age 13 on and on December 24, 2015, the California called the coach with an early Christmas present as she committed to the Buckeyes.

 

68--Madison Hirsch IF… Texas Glory-Shelton (Kansas)
Madison, nicknamed "CoCo," is an extremely versatile player who can line up at every position but pitcher and be effective. She's a true utility player who has sound mechanics offensively and defensively.  A switch-hitter with a smooth stroke and power to drive the ball to all fields, Coco is 5-foot-3 but knows how to play big and routinely comes through when it matters most.  Passionate about softball and a hard worker who leads by example, Madison can frequently be found training the younger players in the Glory organization. She was her Texas District 9-5A Freshman of the Year in 2016 after hitting a school record nine home runs to go with a .463 batting average and 32 RBI. She's high school teammates with infielder Jayda Coleman, ranked as the FloSoftball No. 1 player in the 2020 Hot 100.

67--Hope Straight P/1B… Beverly Bandits (Ohio State)
Hope is a dominant lefty pitcher and hitter who throws in the mid-60's and moves the ball well on all planes.  The Mount Vernon, Ohio sophomore is also an outstanding volleyball player and her athleticism and fiery competitiveness makes her one of the most aggressive players in the 2019 class. She's been known to dive at balls be in it the circle or at first. Hope earned Ohio Capital Conference honors after a strong freshman year where she also showcased her big bat which equates to power to all fields.  The Buckeye State player decided to stay close to home and play at Ohio State which is about an hour away.

T-66--Alycia Flores OF… Firecrackers-Brashear (Oklahoma)
Alycia is a power-hitting outfielder with a cannon for an arm and is the younger sister of Eliyah Flores, a 2017 signee with the Sooners who plays for Tony Rico's Firecrackers. The younger sister has the strength to drive the ball over the fence to all fields and has tremendous bat speed that allows her to catch up to balls most hitters can't. Alycia hit over .450 the last two years with Sean Brashear's team and, at the high school level, led her Grand Terrace (California) High team to a CIF Championship as a freshman batting .375 with a .486 on-base percentage. She turned down Big Ten and other Big 12 offers to play in Norman with her sister.

T-66--Tegan Cortelletti IF/OF… Ohio Lasers Green (Indiana)
Tegan has a 2.6 home-to-first speed and was 51-for-57 in steals last year while going 19-for-20 this fall. A triple threat slapper, she can also drop the bunt or hit straight away with gap power. She attacks the defense based on her reads of the situation and her softball IQ is very high. One coach described Tegan as "one of the top leadoff hitters I've seen in the last decade." The Ohio native is a lockdown second baseman/centerfielder with a strong arm, great range and is willing to sacrifice her body to make a play. She was 1st Team All-District at the high school level and batted .592 with a .622 on-base percentage for the Lasers in 2016. Regan committed to the Hoosiers in early October 2016 over several other Big Ten offers.

65--Alanna Thiede P… OC Batbusters-Stith (Oklahoma)
One of the top rising stars of the 2019 class is Alanna, who has played on big stages for Mark Campbell's 14U team during the last year. She played on a TV game at USA Elite and is now on Mike Stith's team which also fields Hot 100 pitchers Olivia Rains and Farrah Steffany. Some scouts feel that with the departure of Natalie Lugo to the USA Jr. National team, Alanna can step up and emerge as the ace of the Batbusters by the summer. She has excellent velocity and movement--one coach called her stuff "filthy"--and the So Cal sophomore is primarily a down pitcher with great off-speed stuff. She's an in-and-out thrower who's also very deceptive. Alanna doesn't play high school ball as she focuses full-time on training and club play.

T-64--Karli Petty MIF… Gametime Stars (Oklahoma State)
Karli is not your typical leadoff hitter, although she hits for high average (.660 for the Stars last year and .543 for her Oklahoma high school team which won the state 6A title. What makes her unusual batting in the 1-spot is that she led Wes William's 16U team in home runs with 19. She had one tournament last year where she hit six home runs, two being lead-offs. Karli is a triple threat in the truest sense as she hits with tremendous power from the left side, but will slap and bunt when the defense gives it up. And don't forget about her speed -- she went 32-for-34 in steals in 2016. She controls the infield at shortstop and can also play a strong third and center when needed as she covers a lot of ground. One coach said, "Karli is the one player I would want to build a team around."

T-64--Kaia LoPreste C… Tampa Mustangs-TJ (Florida State)
Kaia is a mature gifted receiver who is advanced in handling elite pitchers. She helped lead the Mustangs 14U team to a 3rd place finish at PGF Nationals with a 6-2 record and batted .437 with eight home runs and 110 RBI for the year. Kaia also played on the Mustangs 18U team where she hit .390 and caught current collegians Cassidy Davis (Florida State) and Claire Feldman (Utah) with ease. As a freshman at Riverview (Florida) High, she batted .447 and only had two errors behind the plate in 28 games. Kaia was also one of the standouts at last summer's USSSA Select 30 camp where she was chosen as a 1st Team All-American. She committed to the Seminoles in September of 2016.

63--Sydney Steele MIF… So Cal Athletics-Briggs (Auburn)
Sydney is the younger sister for former Arizona State great Haley Steele and is following in her older sibling's footsteps as a strong hitting infielder. Sydney has excellent hands defensively and, though she doesn't have the size of Haley, the ball jumps off the bat jump like it did for Haley. Her greatest asset, however, could be her softball IQ which one coach described as being "off the charts… it's like having another coach on the field." Possessing a great work ethic and sound mechanics, the Poway (California) High sophomore committed to Auburn in June of 2015.

62--Jaelyn Operana OF/P… Firecrackers-Brashear (Tennessee)
Jaelyn is a special athlete who has a solid frame and all the physical tools including 2.6 home-to-first speed from the left side. She can hit from the left and right side and can slap and bunt from the left side with speed or bat right and hit for power. Defensively, the Huntington Beach (California) sophomore can cover both gaps from her centerfield position. She hit over .400 the past two seasons with Sean Brashear's Firecrackers team and has stolen more than 75 bases. Jaelyn has played at an elite level going back to 12U when she won an ASA National Championship. The So Cal standout committed to Tennessee in December of 2015.

61--Shelby Maier P… Athletics-Mercado/Stancil (Georgia)
Shelby has flown under the national radar until recently when her stock jumped tremendously. She stands at 5-foot-10 and throws in the mid 60s, but her spins are what makes her an elite national player. The La Jolla, California sophomore has a very sharp-cutting riseball and equally impressive curve, which, because of its late break, is her out pitch. Shelby has an explosive drive off the mound and is intimidating with her array of pitches and in-the-circle presence. As a freshman, she went 13-4 with a 1.90 ERA and her 201 strikeouts in 125 innings led the CIF San Diego Section. Shelby committed to the Bulldogs in early December. 

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