Top Uncommitted 2026 Prospects From Southern California

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Perhaps no area in the United States boasts a larger collection of elite softball talent than Southern California, home to a mild climate year round and more than 23 million people. With numerous college programs in close proximity—including the all-time leader in Division I national championships, UCLA—young players in the area can stay close to home or leave the state for college, and top club teams like the OC Batbusters and Corona Angels are also in the region.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, Prep Softball highlights five of the top uncommitted class of 2026 softball recruits from Southern California.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":97378,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Madelyn Armendariz","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'5u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"30","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Orange Lutheran","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"OC Batbusters Stith","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672860de05238"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Armendariz was named to the first ever U-15 Team USA roster, winning a gold medal at the 2023 U-15 WBSC World Cup. She went 4-for-15 in the tournament with a double, two runs batted in and six runs scored. In the qualifying tournament for that World Cup, Armendariz had five hits in 10 at-bats, including a pair of doubles and five RBI. She also scored the game's only run on a passed ball in a victory over Japan to win the Utsugi Cup last year. For her high school, Armendariz batted .381 as a sophomore with a 1.002 OPS and was a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. She is also a standout in the classroom with a 4.5 GPA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":97380,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Savanna Estrada","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'6u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"31","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Aquinas","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"OC Batbusters Stith","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672860de05309"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">A 2024 Premier Girls Fastpitch All-American, Estrada is coming off a stellar sophomore year at Aquinas High School in San Bernardino. She batted .649 in 26 games with 15 doubles, 12 home runs, 50 RBI and 50 runs scored for a 1.337 slugging percentage and a 2.026 OPS. She struck out just twice all year and made just two errors in the field. Estrada's season included a stretch of nine consecutive multi-hit games, and she hit safely in every at-bat in five straight games at one point. She led the Falcons to an undefeated regular season and a 28-1 overall record. Estrada can play all over the diamond, including both corner infield positions, all three outfield spots and catcher.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":97382,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ryanne Womack","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"23","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Hemet","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"OC Batbusters Stith-Fernandez","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672860de053bc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Womack hit .517 as a high school sophomore with 16 doubles, nine homers and 42 RBI in 26 games, good for a 1.617 OPS. Opposing teams pitched to her most of the time—she posted just three walks all season—but also struck out just three times. Her future is as a position player, but Womack also pitched 54 innings last spring, going 4-4 with a 4.02 ERA and striking out 55 batters against just 17 walks. On March 11, she hit three home runs and pitched five scoreless innings in an 11-0 victory. Womack has taken visits to Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi State and Purdue, among other schools.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":97384,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ruby Grajeda","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'5u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"31","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Carson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"BSC Bengals Briggs 16U","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672860de05469"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Grajeda is an all-around talent who batted .465 at the high school level last season with eight doubles, three triples and 35 runs scored in 27 games, while walking more than twice as often as she struck out. Her team finished the season on a 10-game winning streak and won the Los Angeles City Section championship, and Grajeda caught fire down the stretch, going 22-for-32 with nine extra-base hits over those 10 games. Grajeda also homered twice in a game earlier in the year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":97386,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Cadence McIrvin","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"31","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Tehachapi","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-672860de05542"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">McIrvin was the South Yosemite Mountain League Player of the Year as a sophomore, hitting .527 with 18 doubles and 42 runs scored in 27 games for an OPS of 1.535. She drew 22 walks and struck out a mere six times. McIrvin was no slouch in the pitcher's circle either, going 6-2 with a 1.67 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 71 1/3 innings and holding opposing batters to a .181 average, while allowing just one extra-base hit all year. Tehachapi rebounded from a five-game losing streak in early March to win each of its last 17 games in the regular season, and McIrvin heated up along with her team, with 17 hits in one six-game stretch. McIrvin was named to the all-region first team by the Bakersfield Californian.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->