Under-The-Radar Virginia 2029s Poised To Break Out

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When high school softball concluded in Virginia last June, Eastside (Class 1), Central Woodstock (Class 2), Broadway (Class 3), Tuscarora (Class 4), Midlothian (Class 5), Glen Allen (Class 6), and Bishop O'Connell (VISAA) were among the teams that achieved their respective goals of concluding their seasons with state championships.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>That journey for those teams, as well as every other one in the Commonwealth, begins again in March.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, Prep Softball highlights the 2029 prospects from Virginia who are poised to break out this high school season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Cooper Beatty","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Trinity Episcopal","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"LLG Futures 14U","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6988cef745db5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Trinity Episcopal has been one of the winningest schools as of late in Virginia's private school ranks. Cooper Beatty was the lone eighth grader on last season's team, and the Titans concluded last season with a 13-7 record along with advancing to the semifinals of the VISAA tournament. Beatty earned First-Team All-State honors last year in addition to being a USA Softball All-American. She previously played her travel ball with Athletics Gold Tamborra and has brought her talents to LLG Futures. Along with her stellar work in the circle, Beatty also plays third base. She is also a force to be reckoned with at the plate.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Gia Kalapinski","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Catholic","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"EC Bullets 14U Moore","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6988cef745e6d"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Over in the 757, the Crusaders of Catholic improved from a three-win 2024 season to six victories in 2025. Gia Kalapinski will look to help Catholic continue that upward trajectory this year. She previously played with Inferno Black 14U and joined EC Bullets 14U Moore just last month. Kalapinski was injured during the fall and was medically cleared to return to the diamond last month. She is a right-handed pitcher who can also play defensively as a utility player and at third base. In mid-October, Inferno Black 14U earned a 2-1 victory over Unity Chandler 29/30 14U. Both of those runs were plated by Kalapinski.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Liv Dietz","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"24","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Woodgrove","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"VA Glory National 16U Arneja 2029/2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6988cef745efc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 2025 version of Woodgrove may not have had the season it had in 2024 when it ran the table en route to a Class 4 state championship, but Liv Dietz is joining a Wolverines team that finished 17-5 last year. One element of Dietz's game that makes her especially dangerous is her speed. She can steal many bases and turn what would be routine outs into infield hits. Defensively, she can be part of a team's battery as a catcher, in addition to giving a team valuable innings at third base and in the outfield. The Wolverines' 2026 season begins on March 19 against Freedom, and one can expect Woodgrove to continue its winning ways with Dietz now on its roster.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":146432,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Claire Larson","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"20","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Potomac Falls","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Athletics Mercado - Elias 16U","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6988cef745f8a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700"><a href="https://prepsoftball.com/2025/10/23/top-2029-prospects-to-watch-in-virginia/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">We at Prep Softball wrote about Claire Larson a few months ago</a>, and she is certainly more than deserving of a bit more recognition. Class 5 Potomac Falls looks to be another of those teams on the rise across the Commonwealth. The Panthers won nine games last season—they won nine games combined in the three seasons prior to 2025. Larson can give a team valuable defensive innings in the outfield, but her bread and butter is what she gets accomplished as a catcher. The home run she hit at the Madison Small Memorial tournament a few months ago will certainly be the first of many as Larson's career blossoms.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kiran Lee","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Yorktown","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Rock Gold VA 16U Thys","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6988cef746023"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Kiran Lee played on the Yorktown junior varsity team last season as an eighth grader and displayed that she is more than worthy of the freshman varsity call-up. She was at the top of her team's batting order and put together a robust .694 average, in addition to a 2.10 ERA from the circle. Lee plays up in class on a Rock Gold VA 16U Thys team that only has three players from the class of 2029 on its roster. Defensively, she is a right-handed pitcher who can also play in the middle infield, primarily at second base. Lee will join a Patriots team that finished 12-10 last season and opens its 2026 campaign on March 21 at West Springfield.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Kaya Randall","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2029","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'9u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"EC Bullets Gold Ellis","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6988cef7460eb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Only two players from the 2029 class made the EC Bullets Gold Ellis roster this year. Kaya Randall was one of those freshmen. A skilled right-handed pitcher, Randall recently clocked a new personal best from the circle: 65 miles per hour. A highlight of Randall's summer included receiving an invite to the TCS Fastpitch All-American All-Star Game in Colorado. One of the events EC Bullets Gold Ellis participated in during the fall season was the Team New Jersey College Showcase. During that invite, Randall struck out eight batters and had a .422 batting average. Along with what she gets accomplished as a pitcher, Randall can also play second base. She once threw a perfect game with McLean Little League All-Stars during the 2023 state tournament. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->