Top 2030 Prospects To Watch In North Carolina

North Carolina is a state that appears to have it all, with mild weather most of the year, varied topography and 15 NCAA Division I softball teams, including three in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With all those factors, it's no surprise that North Carolina also produces some of the best softball recruits in the country on an annual basis, and the class of 2030 is shaping up to be another strong crop of prospects.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five of the top 2030 prospects in North Carolina who college coaches should have their eyes on.    A multi-sport athlete who also shines on the volleyball court, [player_tooltip player_id='106491' first='Avery' last='Thomas'] plays two of the most demanding positions on the field—catcher and shortstop—and excels at both spots. She has a quick first step at short and a strong arm behind the plate with a 1.83-second pop time, pouncing on bunts and casually throwing behind runners who wander too far off their bases. Thomas is off to a strong start offensively this fall, going 3-for-6 with two extra-base hits, two walks and three runs batted in at a local tournament in September. That followed a summer in which she batted .311 with a .455 on-base percentage. Her speed is also an asset, as she can reach first base after hitting the ball in just under three seconds. Thomas has attended camps at Duke, South Carolina, Clemson, Tennessee, Florida and Florida State.     Carlei Whitted is versatile with both the bat and the glove. She plays both spots on the left side of the infield as well as anywhere in the outfield, and she has a nice inside-out stroke that allows her to hit slicing line drives to the opposite field. Whitted has the wheels to take an extra base when an outfielder misplays the ball, and her base-stealing ability keeps catchers on their toes. She is a smooth defender at shortstop and slashed .441/.496/.637 over the summer with two home runs, eight doubles, three triples and 42 RBI. While Whitted's best tool is her speed, she has plenty of pop in her bat as well, hitting her first over-the-fence homer at 12U in the summer of 2024.     A prototypical speedy outfielder and slap hitter, Avery Price can go get any ball hit her way in center field, taking charge on fly balls that sink fast in the shallow outfield and laying out for line drives slicing away from her in the gaps. And she can do more than just slap at the plate, driving the ball over outfielders' heads who are playing shallow, expecting her to slap or bunt. Price batted .555 with nine stolen bases and six RBI at a tournament in the spring, and she is an outstanding baserunner, sometimes stealing after the ball is thrown back to the pitcher if she catches the defense not paying attention.     Nicknamed "Jelly," Evangeline Pham is a slick-fielding infielder and catcher. She can fire a perfect strike to catch runners trying to steal second base, react quickly to sharp line drives at third base, and crush deep fly balls to the outfield wall for extra bases. Pham also stays back on pitches tailing away from her, hitting liners to the opposite field and taking extra bases if a throw gets away. She uses the whole field, recognizes pitches well and makes adjustments mid-swing, pulling her bat back in time to restart her swing on a slow changeup. Her exit velocity has reached 71 miles per hour in the batting cage, and she has been to camps at Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and Purdue.     [player_tooltip player_id='145894' first='Grayce' last='Clark'] has home run power that looks almost effortless, which translated into a stellar school season this fall. She hit .524 with a 1.734 OPS, eight triples, seven doubles, three homers, 23 RBI and eight stolen bases while playing strong defense both at shortstop and in center field. Clark has more than held her own playing against older players, batting .600 with a team of 2027 recruits over the summer. She also pitched for her middle school team and is just as capable of dropping down a perfectly-placed bunt as she is knocking one over the fence. Clark is a five-tool player, reaching first base 2.9 seconds after hitting the ball and rounding the bases in 11.62 seconds. Her overhand velocity has been clocked at 60 miles per hour, and she is an excellent student too, carrying a 4.0 GPA.

North Carolina is a state that appears to have it all, with mild weather most of the year, varied topography and 15 NCAA Division I softball teams, including three in the Atlantic Coast Conference. With all those factors, it's no surprise that North Carolina also produces some of the best softball recruits in the country on an annual basis, and the class of 2030 is shaping up to be another strong crop of prospects.