After contacting every junior college coach in the nation, conducting extensive research, and measuring the top junior college programs, we are very happy to recognize the first JUCO Hot 100. 

Many of these sophomores will go on to play at four-year universities and will likely be key contributors for high- or mid-major programs in 2019. Strong and competitive at their respective positions, these talented athletes hailed from all over the country.

20 |  Haley Johnston, IF | Phoenix College

After transferring in for the 2018 season from Eastern New Mexico University, the 6-foot-2 third baseman made an immediate impact for the Bears this season. She's among the nation's DII leaders in home runs (17) and RBIs (65), and her .462 batting average is the best on the team. With Johnston and teammate Kaitlin Dennis (Hot 100 No. 36) leading the way, Phoenix finds itself atop the ACCAC standings with Yavapai and has a firm grip on a trip back to Mississippi for the NJCAA DII World Series.  

19 | Michalyn Bingham, OF | Indian River State (Young Harris)

The returning NJCAA Second-Team All-American is legit at the leadoff spot for Dale Atkinson's’ Pioneers. Bingham finished the 2017 season with 48 stolen bases, eight triples, and a team-leading .471 batting average. The 2018 season is no different: She has swiped 32 bases while hitting a .541 for IRSC, which is looking to get back to the national tournament for the first time since 2006. 

18 | Emily Anderson, OF | LSU-Eunice (Southeastern Louisiana)

Anderson is a returning first-team All-American who had a solid freshman year, clubbing 19 home runs and cashing in 51 RBIs for the Bengals, who have won the last two national championships and five of the last seven. She is currently hitting a .381 with 12 doubles, 36 RBIs, and 17 stolen bases. Eunice is holding steady in the national rankings at the No. 2 spot going into the postseason and is vying for a repeat in 2018. 

17 | Karli Perque, P | Jones County (Univ. of Memphis)

Winning championships has been in Karli Perque’s DNA since before she took her talents to Division II NJCAA No. 4-ranked Jones County. The former New Orleans Advocate Player of the Year and strike out queen (329 Ks for Cabrini High School) has lost just two games in her two-year career with the Bobcats. Her flawless 23-0 record in her freshman year gave her the nod for the 2017 Dudley NJCAA DII Pitcher of the Year. Perque’s current 16-2 record, 0.84 ERA, and 8 Ks per game has Jones County in a good position for another trip to the World Series, a yearly occurrence for coach Chris Robinson’s clubs. 

16 | Briana Paysinger, OF | Tyler (Bethune-Cookman)

An incredible athlete from Hesperia, CA, Paysinger is a returning NJCAA All-American with all the tools to be successful at the highest level. The top returning outfielder in Region 14, she just finds ways to get on base. She finished her freshman year with a .445 batting average, a .545 on-base percentage with 48 walks, and a .703 slugging percentage to go with her 49 RBIs and 84 runs scored. In 2018, she leads the team in on-base percentage (.532) and runs scored (22) while adding eight home runs and 20 stolen bases for coach Maria Winn’s fifth-ranked Apaches. 

15 | DoniRae Mayhew, P/UTL | Kirkwood (Univ. of Iowa)

An all-around baller for coach Joe Yegge and the NJCAA DII fifth-ranked Eagles, Mayhew is the definition of an athlete. As a freshman, she hit 20 dingers while raking in 83 RBIs, notching a .440 BA, and scoring 65 runs. This year has been even better: She leads the NJCAA DII in home runs (23) and RBIs (69) while hitting .459 and slugging 1.113. Mayhew can certainly do damage at the plate, but did you know that she can deal too? That’s right. During the last two years, she is 22-2 on the mound when she’s not handling the infield and her bat. The Hawkeyes got themselves a good one for sure.  

14 | Chelsea Fagan, C/UTL | Bossier Parish (Southern Arkansas)

Her numbers are staggering and stayed steady for two years now in the junior college ranks. A returning all-American, Fagan is a pure and simple hitter no matter who’s in the circle pitching. She is leading the country with 35 home runs and is fourth in the nation with 78 RBIs. It’s a mystery why opposing teams continue to pitch to her. A catcher by trade, Fagan has a bright future at the next level. 

13 | Gabriella Zucchiatti, OF | College of San Mateo

The Coast Conference Player of the Year, All-State (North) Player of the Year, and NFCA All-American, Zucchiatti finished 2017 with a .547 average, 53 RBIs, 14 doubles, and eight home runs while leading the Bulldogs to a 2017 NorCal Championship and a trip to the CCCAA State Final Four. So far in 2018, she is again at the top of the Cal North Conference in batting average (.408) and RBIs (35) as San Mateo has clinched the conference championship and remains the top-ranked team in the California Community College Athletic Association. 

12 | Ashlee Snyder, IF | Salt Lake

A former University of Tennessee commit from Mike Stith’s organization, Snyder has made a name for herself on the JUCO scene. A Fastpitch News Preseason All-American, her sophomore year has seen huge production for the talented infielder. Snyder is leading the nation in RBIs with 88 and is fourth in the country in home runs with 24. Her .508 batting average leads the Bruins, and with just three strikeouts in 124 at-bats, she has become one of the elite hitters in all of junior college softball. Salt Lake is a first-class program that sends players to the highest level year in and year out—look for Snyder’s name on one of those rosters in 2019. 

11 | Lindsay Markham-Rosario, P | College of Central Florida

An imposing force at 6-foot-3 and throwing in the mid- to high 60s, Markham-Rosario has taken over the reins as the Patriots top arm and has lived up to every expectation. She is currently leading the NJCAA in wins (27) and her 196 strikeouts and 0.97 ERA are good enough for top three in all of Region VIII. Her experience on a roster filled with very talented freshmen has been a huge factor in the sixth-ranked Patriots winning the 2018 Mid-Florida Conference and giving them a shot at a trip back to Utah for the first time since 2006.