Top 20 high school softball hitters in the country entering the 2023 season

Expect these 20 softball stars to excel on a national level at the plate this season
Top 20 high school softball hitters in the country entering the 2023 season
Top 20 high school softball hitters in the country entering the 2023 season /

WIAA 2022 Class 4A state softball action in Spokane, quarterfinals with Tia Milloy
Photo by Todd Milles

Winter playoffs are fresh on high school sports fans' minds these days, but spring is coming.

Last week we focused on baseball, featuring 20 high school pitchers and 20 high school hitters expected to be among the best in the nation in 2023.

This week it's the softball stars' turn. We started with the top 20 softball pitchers in the country entering the 2023 season, and now up to bat are the top hitters.

Ryan Brown, sr., UT, Independence (Tennessee)

Brown is coming off a junior season where she hit .627 with 29 runs scored, 12 doubles, three triples, seven home runs and drove in 27 runs. The two-sport star (basketball) will be playing college softball for Texas next season.

Gabi Comia, jr., IF, Hanover Central (Indiana)

Comia is a terror at the top of lineup. The speedster batted .649 last season, piling up 50 hits, 46 runs and 29 stolen bases. She aims to work on her power stroke the next couple of years before moving on to play college softball for Florida.

Renae Cunningham, sr., UT, Heath (Ohio)

After a dazzling sophomore year where she hit over .500 and had an ERA under 1.00, Cunningham really took off as a hitter her junior year. She hit .605 with 20 home runs, striking out only twice on the season. The Northwestern commit is a power pitcher and hitter, but her bat is what stands out most.

Sierra Daniel, sr., IF, Seton Catholic (Arizona)

Daniel is coming off a junior year where she hit .610 with a .680 on-base percentage, driving in 28 runs and scoring 53. The speedster who's heading to LSU next season had 12 triples and 24 stolen bases.

Hannah Davila, sr., IF, Wesley Chapel (Florida)

Davila’s time terrorizing Illinois high school softball pitchers has come to an end, as she moved to Tampa in the offseason. The Georgia commit has a ton of raw power and immediately becomes a favorite for player of the year in talent-rich Florida.

Amayah Doyle, jr., 3B, Carterville (Illinois)

It's scary to imagine Doyle showing any more power than she displayed as a sophomore, hitting 18 home runs and driving in 54 runs. The Tennessee commit hit .587 and walked 31 times, compared with six strikeouts. She also had 13 doubles and five triples.

Eden Echevarria, sr., OF, Antioch (Illinois)

Echevarria boasts speed and power in her 5-foot-3 frame, hitting over 20 home runs in two high school seasons batting at the top of Antioch's order. She competed for Puerto Rico over the summer in the TC International Challenge in Colorado and will be playing college softball for Wisconsin.

Kayden Henry, sr., OF, Dickinson (Texas)

Henry's batting average dipped below .500 for the first time in her three-year high school career last season (.444), but the electric athlete appears poised to end her prep career with a bang before heading to the Texas Longhorns. She's also a sprinter on the track team and one of the best defensive outfielders in the nation.

Anna Hinde, soph., C/SS, Charlotte Christian (North Carolina)

Hinde has put up big numbers as a freshman and an eighth-grader playing varsity softball. She hit .606 with 13 home runs and 41 RBIs last season after hitting .589 with eight home runs and 38 RBIs in her eighth-grade year. Hinde is on track to put up some ludicrous career numbers by the time she's done. 

Sa’Mya Jones, jr., SS, Dawson (Texas)

Good luck getting Jones out. She had an absurd on-base percentage of .701 as a sophomore, hitting .583. Nicknamed "Money," the versatile slapper/power hitter is already committed to play college softball at LSU.

Layla Lamar, jr., IF, Panther Creek (North Carolina)

The daughter of Duke softball coach Marissa Young, Lamar has been committed to Florida since sixth grade. She had an enormous sophomore season at the plate, hitting .680 with 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. Also watch out for her little sister Jolyna, who hit .493 as a freshman.

Nellian McEnroe-Marinas, sr., SS, Maryknoll (Hawaii)

McEnroe-Marinas hit .571 last season, and just like fellow Hawaiian Jocelyn Alo (arguably the best college softball player of all time) she’ll be taking her talents to Oklahoma. She led Maryknoll to the program’s first state championship last season.

Addie Mettler, sr., C, Pitman (California)

Mettler has played varsity all three of her years, and she's hitting .591 in those 40 games. The left-handed-hitting slugger set the school record her sophomore year by batting .727. She'll be playing college softball next season for UCLA.

Tia Milloy, jr., 2B, Redmond (Washington)

Milloy is third in a line of softball superstar sisters, and she might prove to be the best of the bunch. Amirah played at Washington, Kiki plays at Tennessee, and Tia has already committed to play for Oklahoma in college. The daughter of former NFL star Lawyer Milloy helped lead Redmond to the 4A state championship last spring, hitting .589 on the season.

Ella Parker, sr., UT, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (California)

Parker is an outstanding pitcher too, but her bat is her biggest tool. The left-handed Oklahoma commit hit .651 with 11 home runs as a junior, and in her three-year career she has a .671 batting average and 29 home runs.

Mya Perez, sr., 1B, Norco (California)

Perez is also Norco’s ace in the circle, but her bat is what Texas A&M liked most in signing her. She hit 17 home runs with 51 hits and a .676 batting average last season after batting over .500 with 11 home runs as a sophomore.

Kasidi Pickering, sr., OF, Atascocita (Texas)

Yet another Oklahoma commit, Pickering stuffed the stat sheet as a junior. She hit .608 with 59 hits, 52 runs scored, 49 RBIs, 28 extra-base hits, 14 home runs and 11 stolen bases.

Desirae Spearman, sr., SS, El Paso Hanks (Texas)

SBLive Texas' reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Spearman can do it all. She hit .636 last season with 24 home runs and 28 stolen bases, piling up 70 hits and scoring 85 runs while never striking out once. The New Mexico State commit also went 12-2 in the circle, striking out 155 in 82.2 innings.

Ava Venturelli, sr., OF, Taunton (Massachusetts)

Venturelli started for Taunton as an eighth-grader, switched to full-time club ball and then brought her power bat back to Taunton as a junior, leading the team to a state championship. The Louisville commit hit .457 last season with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs.

Kasey Wood, sr., UT, Bentonville (Arkansas)

To continue a theme of so many on this list, Wood is also her team's ace in the circle. But the Arkansas commit's athleticism will probably put her in the field in college. The two-time state champion at Bentonville hit .466 with four home runs, 22 RBIs and 39 runs scored last season. 


Published
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
MIKE SWANSON

Mike Swanson is the VP of Content for High School On SI. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.