Watch These 2031s Before Everyone Else Does

With the sport of softball rapidly rising in both attention and popularity, players from younger recruiting classes are starting to receive a deserved spotlight. However, some players are still under the radar despite their great talent.   Below, Prep Softball features five players from the high school graduating class of 2031 who are worthy of early attention.    [player_tooltip player_id='181167' first='Braelynn' last='Whitman'] consistently displays power that allows her to watch hits sail out of the ballpark. She hit a big home run in extra innings at the Diamond Legacy Events tournament in Arkansas to help her Beverly Bandits squad to a championship game appearance. Whitman had to adjust to middle school play due to the talented pitching she faces on the club circuit, but did so with success, consistently logging extra-base hits. Whitman has plenty of future development in front of her as she continues to rise through her youth playing career.     A strong two-way player from a rich softball state in Tennessee, Alex McCool can punish in both halves of an inning. With her Athletics Mercado team at the Alliance Nationals, she hit .429 with seven RBI against quality competition. Facing hitters from the class of 2029 earlier in the summer, McCool struck out six batters in six innings and used her off-speed pitches to find success. She pitched eight shutout innings to open June, picking up two pitching wins in the process. McCool attended camp at North Alabama in June.     Casey Holtz recently crossed the 300-strikeout mark for the season and has more opposing batters in her sight as the year goes on. At the Storm Dayz 14U tournament in June, Holtz batted .500 at the plate while striking out 37 opponents from the circle, helping her squad to three big wins. Holtz also played up at the Queen of the Diamond event, where she struck out 26 batters in 15 innings of work. Holtz is also a threat on the bases, as she legged out three extra-base hits and stole three bases at the 12U Super Cup Championship.     Hollie Anderson is always a threat no matter where she slots into a lineup card. She helped her Bombers Gold squad to two tournament wins this summer by batting .455 with four RBI and played a solid shortstop during the events, recording 27 outs. At an Oklahoma tournament in May, Anderson showed off her consistency with seven extra-base hits in 16 at-bats, not striking out a single time. Anderson can do it all in the batter's box, and that makes her a key piece of any team she is on.     Whether she is at the plate or in the field, Ella Roche is a player who can elevate any squad. At the recent Owl City Showcase in the 14U division, Roche helped her Atlanta Vipers team to a first-place finish with a .571 average across the tournament. Playing on a great team with lots of talent in the 2031 class, Roche helped her squad win the PGF Super Select Southern Championship in May and was invited to the USA Softball High Performance Program selection event. As she moves up through the Buford ecosystem, Roche's skills will be sharpened as a result of being surrounded by top-tier talent.

With the sport of softball rapidly rising in both attention and popularity, players from younger recruiting classes are starting to receive a deserved spotlight. However, some players are still under the radar despite their great talent.