Dual-Threat 2029s Making Noise In The Circle, At The Plate

Contributing on both sides of the diamond is key for softball recruits to grow into must-have talents. The balance of practicing both pitching and hitting can be daunting, but it's something that college coaches want to see from an early age.   These five players in the class of 2029 are doing just that, and in the process, they're raising their stock as prospects each year.    Jayelyn Luft wants to play college softball at a high level, and at this rate, she's going to be someone top programs fight over. The 5-foot-10 freshman from Pennsylvania is a batting threat with a huge arm in the circle. This fall through 16 innings, she hasn't allowed a run, posting a .059 batting average against after two top-ranking tournaments. This spring, she batted .476 with 13 RBI and an OPS of 1.000. Jayelyn is incredibly athletic, dedicated to improving both as a power bat and an ace pitcher, and is already knocking off some of the best competition in the Midwest.     Cordtney Galoia is the quintessential power bat, power arm combo player who college coaches love to scout and sign. She's developed an incredible ability to hit the long ball, and absolutely blows away her competition in the circle. This fall, she's batting .491 with four doubles and nine homers, which set a single-season school record. Cordtney couples that performance with 61 innings pitched and 50 strikeouts in the circle, using her flame-thrower approach and deep arsenal to dominate the opposition. With more time honing her skills and fine-tuning her game, she has the potential to be a must-have prospect from Georgia.     Mylee Jensen broke onto the varsity team this fall and hit the ground running. In 29 games before she was even a true freshman at Pawhuska High School in Oklahoma, Mylee batted .333 with 22 RBI and five doubles, while only striking out nine times in 96 plate appearances. She also found her way into the rotation, posting a 1.10 ERA and a 10-4 record in 21 relief outings. That's the type of freshman performance that grabs the attention of college coaches. Mylee looks to have a tremendously successful high school career ahead of her, and with more improvement in the batter's box, she can quickly rise through the prospect ranks in Oklahoma.     Jules Severson is yet another rising star from the Midwest who jumped right into high-level play from a young age and excelled. This fall, Jules got her first taste of varsity softball, and it looks like she won't spend very much time off the varsity roster going forward. In 21 games, she slashed .379/.471/.621 with eight RBI, four doubles and a home run. Despite not yet starting a game, she finished the year with a 2.24 ERA and 60 strikeouts. Her command at both the plate and in the circle do need some work, but she has time to fix it and laid a tremendous foundation this fall.     Bailey Gurley is and will remain a prospect to watch. The three-sport athlete from McDonough, Georgia, has her sights set high and the work ethic to reach them. She wants to stay in SEC country and play for teams like Alabama, Oklahoma or Texas. Bailey is incredibly athletic, versatile in the field and a quick learner. She's an extra-base machine who is certainly going to grow into a home run threat and middle-of-the-order bat that her teams love to have. Though she struggled a bit in her first experiences in the circle in varsity ball, Bailey commands a strong arsenal and great pitch mix that is sure to further develop as time passes.

Contributing on both sides of the diamond is key for softball recruits to grow into must-have talents. The balance of practicing both pitching and hitting can be daunting, but it's something that college coaches want to see from an early age.