Top 2028 Prospects To Watch In Mississippi

While many class of 2028 recruits are just starting their high school softball careers, some have been playing at the varsity level since they were in middle school. Mississippi benefits from a mild climate year-round, and the high school season there is already well underway. Several freshman are already making significant impacts for their high school teams, as they have been for their travel teams for several years.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five top class of 2028 prospects to keep an eye on in Mississippi.    A two-way star, Kennedy Trotter has been playing varsity softball since seventh grade and is off to an outstanding start as a freshman this spring. As of this writing, she is 5-0 with an 0.98 ERA as a pitcher with 54 strikeouts in 42 2/3 innings, holding opponents to a .167 batting average. She is also hitting .400 through nine games with 12 runs scored and seven RBI. She has impressive command of her pitches and spins the ball well, with a varied pitch mix that keeps hitters off balance. Trotter's velocity is currently in the upper 50s, but her club coach expects that to increase as she gains strength. She is a tough out at the plate and frequently bats in the leadoff spot, with the ability to hit for both contact and power.     Alyssa McMurtrey has also been playing varsity softball since seventh grade, and last year she was named to the Clarion Ledger's all-state small school second team as a utility player. As an eighth grader, she batted .464 in 36 games with 17 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 46 RBI and 41 runs scored. She was also 11-for-12 on stolen-base attempts, and in the circle she was 11-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 96 2/3 innings pitched. McMurtrey is off to an even better start at the plate as a freshman, hitting .571 with five triples in just nine games. An outfielder when she's not pitching, McMurtrey can spin the ball to both sides of the plate as a pitcher from the left side with a curveball and screwball.     Jenny Dreher's lone home run in her eighth grade season was a no-doubt grand slam that she pulled to left field, and she is off to an eye-popping start as a freshman. In just seven games, Dreher has four doubles and three homers, scoring nine runs and driving in eight. She walked more than she struck out as an eighth grader, showing impressive discipline for such a young player. She has not seen much work in the pitcher's circle, but was still 5-0 in 2024 with a 2.53 ERA in 19 1/3 innings, striking out more than two batters for every walk. In her game on March 1 against Center Hill, Dreher was 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and four RBI.     Anaston Christian already has a defining moment in her high school softball career, delivering a walk-off hit in the MHSAA Class 1A championship game as an eighth grader to give Pine Grove its first-ever state title. That capped a season in which she batted .351 with a .427 on-base percentage. She has quick hands at the plate and can turn on inside pitches and wait back on the off-speed stuff. Christian also has the strength to drive the ball into the gaps, and she is not afraid to jump out of her crouch to field her position. Her pop time and overall arm strength are pluses as well.     Private schools in Mississippi play their high school season in the fall, and Hannah Lowe, who had already put up stellar numbers in 2023 as an eighth grader, was just as good as a freshman. Over two years covering 38 games, Lowe is batting .634 with 10 doubles, nine triples, five home runs, 58 runs scored and 42 RBI. She also has 34 walks with just four strikeouts for a high school career OPS of 1.797, and she stole 23 bases in her eighth grade season as well. Lowe has a quick, explosive swing and is an excellent defender at shortstop, though she can also play second base, third base and the corner outfield spots.

While many class of 2028 recruits are just starting their high school softball careers, some have been playing at the varsity level since they were in middle school. Mississippi benefits from a mild climate year-round, and the high school season there is already well underway. Several freshman are already making significant impacts for their high school teams, as they have been for their travel teams for several years.