Top 2027 Prospects To Watch In Montana

Montana has unearthed some tremendous softball prospects over the years, and Big Sky Country continues to produce strong athletes. There's plenty of untapped potential throughout the state, though, and all it takes is one prolific season for a player to jump onto the radar of college coaches.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five of the top softball players from Montana in the high school graduating class of 2027.    [player_tooltip player_id='103875' first='AdaRae' last='Thomas'] came out of the gates as hot as possible in her first season of varsity softball with Three Forks. In a very talented program, she carved out consistent playing time both at shortstop and in the circle. Her freshman year numbers are staggering, and leap off the page in a way that projects well for her future as a softball recruit. She slashed a whopping .581/.653/.1.067 with a 1.721 OPS, while also driving in 47 runs on 43 hits, 13 doubles, four triples and five home runs (one of which was a grand slam). AdaRae did all of this while tossing 45.2 innings in the circle and striking out 63 batters. After earning a spot on the All-State team after year one, it's clear that AdaRae is well on her way to becoming a top prospect in Montana in the year ahead.     Tatum Bush topped the charts in Montana during her freshman campaign last season. She helped a talented Billings West team both in the circle and at each of the corner infield positions, ending the year with one of the top strikeout totals in the state. Despite spending most of her time as a pitcher, Tatum showed enough promise at the plate to appear in 21 games, working a .298 batting average through 67 plate appearances. By the way, of her 17 hits, eight of them went for extra bases, including six home runs. Though she needs to get her strikeout rate down at the plate if she wants to continue as a hitter at the next level, her strikeout rate in the circle was staggering. She fanned 135 batters through 81 innings, posting a 2.86 ERA in 18 appearances. Her powerful arsenal should continue to develop, which will allow her to truly become a top prospect.     Talk about making your name known from the jump and taking advantage of the first opportunity that's presented to you. Olivia Warriner did just that, as she was named by Western AA coaches as an All-State player after her freshman season. She was officially listed as a utility player because it's hard to pin down exactly where Olivia projects. But it's clear that no matter where Glacier needs to put her, she will be extremely talented at that spot and ensure the position is locked down. At the plate, she hit .500 through 73 plate appearances, driving in 29 runs with 10 doubles and six home runs. She got on base at a .549 clip and hardly struck out. So if the ball is put in play, the speedy Olivia is probably going to get on base. She projects as a top-of-the-lineup bat that can be plugged in and play well on any roster.     Ivy Runsabove is a two-sport athlete who has also found success on the hardwood. Outside of softball and basketball, she also participates in horseback riding. She's a true athlete who is in it for the love of the game, and she says it's her dream to compete at the collegiate level in softball—the sport she's played for most of her life. If her freshman year is any indication of her skill set, Ivy is well on her way to achieving that goal. Through 70 plate appearances with Billings Senior, she slashed a clean .500/.600/.500 as a slapper at the top of the lineup. She also possesses the versatility to play everywhere from second base to catcher, which is something college coaches will undoubtedly enjoy about her scouting profile.     We often like to point to statistics as indicators of who we think will project to be successful at the next level. But much of the time, the profile of a young softball player doesn't just come down to how she performed at the plate or how many home runs she hit. Such is the case with Laina Conard, who certainly struggled with the jump to the varsity level in limited time with Lincoln County last season. That being said, she still posted an on-base percentage that was 41 points higher than the national average at .444. This came despite batting just .231 for the campaign. That's partially because she has one of the best eyes at the plate in the state, and once she gets on base, she uses her tremendous speed to turn walks or infield singles into doubles, triples and runs for her team. If Laina can increase her power and find more green grass in an expanded role this season, she can demonstrate to college coaches why her abilities can translate to success at the next level.

Montana has unearthed some tremendous softball prospects over the years, and Big Sky Country continues to produce strong athletes. There's plenty of untapped potential throughout the state, though, and all it takes is one prolific season for a player to jump onto the radar of college coaches.