Underclassmen Who Shined On Varsity Rosters This Fall

February and March will be the months when the softball hype train begins leaving the station for much of the country. Softball aficionados understand that there is activity happening year-round.    This includes the few states where softball is a fall sport. With the 2025 season having come to a close in these states, a consistent story is how underclassmen made their presences known on varsity rosters.    In many cases, these underclassmen not only put together impressive seasons, but also helped their teams embark on deep postseason runs. Without further ado, here are six underclassmen who shined on high school varsity rosters over the past several months.     There is an ongoing debate as to if Buford is the best team in the country. LG Goldin and her Wolves helped their case massively following their triumph in the 6A Georgia state tournament at the beginning of November. Buford capped off an undefeated season with an exclamation point—a resounding 16-1 run-rule victory over East Coweta at the South Commons Softball Complex. In that victory, Goldin ended the game with a walk-off three-run home run in the third. She drove in six runs overall in that state contest. Goldin comes from a family of Division I softball and baseball players, and she is more than poised to keep that distinction going.      Kaiya Devereux helped her Holy Family softball team finish its 2025 season with a 4A state championship after rallying from behind to defeat Windsor by a final score of 7-4 at the Aurora Sports Park. The Tigers trailed 4-0 going into the top of the fourth before Holy Family tallied six runs in that frame. One of those runs was courtesy of a Devereux single to conclude an eight-pitch at-bat. Devereux concluded her freshman campaign with the Tigers by batting .434 and scoring 22 runs. She also collected 15 RBIs. We previously spotlighted Devereux as a <a href="https://prepsoftball.com/2025/08/20/early-risers-2029s-already-on-college-coaches-radars/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">2029 who is already on the radar of college coaches</a>, and that is sure to continue now that she has added a state championship to her resume.      The Vikings of Northwest have become accustomed to winning state after being the final Class B team standing at the end of the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Graclyn Simmons added another state championship to the Vikings' trophy case following a 4-3 victory over Beatrice. In that contest, Simmons tossed a complete game, while allowing only three walks and striking out 10 Beatrice batters. She concluded the 2025 season with a 2.13 ERA and 16-1 record. Simmons fanned 193 hitters this season, which effectively duplicated the 195 strikeouts and 20-1 record she posted as a freshman. She was also a problem for opposing pitchers, as she batted .440.     Gracie Blackwell's arm was a huge factor in why the Lions of Laurel Christian put together another superb season. Not only did the Lions win the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) 2A District 4 championship, but Laurel Christian was also unbeaten against district foes. Her freshman season included her going 13-3 with a 1.40 ERA. Blackwell only allowed 18 earned runs and 29 walks, while striking out 107 batters. She has now reached the century mark for strikeouts in back-to-back seasons, after having 160 last year. At the plate, Blackwell posted a .329 average, scored 29 runs and hit four doubles.     The Warriors of 3A Washington concluded the 2025 season with a 14-game winning streak and a state championship to boot, which was the 10th in school history. Payton Blackburn ensured her Warriors would be the final 3A team standing at Devon Park following Washington's 9-3 victory over Chandler. In that victory, Blackburn threw all seven innings, while not allowing a single earned run. She also struck out six Lions batters. In all three state tournament games Washington was involved in, Blackburn threw complete games, including an 11-1 six-inning matchup against Lindsay, in which she struck out 10 Leopards batters.     Emma Starke's star power continues to find new dimensions with every high school and travel event she competes in. Starke is a multi-sport athlete who also competes in basketball alongside her softball achievements. An infielder and pitcher on the diamond, Starke contributed mightily to a Linn team that finished with a 24-5 record and a perfect 4-0 mark against Class 2 District 10 foes. She hit just under .300 for the season with four home runs (second on her team) and a Linn-leading 29 runs driven in. She also delivered eight doubles (second on her team) for her Wildcats in addition to scoring 23 runs (third on her team).

February and March will be the months when the softball hype train begins leaving the station for much of the country. Softball aficionados understand that there is activity happening year-round.