It’s a new year and today we begin a new look at the talent in the class of 2019 as we update the Hot 100 of the current junior class for the third time (it’s been a year since we did our second revision of the ’19 class). 

We’re spotlighting 10 each day on the countdown from No. 100 to No. 1, and there will be a lot of changes — as many as 25 players in the updated version will be new!

We’ll announce the top 10 of the class on Friday, January 19, and shortly after will profile the No. 1 player. Then we'll list the "next in" classes comprising recruit Nos. 101-200, 201-300, 301-400, and 401-500, as well as which colleges have done the best so far in recruiting this outstanding group of players.

These 2019 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. 90 to 81 who come from California (2), Georgia, Illinois, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas (2) and Virginia. 

See 2019 Hot 100 Rankings List

90 | Alanna Thiede P | OC Batbusters – Stith (Oklahoma)

Thiede worked her way up through the Batbusters organization, playing on very successful teams under the guidance of Mark Campbell at the 14U level and is now on Mike Stith’s 18U Batbusters, who have won two of the last four PGF Premier National Championships. Competing on one of the favorites to win it all next year, Thiede adds depth and talent to the nation’s deepest corps of pitchers which includes fellow Sooner commits Olivia Rains (2019) and Nicole May (2020), along with Arizona-bound hurlers Farrah Steffany (2019) and Madi Elish (2021). 

Thiede is a southpaw who changes speeds well and can handle both sides of the plate. She has good velocity and movement with excellent off-speed pitches to complement her heat. The SoCal resident doesn’t play high school ball. Instead, Thiede focuses on training and working out full-time to prepare for her arrival next year in Norman. She finished the fall season strong, pitching a shutout in her final game.

89 | Sydney Fritsch MIF/3B | Texas Blaze (Texas A&M)

Fristch is a power lefty who led her Texas Blaze 16U team in RBIs. Hitting from the cleanup spot, she will also slap running a 2.8-second time from home to first. Fritsch leads off for her La Grange (TX) High team earning first-team all-district honors at third base. She is a multi-sport athlete with awards in track, volleyball, and softball. 

Her track training helped her lead the team in stolen bases as well. Another versatile Aggie on this Hot 100 list, Fritsch has quick hands and a cannon to pair with her speed and range and she can play well on the corners or in the outfield, too. 

88 | Kieara Edwards OF | East Cobb Bullets – Schnute (Mississippi State)

Edwards is one of the stars on Andrew Biele’s stacked Bullets team that plays a tough national schedule. She finished the season with only six strikeouts and was second on the team in batting. A 5-foot-9 outfielder, Edwards is always clutch, securing wins with a grand slam in Colorado and producing big hits in critical situations at the PGF Nationals where she batted .412 and had a .500 on-base percentage. Edwards used her tremendous athletic ability to help Osbourn Park (Manassas, VA) High finish second at state as she racked up five home runs and compiled a .498 batting average on her way to all-region and all-state honors. Edwards committed to Mississippi State in October of 2017.

87 | Jaelyn Operana OF/P | Firecrackers – Rico (Tennessee)

Operana is the gritty athlete who can bat from both sides of the plate and has been clocked with a 2.6 home-to-first as a lefty. That speed helps her accelerate in center field, where she can cover significant ground. Operana can hit for power from the right side and can even pitch in a pinch. Her ability to get on base is what really jumps out on the field. She has batted over .400 for several years with Sean Brashear’s Firecrackers younger teams, and has double-digit steal totals each year, making her a prototypical top-of-the-order outfield prospect. With years under her belt playing against top competition, one of her earliest accomplishments was winning an ASA 12U National Championship. Operana’s makeup reminds many of former Tennessee All-American Raven Chavanne.

86 | Madison Neighbors C/1B/OF | Oklahoma Athletics (Oklahoma State)

It’s been reported that Neighbors has a pop time in the 1.6 range and an overhand velocity in the upper 60s, forcing runners to not test this aggressive and athletic catcher. She has consistently improved her caught stealing stats and this season picked off 94 percent of attempted steals against her. Due to her dangerous home run power on offense, Neighbors is a dual threat on offense and defense: she’s sent 84 balls over the fence in the last three seasons between club and high school ball. The junior led her Kellyville (OK) High team to a berth in the 3A State Tournament, logging 23 home runs, 78 RBIs, and only striking out twice during the 2017 season to earn her first-team all-area honors as a utility player as well as the Heartland Conference MVP.

85 | Fiona Girardot SS/2B | Illinois Chill (Wisconsin)

Girardot emerged as one of the top prospects in the Midwest after a great fall season, in which the middle infielder hit many home runs with some big league shots. Defensively, she is virtually flawless in the field and has the offensive firepower to match her glove and arm. She batted .603 as a sophomore with 70 hits including 22 doubles and knocked in 59 RBIs. Playing second base, Girardot also led her Oak Park and River Forest (Oak Park, IL) High team to its second straight Class 4A title, a 37-1 record, and No. 7 ranking in the FloSoftball FAB 50. Girardot recorded a 52-game hitting streak reaching back to her freshman year. Because of her success at the prep level, she was selected as a First-Team FloSoftball All-American and the MaxPreps 2017 National Sophomore of the Year.

84 | Grace Marsalo P/UT | PA Strikers (Penn State)

Marsalo can pitch, play infield, and outfield all thanks to her speed and versatility. A pure power-hitting lefty, she can also slap legging out 32 extra-base hits for her Twin Valley (Elverson, PA) High team over the last two years. Marsalo hit .491 with 62 RBIs and 32 extra-base hits to earn all-state. She’s also a key member of the PA Strikers squad which played 16U at both Triple Crown and PGF Nationals in 2017. At the 2016 PGF Nationals, the Pennsylvania standout threw a pair of complete game shutouts. Marsalo initially committed to Boston University, but recently found a home with Penn State. 

83 | Amanda Curran P/2B | Texas Threat Gold (Tennessee)

While holding down pitcher and second base duties for her Woodlands (TX) High team, Curran helped her team reach the Class 6A Texas state quarterfinals. A dangerous hitter who has power to go line-to-line, she batted .359 with eight home runs, 46 RBIs, and 22 extra base hits to earn first-team all-district honors.

Curran is a 6-foot power pitcher with sharp ball movement in the circle with a 27-4 record playing for the Texas Peppers over the summer before moving to the Threat in the fall. A leader on and off the field, she shined at the USA Elite Select in Baton Rouge last August, earning first-team All-American honors. 

82 | Felise Collins IF/OF | East Cobb Bullets – Schnute (Missouri)

Collins is a 5-9 versatile talent who one coach describes as having “freakish athleticism.” She runs 2.76 home-to-first and showed great power last fall hitting 15 home runs for the Bullets and stroked extra-base hits to both sides of the field. The Georgia standout batted .571 with 7 home runs for Peachtree Ridge High in Suwanee at the 7A level. Some scouts say Collins reminds them of current Florida infielder Jamie Hoover with more power. Collins has excellent athletic DNA as her father, Calvin Collins, played in the NFL for seven years as an offensive lineman and her mother was also an athlete. The junior had multiple offers from multiple SEC, Big Ten, and ACC schools before verbally committing to Mizzou.

81 | Josie Willingham SS | TN Fury Platinum (Tennessee)

Willingham has the athletic tools to be recruited as a shortstop or catcher. She possesses two high-level assets: excellent first-step quickness and a strong arm, which includes camp measurement pop times that range from 1.60-1.65. This past season for the Fury Willingham batted .375 with nine home runs going 9-for-11 in steals. As a sophomore at Jackson South Side (TN) High, she was named all-state after hitting .435 with eight doubles, three triples, and 34 RBIs. 

Willingham also went 13-for-13 in steals along with an impeccable fielding percentage of .984 on 124 chances. A two-sport standout — she also plays varsity hoops — Willingham was highly recruited in softball started in the 8th grade and committed to the Vols after her freshman year.