Top 2029 Prospects To Watch In Ohio

Ohio may not have the warm year-round climate of Florida, Texas and California, but it has long been a recruiting powerhouse in the Midwest. With strong Division I softball programs like Ohio State and Miami of Ohio, and many more in neighboring states, top prospects from Ohio have plenty of appealing college options. There are also many well-respected travel ball programs that give young players the chance to play with and against elite competition.   The class of 2029 is shaping up to be another excellent group of recruits from the Buckeye State. Below, Prep Softball highlights five 2029 Ohio prospects college coaches won't want to miss out on.    Nicknamed "Cheeze," [player_tooltip player_id='97842' first='Lalia' last='Mejia'] is one of the top offensive and defensive catchers in her class. Mejia's overhand throw has been clocked at 69.8 miles per hour with a 1.59-second pop time, and she is just as prolific at the plate. Her exit velocity has reached 77 mph, and she is coming off a summer in which she batted .412 with a .765 slugging percentage, nine doubles, three triples and three home runs. Arguably Mejia's best skill is her pitch-framing ability, often stealing strikes well off the plate for her pitchers. She has frequently played up on older teams in the Lady Dukes organization without missing a beat. Mejia has big-time power and can flash the leather at second base when she gets a break from catching.     A multi-sport athlete currently playing on her school's varsity basketball team as a freshman, [player_tooltip player_id='103649' first='Logan' last='Donaldson'] excels across the board on the softball diamond. She helped her Ohio Hawks National club team finish undefeated at the Scenic City 16U Super Pool in November, hitting .600 with a .714 on-base percentage, a triple, five runs scored and two stolen bases, including a steal of home. She also had a perfect fielding percentage at the event, fielding balls cleanly at shortstop and making strong, accurate throws. Donaldson bats from the left side and can bunt, slap or hit away, lacing extra-base hits into the power alleys and using her speed to make fielders hurry. She occasionally fills in at catcher, blocking balls in the dirt well and leaping out of her crouch to pounce on slow dribblers out in front of the plate.     [player_tooltip player_id='143873' first='Morgan' last='Persinger'] plays multiple premium defensive positions well, sliding in her shin guards to catch bunt pop-ups from behind the plate and also playing a solid second base. She has outstanding pitch recognition skills, waiting back on changeups and driving them into the outfield, and she is also a heads-up baserunner, moving up an extra 60 feet when a ball is even slightly bobbled or thrown to the wrong base. A strong showing at the D1 Super Select Showcase over the summer helped Persinger raise her profile — she delivered multiple solid hits while showing off her range as an infielder. Persinger has kept up her excellent play in the fall, with four hits in six at-bats at a late-October tournament shortly after switching club teams, joining the Athletics Mercado organization.     An all-around talent on the field and in the classroom, [player_tooltip player_id='147904' first='Audree' last='Schaefer'] had 30 hits and 31 runs batted in this fall, but it's her defense that particularly stands out on film. She receives the ball as well as just about any catcher her age, presenting borderline pitches convincingly to umpires and helping her pitchers get a few extra called strikes. At both catcher and first base, Schaefer does a fantastic job picking balls in the dirt and bailing out her teammates, essentially serving as a human backstop. She uses the whole field offensively, crushing hot line drives and ground balls that hardly any infielders are fast enough to react to. Schaefer hit .625 at the Fire in the Sky tournament over the Fourth of July weekend, then was 7-for-11 with a pair of doubles against 16U and 18U competition later that month. She is also a basketball player and takes her studies seriously, carrying a 4.25 GPA.     Like her high school teammate, Donaldson, Kyleigh Simmons is a triple threat offensively who can bunt, slap and swing away. She is coming off a busy summer, highlighted by her performance at the Triple Crown World Series in Savannah, Georgia. Simmons places the ball with precision, using her outstanding bat control to find the holes between the infielders and get herself on base. When the infield overplays the slap, Simmons can pull a fly ball over the outfielders' heads, which with her speed is almost an automatic triple. She takes extra bases with no hesitation and has a complete spray chart, with her hits going from one foul line to the other and everywhere in between. Primarily an outfielder, Simmons also plays second base, and she has a cannon for an arm, gunning down runners trying to score from left field with ease. She has attended camps at Old Dominion and Ohio University within the last few months.

Ohio may not have the warm year-round climate of Florida, Texas and California, but it has long been a recruiting powerhouse in the Midwest. With strong Division I softball programs like Ohio State and Miami of Ohio, and many more in neighboring states, top prospects from Ohio have plenty of appealing college options. There are also many well-respected travel ball programs that give young players the chance to play with and against elite competition.