2028 Stock Risers From The Southwest

As the spring softball season winds down across the country, high school freshmen are making their marks on the game. From home runs flying in New Mexico to elite pitching in Arizona to all of the above in California, all facets of the game are being displayed by athletes who will only continue to get better.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five stock risers from the 2028 class in the Southwest.    Easton Spriggs had such a remarkable freshman season that it's hard to know where to start. The right-handed hurler ended her first-year campaign with 11 wins in the circle, good for third among all freshman in Arizona, along with 129 strikeouts and a solid 3.43 ERA. Perhaps even more impressive, however, was her performance at the plate. Spriggs racked up an astounding 31 extra-base hits, including 16 doubles and 10 home runs. Her 49 RBIs placed her second overall among all freshmen in the state, and her 50 hits were tied for first. She was integral in helping the Willow Canyon Wildcats to a second-round finish in the 5A state softball championships. She was also recently named the 5A Northwest Valley Region Player of the Year as well as a First-Team All-Region selection.     It would be impossible to create this list and not include Malie Satete on it. Last year, as an 8th grader playing on the varsity team for West Las Vegas High School, Satete made nationwide headlines for breaking New Mexico's home run record with 25 bombs. And that's not all—she also earned 14 wins in the circle and collected 143 strikeouts to help lead the Lady Dons to a state title. This year, as a freshman, it was much of the same types of performances. Satete was even better in the circle, finishing the season with a 20-5 record, 211 strikeouts, and a 1.30 ERA. At the plate, she hit 23 bombs with a .701 batting average, 61 hits and 71 RBIs. It is likely that Satete will have college coaches lining up for her soon as her stock continues to skyrocket.     Makinley Hislop did a little bit of everything for the Lowry Buckaroos during her freshman season. The righthander provided her team with plenty of support in the circle with 13 wins, a 1.96 ERA, and 163 strikeouts. However, she also made some noise at the plate, to the tune of a .455 batting average, 51 hits, 41 RBIs, and 15 doubles. Her wins and strikeout total for the season ranked first among all freshmen in Nevada, and her 41 RBIs ranked third overall. Lowry had not won a regular-season league title since 2021, but Hislop helped put an end to that drought. In a league-clinching three-game sweep against the Dayton Dust Devils, she allowed just one earned run in 14 innings and compiled 22 strikeouts. With the bat, she smacked seven hits and drove in six runs. It'll be exciting to see what she has in store for next season.     Continuing the trend on this list, Emily Mathys is another athlete who can seemingly do everything well on the softball field. Her 15 wins in the circle this season led all freshmen in Arizona, and her 138 strikeouts landed her in the top three. Batters only hit .243 against her pitching, and she held her opponents to a .287 on-base percentage. At the plate, she had even more success. Hitting for the Kingman Academy Tigers, she finished her freshman season with a .617 batting average, 61 RBIs (good for fifth overall among all players in Arizona), 50 hits, 16 doubles, 10 home runs, and five triples. She led the Tigers in nearly every offensive category, and helped guide them to a quarterfinal finish in the 2A state championships. To top it all off, she only committed one error all season. This is a player to watch for a number of seasons to come.     Moving over to The Golden State, Jiannah Freitas is making a name for herself at the plate. The freshman finished her first high school season with a .360 batting average, 38 RBIs, 31 hits, 24 runs, 11 home runs, six doubles, and three triples. In the most populated state in the country, she ranked second among all California freshmen in home runs. She also has a great eye at the plate, drawing 14 walks on the season compared to only eight strikeouts. In addition to her exploits at the plate, she also had 10 wins in the circle, a 3.93 ERA, and 43 strikeouts. When she wasn't pitching, she was efficient and impressive at third base, where she turned three double plays. A multi-sport athlete, Freitas has everything a college coach could be looking for.

As the spring softball season winds down across the country, high school freshmen are making their marks on the game. From home runs flying in New Mexico to elite pitching in Arizona to all of the above in California, all facets of the game are being displayed by athletes who will only continue to get better.