Top 2027 Prospects To Watch In Southern California

Southern California produces many of the best softball recruits in the United States on an annual basis thanks to its ideal weather and large population centers, and the class of 2027 is no exception. College coaches will surely want to be in contact with these prospects come next September.   See below for five of the top 2027 softball prospects to watch from Southern California.    Brown was a two-way standout as a high school freshman, batting .369 in 31 games with just three strikeouts. In the circle, she was 5-2 with a 2.28 ERA in 43 innings pitched, holding opponents to a .215 batting average. Brown closed out the season on an eight-game hitting streak that included back-to-back three-hit outings. For her club team this fall, she posted a 1.75 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 40 innings, with opponents batting just .181 against her. Brown's biggest strength is her positional versatilit —she can play catcher, second base and outfield in addition to pitching. She has attended camps at Kentucky, Texas A&M and Oregon.     Ford broke out with a huge freshman season, becoming the only freshman named to the CIF All-Southern Section team for Division 1. She had a 2.24 ERA and 140 strikeouts in 106 1/3 innings. In a playoff game against Great Oak, Ford tossed a complete-game shutout with 13 strikeouts and just one walk, and for the season, she limited batters to a .209 average. She was named the State Freshman of the Year by Cal Hi Sports, becoming the first player in school history to earn a Player of the Year award from the organization. Ford helped lead her team to the sectional semifinals for the first time ever.     King shined in the circle and at the plate during her freshman year. She had a 1.40 ERA and a whopping 195 strikeouts in 110 1/3 innings, with a strikeout to walk ratio of better than four to one. Batters hit a mere .139 against King, who also did not commit an error all season. King hit .400 in 29 games with a .962 OPS, hitting safely in 13 straight games from mid-March to late April. This fall, she had a 1.87 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 56 innings for her travel team. Over the summer, she threw a six-inning no-hitter with nine strikeouts and no walks.     Puppe put up eye-popping numbers as a freshman, batting .556 and slugging 1.086 in 28 games with 10 doubles, 11 home runs, 45 runs scored and 41 RBI. She struck out just seven times and made only two errors in the field. Her pitching statistics weren't quite as impressive, but she still held opponents to a .191 batting average in 29 1/3 innings and tossed a five-inning complete-game shutout in early March. Puppe had six straight multi-hit games in March, then hit seven homers over her final eight games. She was named to the All-Southern Section team for Division 2.     Hawkins hit .410 in her freshman season with a .967 OPS and 24 RBI in 27 games, striking out only three times. She was selected to the all-region first team by the Bakersfield Californian, one of just two freshman so honored. Hawkins helped lead Frontier to a South Yosemite River League championship and a trip to the Central Section Division 1 semifinals. She splits her time defensively between third base and shortstop, helping her team win 15 straight games between mid-March and the end of April.

Southern California produces many of the best softball recruits in the United States on an annual basis thanks to its ideal weather and large population centers, and the class of 2027 is no exception. College coaches will surely want to be in contact with these prospects come next September.