Five Players Who Took A Major Leap Forward This Summer

Dominating through the high school season is incredible for any athlete. You get the chance to play with your childhood friends against rival schools for a quest to win the state championship. But taking your play up a notch during the summer in front of scouts and college coaches is exactly when players go from local heros to college stars.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five players who took a major leap in their game this summer season during club ball.    Megan Southward had a packed summer schedule with the Lady Dukes, traveling all across the country for tournaments every weekend in June and July. The utility player batted .467 with 20 doubles, five triples, five home runs and 55 RBIs with 25 stolen bases as a key member of a talented club team. In the circle, Megan posted a 2.80 ERA with 77 strikeouts through 99 innings. She cemented herself as a two-way star with strong defensive prowess and the ability to enter into the circle when needed. Megan is a budding talent with incredible promise.     From Florida to Denver to Tennessee, Makenzie Leidecker spent her summer traversing the country with the Birmingham Thunderbolts to some of the most competitive club softball tournaments out there. This summer, she built off a star-studded eighth grade season, finishing with a .914 OPS, 16 runs and 26 hits. Her team finished third at PGF Nationals, and Mackenzie demonstrated consistent clutch hitting against high-level opponents. She also filled in effectively in the circle whenever her coaches needed her to.     Janie Goldin is no stranger to lists like these. She's played well enough this year <a href="https://prepsoftball.com/2025/08/07/breakout-stars-who-put-themselves-on-the-map-this-summer/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to be named a breakout star by Prep Softball</a> and was a PGF All American this summer. In her team's three biggest tournaments of the summer (Show Me the Money, Sparkler, PGF Nationals), she never batted below .474 and combined to go 15-for-15 on stolen bases. Behind the plate, she had just one passed ball in 142.1 innings catching, and also participated in the PGF All-Star Game as a starting catcher. Janie couldn't have asked for a better last couple of months, and it's sure to be a major reason why she shot up recruiting boards across the country.     Adelle Metz played a huge role on a really successful Lady Sluggers team this summer. The team went 37-9 during the summer season, taking home two tournament championships, while finishing sixth or better in the other three they played in. Adelle took tremendous strides as a defensive catcher, turning into her club squad's primary backstop, while also sealing her role as a reliable bat that shows strong promise in translating her skills to the next level.     Fiona Brown's measurable skills were already well documented before she started her summer schedule this year. The outfielder was clocked throwing 56 mph with a 74 mph exit velocity at the plate, all while legging out a 12-second home-to-home time. She has elite skills and the style of play of an athlete who can be molded into a stud player. This summer, she batted .365 with 27 hits and 18 stolen bases, and also earned a spot on the Select Fastpitch 16U team for the coming season.

Dominating through the high school season is incredible for any athlete. You get the chance to play with your childhood friends against rival schools for a quest to win the state championship. But taking your play up a notch during the summer in front of scouts and college coaches is exactly when players go from local heros to college stars.