Top Uncommitted 2026 Prospects From The Chicago Metropolitan Area

Chicago and its surroundings may not have the year-round, softball-friendly weather of California, Florida, Texas and other softball hotbeds, but with Athletes Unlimited playing most of its seasons in Rosemont and storied college programs like Northwestern and DePaul in the area, the sport is as popular there as anywhere in the United States, and the region produces plenty of high-end talent every year.   Below, we highlight five of the top uncommitted 2026 prospects from Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.    Bertsche was named to the Illinois Coaches Association Class 4A All-State third team as a sophomore, as well as the Cook County All-Area team. She was also an All-West Suburban Conference honoree for a season in which she batted .392 with a .448 on-base percentage to go along with 21 runs scored in 22 games. Bertsche also hit 10 doubles and stole seven bases. She pitched to a 4.34 ERA over 51 2/3 innings. In the regional semifinals against powerhouse Maine South, Bertsche had three hits, including a pair of RBI doubles, and she also walked and scored the eventual game-winning run as Leyden earned an 8-7 upset win. That came after she went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI in a 16-1 win over Lincoln Park earlier in the playoffs. A left-handed hitter with a quick bat, Bertsche batted .426 for her travel team over the summer. She plays primarily outfield and third base when she's not pitching.     Rourke is coming off a monster high school sophomore season, batting .505 with a school-record 15 home runs as well as 17 doubles and 45 runs batted in. She was also 14-7 in the circle with a 3.11 ERA and 85 strikeouts in 99 innings, becoming the first Lincoln-Way West player to be named Class 4A first-team All-State in back-to-back years. Also a defensive standout, Rourke committed just three errors in 91 fielding chances at shortstop. A left-handed hitter, Rourke is stellar in the classroom as well, carrying a 4.6 GPA for her sophomore year. She is already off to a strong start this fall, homering on the first pitch she saw for her club team and hitting a two-run triple later in the game at the PGF Labor Day Tournament.     Kennedy enjoyed a breakout freshman season at St. Francis, batting .529 with an .897 slugging percentage and scoring 32 runs with 12 stolen bases in just 21 games. As a sophomore, she hit .515 with 39 runs scored, six doubles, six triples and four home runs, but it was her defense that improved the most—Kennedy committed just two errors at shortstop and was a Class 3A second-team All-State selection. At the club level, Kennedy hit .401 with 21 steals between the fall of 2023 and the summer of 2024. She is primarily an outfielder with her travel team.     One of the top players in Northwest Indiana, Stilley hit .457 with a 1.548 OPS, 11 home runs and 26 RBI as a sophomore this past spring. Despite limited playing time as a freshman (just 41 at-bats), she still hit .366 with four homers and 12 RBI. With two years of development still ahead of her, Stilley's stock is still rising as she enters her junior year as a big-time power bat and strong arm behind the plate, recently switching club teams from NWI Sox Fastpitch to the Beverly Bandits. Also a 6-foot center on the basketball court, Stilley led Hanover Central to a sectional title last winter, leading her team in points, rebounds and steals.     Rizzatto burst onto the scene as a high school freshman, with a .472/.548/.716 triple slash and 19 runs scored with just two strikeouts in 18 games. She was even better as a sophomore, batting .489 with three home runs and 33 RBI en route to All-East Suburban Catholic Conference honors and a second-team all-state selection. That stellar freshman year included a stretch in which Rizzatto hit safely in 12 straight games from April 10 through May 8, including seven consecutive multi-hit outings, and Joliet Catholic won all 12 games during her hitting streak.

Chicago and its surroundings may not have the year-round, softball-friendly weather of California, Florida, Texas and other softball hotbeds, but with Athletes Unlimited playing most of its seasons in Rosemont and storied college programs like Northwestern and DePaul in the area, the sport is as popular there as anywhere in the United States, and the region produces plenty of high-end talent every year.