Top 2028 Prospects To Watch In Rhode Island

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>April kicked off the start of the high school softball season in Rhode Island, which included the beginnings of the careers of several talented freshmen. Now more than ever, freshmen are playing integral roles on varsity squads in Rhode Island. The Ocean State may be best known for its beaches and small towns, but it's also a hotbed for up-and-coming softball talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, Prep Softball highlights five of the top prospects from Rhode Island in the high school graduating class of 2028.</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":105185,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ella Mezzanotte","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"North Kingstown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Hops Fastpitch","_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-67eeea4cf067b"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">With a hop and a skip, Ella Mezzanotte is turning heads in Rhode Island. In her first game for the North Kingstown Skippers, Ella went 2-for-3, scored two runs, and had a sac bunt to top it off. She also provides the Skippers with some depth in the circle, as they look to build off an appearance in the playoffs last season. At the plate, with her upper cut swing, look for Mezzanotte to be focused on driving balls to the gaps and racking up doubles. She currently ranks second on her team in batting average and third in on-base percentage. Her .667 batting average is also third among all freshmen in the state. It pays to have someone on the team who can deliver both in the circle and with the bat.</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":105193,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Lena Paniccia","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"28","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Prout","_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-67eeea4cf0732"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Much like Mezzanotte, Lena Paniccia has made her at-bats count so far in her young high school softball career. In her first two games for the Prout Crusaders, Paniccia went 2-for-4, scored one run, and had an on-base percentage of .500 and an OPS of 1.000 at the time of this writing. She currently ranks second on the team in batting average (fourth overall among freshmen statewide), and third in slugging percentage. The Crusaders have gotten off to a dominant start in 2025, outscoring their opponents 21-2 in their first two games, and are also coming off the most successful season in team history. With an impressive offense and a number of talented freshmen, including Paniccia, the Crusaders are set for another strong campaign this 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":105195,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Amelia Fries","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"21","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"North Kingstown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Fury Platinum 18U Morgan","_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-67eeea4cf07bf"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Amelia Fries joins her Skippers teammate Ella Mezzanotte on this list, and does so largely because she can really swing the bat. She can hit for power (she hit more than a couple of dingers and a number of doubles for her travel ball team, Fury Platinum, last year), and she can simply get on base at a very high clip. In her first game for the Skippers, she had two hits, drove in three runs, and was active defensively, totaling six putouts. She currently leads her team in RBIs as well. In addition to playing first base, she can also hold down the outfield positions, making her a versatile team player.</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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Taylor Kane","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Shea","_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-67eeea4cf0852"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Taylor Kane does it all for the Shea Raiders. In just two games played at the time of this writing, she had a batting average of .750 with three hits, including a double, five RBIs, four runs scored, and three walks. She currently leads the Raiders in batting average, on-base percentage, hits, and RBIs. However, what makes Kane unique is that she also leads her team in another category: ERA. Kane started the first two games in the circle for the Raiders this season, and posted a 1-1 record with 11 strikeouts and a solid 4.74 ERA to lead all freshmen in the state. Shea is looking to accomplish some big goals this year, with Kane playing an integral role in the team's overall success.</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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Evelyn Schmidt","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"24","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Portsmouth","_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-67eeea4cf08d5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">To put it simply, as of the writing of this article, Evelyn Schmidt had yet to make an out. She was 4-for-4 in six plate appearances with four hits, six RBIs, three doubles, and two walks to start the 2025 campaign. She reached base every time she came up to the plate in that stretch for the Portsmouth Patriots. It goes without saying that she was tied for first among all players statewide in batting average and on-base percentage. However, she was also tied for third statewide in RBIs as well. To top it all off, she also had three stolen bases. If there were any nerves for Evelyn coming into the season, it's clear that they wore off quickly. She is a great addition for the Patriots, who returned to the softball field this season after posting their highest win total in over 10 years in 2024.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->