Top 2028 Prospects To Watch In Indiana

It's never too early to think about softball's future stars, especially while the sport continues to grow in popularity. And Indiana has plenty of youth talent throughout the state, from Terre Haute to Crown Point.   Below, Prep Softball highlights the top softball players in Indiana from the high school graduating class of 2028.    The first thing to know about Grace Gabriel is that she has quick hands. She has the ability to get on top of pitches near her eyes. She also has quick feet and is able to race from home to first base in under three seconds. In the circle, she has three quality pitches—a fastball, a rise and a changeup. The rise, which clocks in at over 50 mph, has some giddy-up to it, fooling hitters into thinking it's a hittable pitch. The changeup, on the other hand, has the potential to be a knee-buckler. Grace is also an excellent student in the classroom with a GPA of 4.0. We believe she will be a star for the Wheeler Bearcats, which is a program that is coming off a successful season, allowing only 49 runs.     Once you see Emma's front foot tap in the batter's box, you know what's coming. Her swing is quick, yet explosive, and the ball jumps off her bat. A multi-sport athlete in softball and soccer, she effectively uses her legs and timing at the plate, and has all the makings of a good power hitter. Her arm accuracy is also impressive, and is certainly suitable for third base. She is adept at picking up short hops with her backhand and has a quick release. Another excellent student, the Penn program is getting a well-rounded student-athlete this season.     As a member of the recently crowned 14U USSSA national championship team, Samarra is already used to playing in big moments. Perhaps that's why she is also a patient hitter. With a calm demeanor in the batter's box, Samarra led all Indiana Magic Gold (IMG) players this past travel season with 13 walks. She also had 10 singles, four doubles and a triple. The Terre Haute native also has some hops and is not afraid to leap to grab a line drive. A three-sport athlete in softball, basketball and track, there's a lot to like in Samarra's game.     Another member of the IMG 2010 Hoggatt squad, Sophia is all you could ask for in a hitter. She regularly gets on base, hits for power and has a knack for working the count. She achieved an on-base percentage of .464 this past season for IMG, led all IMG players in doubles with eight and had an overall batting average of .417. She has an impressive, fluid swing, and can drive the ball to the gap, and also over the wall. Sophia was recently invited to the 2024 USA Softball High Performance Program National Selection Event in Florida, proving she is a top player to keep an eye on in the Hoosier State.     It would be unwise to try to steal a base on Shea Crawford. She has a pop time of 1.83 seconds, which is more than enough time to throw out most potential base stealers. Her arm strength is stellar as well, regularly hitting above 55 mph. To put things into perspective, earlier this year at the USSSA SE Nationals, in 16 innings, no opponent attempted to steal on her. In the batter's box, when she gets to extension, the ball flies off her bat. By playing both volleyball and softball, she utilizes her arm strength at opportune times. She will be a valuable player to have on a college team someday.

It's never too early to think about softball's future stars, especially while the sport continues to grow in popularity. And Indiana has plenty of youth talent throughout the state, from Terre Haute to Crown Point.