Top 2028 Prospects To Watch In New Mexico

Try to recall your first day of high school. Your nerves were probably bubbling their way to the surface, the clock seemed to move in slow motion, and you had no idea how you were going to finish all your homework. Add playing softball on top of everything, and just maintaining your sanity feels like a tall order.   But for some athletes, the pressure and anxiety seem to bring out their best. In New Mexico, this is certainly the case, as freshmen softball players are having an enormous impact on their high school and club teams.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five of the top softball players from New Mexico in the high school graduating class of 2028.    There have been no freshman nerves for Jazmin Alcantar so far this season. Just 10 games into her high school softball career with the Gadsden Panthers at the time of this writing, and Alcantar has a .552 batting average with 16 hits, including seven doubles, two home runs, and seven runs scored. The power hitter also has an on-base percentage of .629 and an OPS of 1.629. Overall, offense has been contagious throughout her team's lineup. The Panthers have already eclipsed their win total from last season, and their 93 runs scored also surpasses last year's total. In fact, freshmen on the team account for over a third of all runs driven in so far this campaign. It's safe to say that Alcantar and her teammates are making an impact.     Fittingly located in Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico, the Capital Jaguars are off to a hot start this season, and Kaylie Sandoval is right in the middle of it all. The freshman has a batting average of .583, with 14 hits, three doubles, one home run, and eight RBIs in just nine games played. A multi-sport athlete in both softball and volleyball, Sandoval can play anywhere on the field and is also a power threat, as she has shown multiple times while playing for her travel ball team, Athletics Mercado DePaula, in nearby Albuquerque. Similar to Alcantar, she is among the leaders in nearly every offensive category for her high school team, and is definitely a hitter to be feared if you're a pitcher in New Mexico.     Myriah Cordova has only had 10 at-bats so far in her young high school career at the time of this writing. However, she has made each one count. In those 10 at-bats, she has seven hits, eight RBIs, and two doubles. In more definite terms, her batting average is currently a whopping .700. She is an integral part of a scorching Atrisco Heritage Academy offense that has scored 85 runs in its first six games of the season. Cordova leads the team in batting average and is second in on-base percentage. The freshman is also solid defensively, having yet to make an error. She is a player to watch if you enjoy quality softball.     It's not every day that a freshman pitcher ranks in the top 15 among all players in her home state in strikeouts, but for Katrin Marquez and her 28 punch-outs, that is exactly the case. Marquez leads all freshmen in New Mexico with that total at the time of this writing, but that is just the beginning of her success. She also ranks first on her team, the Artesia Bulldogs, in batting average (.533), on-base percentage (.611), hits (8) and doubles (4), and is tied for first in slugging percentage (1.000) and fielding percentage (1.000). She joins a Bulldogs squad that is used to winning—Artesia has made it to the state championships for the past 10 years in a row, including winning three straight titles from 2018 to 2021. This year, with Marquez contributing in every possible fashion a softball fan can think of, look for Artesia to be near or at the top once again.     Abygail Rodriguez joins her teammate, Jazmin Alcantar, on this list, and for good reason. Through 11 games played at the time of this writing, she is batting .467 with 14 hits, 19 RBIs, 15 runs scored, five doubles, two home runs and two triples. Her 19 RBIs are good for second among all players in New Mexico. She is also adept at plate discipline. She has already drawn 10 walks this season and doesn't strike out often. Defensively, she has the ability to quickly turn two, showcasing an accurate throwing arm that is an asset to her teams. Just like her teammate Jazmin, Abygail is already playing like an upperclassman.

Try to recall your first day of high school. Your nerves were probably bubbling their way to the surface, the clock seemed to move in slow motion, and you had no idea how you were going to finish all your homework. Add playing softball on top of everything, and just maintaining your sanity feels like a tall order.