April’s High School Pitchers Of The Month

In 45 of 50 states, softball is a spring sport. As we prepare to turn the calendar to May, we are now at the point in the high school campaign when regular seasons are coming to a close and playoff softball is lurking.    Any team that has a winning record more than likely has arms in the circle that are mowing down opposing lineups. Even if the bats are having an off day, a pitcher's ability to send a team's lineup back to the dugout can lift her own assembling to victory.    Without further ado, here are five names that kept hitters guessing throughout the month of April.     Emily Needham's athletic schedule is taken up by junior varsity volleyball during the fall, junior varsity basketball during the winter and softball during the spring. A veteran prospect out of St. James (Alabama), Needham will call South Alabama her collegiate home following next season. The right-handed pitcher has been playing in the varsity ranks since she was in the seventh grade. Needham has led her Trojans team with an ERA of 0.82. She has also struck out over 300 batters. Needham added to her laundry list of accomplishments at the high school level when she hurled a perfect game against Tallassee.      Riley Miller will soon conclude her final campaign with 6A Hempfield Area before she begins her collegiate journey with Kent State. Her travel softball career included a stint with Team Pennsylvania. As the ace of the Spartans' staff, one of Miller's signature games occurred recently against Butler—she threw a three-inning perfect game during which she retired five Golden Tornado batters. Earlier in the season, Miller struck out seven in a five-inning no-hitter against Mt. Lebanon. The Pittsburgh-area standout has also proven she can enter a game in relief, as was the case in the contest with Butler. Miller's superb work in the circle is why the Spartans started with a 14-0 record, and why Hempfield Area only allowed 20 runs to foes all season at the time of this writing.     With Ansley Parr, a team can go far. Along with the stellar work she puts forth in the circle, she can also play first base. Parr is also a multi-sport athlete who competes during the fall months on the volleyball court. She finished last season having gone 17-11 with a 1.70 ERA. This season, she has posted a team-leading 1.75 ERA with 14 victories and 11 losses at the time of this writing. With her ability to come through for her team at the dish as well as in the circle, expect this talented sophomore to continue to be a sought-after recruit, as she will likely only get better in the coming seasons. Hitters are also prone to striking out when Parr pitches. She certainly stands out in a state–Texas–that is no stranger to producing Division I–level talent.     Following this season, Ava Goble will have one more campaign left sporting the purple and gold of Casey-Westfield prior to bringing her vast skill set to the college ranks at John A. Logan in far Downstate Illinois. This season, Goble has posted a 13-1 record with a stellar 1.62 ERA at the time of this writing. She has nine complete games on her 2025 resume along with striking out over 100 batters for the second consecutive season. Even before April, Goble struck out 12 in a 9-4 win over Waltonville. That turned out to be the first win of what became a 12-game winning streak. Goble played her most recent club season with Tennessee-based Flame Elite Midwest KV, which recently rebranded as Fury Platinum National KV.     Listed at 5-foot-9, Reagan Fleming is another right-hander who can also give a team plenty of time at first base. Fleming has really come into her own as a pitcher during her time at 4A North Creek in the Seattle area. This season, she has posted some of her best numbers to date—including her 14-1 record and 1.94 ERA at the time of this writing. Fleming has struck out 149 batters this season to date after retiring 190 last season. The veteran star from the Pacific Northwest is a major reason why the Jaguars are building on their 20-13 record from last season with even more victories this year. She plays her club ball with Washington Ladyhawks 18U Seeley/Haney as a two-way player. Fleming was one of our <a href="https://prepsoftball.com/2025/03/11/washington-states-under-the-radar-names-to-know-this-season/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">under-the-radar names to know in Washington State</a>. After the season she has put together in 2025, Fleming has gone from under-the-radar to household name in her area.

In 45 of 50 states, softball is a spring sport. As we prepare to turn the calendar to May, we are now at the point in the high school campaign when regular seasons are coming to a close and playoff softball is lurking.