Five 2028 Outfielders Shining This High School Season

High school softball is finally back with most seasons well underway in the southern half of the states. From Texas to Florida to Mississippi, sophomores are matching and surpassing their numbers from their first-year campaigns and rocketing up to the top of recruiting charts.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five outfielders from the 2028 class who are shining so far this high school season.    After a solid freshman season with 19 hits and a .264 batting average, Nevaeh Garcia has nearly eclipsed or overtaken all of her previous offensive numbers through only nine games in her sophomore year. Over 35 plate appearances, Garcia has a .600 batting average with 15 hits, 11 runs scored, eight doubles, a .686 on-base percentage, and a .920 slugging percentage. To put things into perspective, she has already increased her on-base percentage compared to her freshman season by over 350 points, and her slugging percentage by nearly 500 points. She also has six more stolen bases and six more assists in fielding in her nine games. To cap things off, she has already drawn nine walks, three more than her entire freshman season, and has only struck out twice in almost half the number of plate appearances she had in her freshman campaign. You won't find any softball stat or category that Garcia hasn't massively improved in, and the season hasn't even reached its halfway mark.     Coming off of their first postseason win as a program in over five years, the Pinellas Park Patriots are off to a hot start this year, and Bella Birge is right in the middle of it. The Sunshine State native has a .500 batting average, and leads the team in runs scored (11), hits (11), and stolen bases (3). Perhaps the most impressive statistic is that she has yet to strike out in 22 at-bats after whiffing 13 times as a freshman. Defensively, she has been perfect this season with a 1.000 fielding percentage, after committing eight errors last year. She is quickly becoming as dependable a hitter (she gets on base over half of the time she's at the plate) and fielder as one could ask for. Her stock is only going to continue to rise.     Ralee Dunagan doesn't like singles; she prefers to go the extra mile and nab a double or triple. After an incredible freshman season, during which she had 18 extra-base hits including 15 doubles, she is well on her way to matching or surpassing that number as a sophomore. Over only seven games, she already has eight extra-base hits for the Curry Yellowjackets, including four doubles, three triples, and one home run. Despite being a power hitter, she also rarely strikes out. Defensively, she has eight assists already for the season, which are seven more than she had all of last year. Perhaps most importantly, she has kept the Yellowjackets offense buzzing. Coming off an astounding 54-win season, Curry looks just as dangerous this year with Dunagan and company.     Sydney Gurnea has been delivering in a big way for the George Ranch Longhorns both at the plate and in the field. Hailing from Sugar Land, Texas, the sophomore outfielder has been perfect in the field with a 1.000 fielding percentage and eight putouts in eight total chances. With the bat, she's been tearing it up to the tune of a .474 batting average with nine hits, eight runs scored, and three doubles. She covers a lot of ground in the outfield with her speed, and she's an accomplished hitter who has the ability to go with pitches and take them the opposite way. The Longhorns are a well-rounded team, and Gurnea provides stability in all facets of the game.     Heading over to the Magnolia State, Alyssa McMurtrey has already put together a legendary career for the Pisgah Dragons, and she's only a sophomore. Beginning in 7th grade and over a span of 83 games so far, McMurtrey has a .488 career batting average, 126 hits, 95 RBIs, 39 doubles, and 14 triples. And in that time period, she has only struck out 12 times. So far this season, it's been much of the same. McMurtrey has five extra-base hits in nine games, along with seven RBIs and a .516 on-base percentage. And that's just on the offensive side. In addition to playing in the outfield, she also racks up wins in the circle. She has a 23-11 career record, a 3.29 career ERA, and 138 career strikeouts. She is well on her way this season, with 23 strikeouts already under her belt, to match or surpass her previous strikeout numbers.

High school softball is finally back with most seasons well underway in the southern half of the states. From Texas to Florida to Mississippi, sophomores are matching and surpassing their numbers from their first-year campaigns and rocketing up to the top of recruiting charts.