Five 2028s Poised For A Breakout This Summer

Another season of high school softball is in the history books across the country. With every season comes breakout performances, either in the circle, at the plate, on the basepaths or with the glove.    Below, Prep Softball highlights five 2028s who put their respective state softball scenes on notice and are in prime positions to continue that success this summer.    For the third consecutive season, the Raiders of Ocean City in New Jersey posted a double-digit win total. The team won 15 contests and Leah Catto's bat played a big part in the Raiders' success. She emerged as a contact hitter by playing in 22 games while hitting over .500. This included 27 singles and nine doubles. Catto is part of the Newtown Rock National 14U program. One of her signature games of 2025 occurred in an 11-7 victory at Millville in early April. She had four hits in five at-bats that game, including two singles and two doubles. She also scored twice and plated two more runs.     The Warriors of 3A West-Oak in South Carolina have improved from eight wins in 2023 to 13 in 2024 to a 17-6 season in 2025. Having Kylie Perkins sport the West-Oak colors does come with plenty of perks, particularly at the dish. Perkins put together one of the breakout freshman seasons of any Palmetto State prospect, as she hit .333 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs. The seven home runs she hit led all freshmen in South Carolina. She also scored 16 runs and launched six doubles. Now a rising sophomore, she looks to duplicate that success with her Carolina Elite Child team, which is based in North Carolina.     Softball aficionados of Rush City in Minnesota have become accustomed to their Tigers putting together winning seasons. Lola Mold was part of a 2025 Rush City squad that won 20 games for the first time since 2016-17. Not only did Mold's 39 RBIs lead all of Minnesota among freshmen, but they also led the state as a whole. She played her first season in the varsity ranks as an eighth grader and improved from her .303 average in 2023-24 to a .456 mark this past season. Her 36 hits and 12 doubles were also impressive. Mold embarks on the next step of her softball journey this summer with MN Moose 15U Orange.     When a high school program is a powerhouse in Texas, that means a litany of talent has sported that team's colors over the years. That is the case for O'Connor in the San Antonio area, as the team finished this past season with a record of 21-4. Faith Mayfield's ERA of 1.12 ranked third among all freshmen in the Lone Star State, and ranked in the top 20 as a whole for a big state rich in softball talent. She also struck out 117 batters, while only allowing 26 walks and 14 earned runs. With the travel season already underway, she has the opportunity this summer to play for the Bombers Gold 16U National team.     Having a breakout freshman campaign and guiding your team to its first-ever state championship? That is the dream scenario for any freshman high school athlete, and Presley Sarono-Ramos experienced that championship euphoria this past season with a Sherwood team that concluded the campaign with a 30-3 record. Sarono-Ramos got the job done in the circle and then some last season for Sherwood, as she ranked second in all of Oregon in ERA with a 1.10 mark. She only allowed 16 earned runs, while fanning 177 batters, which was good enough for a top-10 ranking in the state. Sarono-Ramos also established herself as a dual threat by batting .422 with seven home runs and 38 RBIs. One can see why she is playing up with a 2027 team in Soar Athletics Premier 16U.

Another season of high school softball is in the history books across the country. With every season comes breakout performances, either in the circle, at the plate, on the basepaths or with the glove.