Five 2027s Poised For A Breakout This Summer

When a team or player puts together an incredible season, the usual conversation that results is about how said team or said player will build upon that the following season. While those players are, of course, looking ahead to the following high school season, the softball calendar remains active.   Below, Prep Softball spotlights rising juniors who had stellar sophomore campaigns and are ready to translate those performances into bigger things.    Gabby Torre's heroics greatly improved the fortunes of New Paltz in New York this past season. New Paltz finished the previous season with seven victories, and that may not seem like much until one pulls back the curtain to see that the Huguenots won a total of six games the previous two seasons combined. Torre plays on the 16U team of the Montgomery Devils travel organization. This past season with the Huguenots, she hit .518, which was an improvement on the .391 average she posted in her freshman campaign at New Paltz. That included 29 hits, seven doubles, 24 runs scored and 18 RBIs.     We spotlighted this rising name as one of <a href="https://prepsoftball.com/2024/12/18/top-2027-prospects-to-watch-in-illinois/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Prep Softball's Top 2027 Prospects to Watch in Illinois</a>. Even though Haley Helm plays her high school softball in the Land of Lincoln, she is with a Tennessee-based travel organization in TN Mojo 2027 Fox. She slugged 13 home runs for Champaign Central this season, which was the most among Prairie State 2027s. Considering she increased her home run total from five as a freshman to 13 this past season, she is undoubtedly developing as a power hitter.     When one leads a state as large as California in any category, such as RBIs, she must be doing something right, especially as an underclassman. At one point this past season, Zowey Estrada led all California hitters in RBIs with 51. She eventually concluded her sophomore campaign by plating 62 runs, along with her own cleats touching home plate on 33 occasions. Five of those 33 were via the home run. Estrada concluded this past season by hitting .469 at South. Her stellar work at the plate included seven triples. The Cen Cal Dirt Dogs Lopez 16U product was part of a Spartans team that finished 19-11 this past season.     It was during the 2019 season when Bohemia Manor in Maryland last put together a double-digit winning season. The Eagles finished 21-1 that year en route to a 1A state championship. Then came 2025 and the emergence of Lyla Wescoat as a force to be reckoned with in the circle. Her right arm led Bohemia Manor to a solid 17-6 season. Along with the 17 victories Wescoat compiled, she also posted an ERA of 1.81 in over 135 innings pitched. She collected 173 strikeouts to only 17 walks. Wescoat is spending her summer playing for PA Chaos 16U National.     The Wildcats of 4A Wilson Central in Tennessee experienced a massive jump in victories this past season. Having a sophomore establish herself as an ace pitcher will typically produce those results. Jordan Hawkins posted a win-loss record of 16-2, which included nine complete games and three shutouts. Her 16 victories ranked second among 2027s in Tennessee this past season. Hawkins also hurled no-hitters on two different occasions, and was tied for second in the entire state in that category. Following the 2025 campaign she put together in Wilson Central blue, she has turned her attention to her summer softball slate with the Nashville Cruisers Holman 16U squad.

When a team or player puts together an incredible season, the usual conversation that results is about how said team or said player will build upon that the following season. While those players are, of course, looking ahead to the following high school season, the softball calendar remains active.