February's High School Aces Of The Month

The high school softball season has commenced in earnest in several states throughout the country. And in states where the first pitch has yet to be thrown, that will soon change in a matter of weeks—or even days.    With first pitches having been tossed in many areas, some states are already further along in their school ball campaigns than others. A few names in those states are already separating themselves from the pack as names to watch this season.    Below, Prep Softball highlights the five aces who made the biggest impact in high school softball for the month of February.    The Bobcats of Byron Nelson finished their 2025 season with a 16-12-1 record. Meredith Hambric's arm has helped Byron Nelson already nearly match its win total from last season, as the Bobcats have been victorious in 14 tries out of 14 this year. She has tossed 28.1 innings thus far, and has only allowed four walks to 46 strikeouts. Hambric has also yet to allow an earned run this season. She also recently reached the 100-strikeout mark for her high school career after fanning 69 batters in her freshman season. During her fall ball season, she struck out 28 hitters and opposing hitters only batted .023 against her.     Softball aficionados throughout Louisiana have become accustomed to seeing Kynzee Anderson sport the green and gold of Calvary Baptist Academy. Anderson is in her senior season with the Cavaliers, and she looks to finish with a flourish before she begins wearing Georgia's red and black. Anderson has gone a combined 49-3 the last two seasons, and has already been victorious in her first five appearances in the circle. She has tossed 25 innings and has only allowed five hits, two runs, and six walks to 44 strikeouts. Anderson has won five state championships throughout her career and is in search of a sixth this season.     A few months ago, Grady Beck Wilson made news across Mississippi when she committed in-state to Jones Community College. She recently hurled her first no-hitter of the season in a 5-2 victory over New Hope. That win would see Wilson strike out 13 batters. The Tigers of 6A South Panola have won 30 games in back-to-back seasons and have already been in the win column on seven occasions this season. Wilson first played at the varsity level when she was an eighth grader. This season, she has gone 5-1 with an ERA of 0.87. Wilson has thrown 40.1 innings and allowed only five earned runs and 18 walks to 65 strikeouts. She has also given her team a pair of saves.     McKenna Henschel is a multi-sport athlete who also thrives on the soccer pitch as a midfielder. South Plantation has jumped out to a 4-1 start at this early stage in the season. The 6A Paladins owe much of that success to having Henschel in the circle. Henschel is one of two team co-captains on this year's Paladins squad. She has pitched in all four of the Paladins' victories this season, and she's posted a 3.11 ERA so far. Plus, all five of her starts this season have resulted in complete games. Henschel's senior campaign has seen her strike out 27 batters in 27 innings.     Lila Morris recently began her freshman season with Riverside Prep. So far, she has made two appearances in the circle. The first would see Morris throw three innings and strike out nine batters. The second would result in Morris striking out 16 hitters in seven innings. Morris did not allow a hit on either occasion, and both occasions resulted in wins for her Silver Knights. That was a welcome change from last season when Riverside Prep dropped its first two contests and only scored two runs in both games. It was back in September when Morris clocked a personal-best velocity of 64 miles per hour.

The high school softball season has commenced in earnest in several states throughout the country. And in states where the first pitch has yet to be thrown, that will soon change in a matter of weeks—or even days.