Five Hitters Who Always Find The Gaps

Coaches talk constantly about players hitting the gaps in the outfield. Hit the right-center or left-center gap, and you'll likely be standing on second base. Plenty of softball players who model their game after that approach have seen their careers blossom.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five top hitters in high school and club softball who always seem to find the gaps.    Arlie Tatum didn't strike out a single time this year in high school ball. That alone should land her on any list about the top hitters in high school or club softball. Instead of striking out, she collected 22 singles, 23 doubles, three triples and put 10 softballs over the fence. She's a top-of-the-order bat that has compiled a staggering OPS over the course of her travel ball career, and hardly blinks when the competition improves. Arlie is exactly the type of hitter any college coach would want in their lineup, and her .731 batting average shows she possesses the ability to be any team's leadoff hitter at the next level.     Payton Goldsworthy is one of softball's more talented two-way players. She's as good in the circle as she is at the plate, and she just finished up a season to remember. In 34 games for Lake Linden-Hubbell, she batted .650 with a staggering 24 doubles—which was on the leaderboard for the state of Michigan—with four triples and 16 RBIs. She's showcased extreme power and the ability to drive the ball all around the outfield. The ball routinely hits the fence off her bat, and Payton has the speed to use her gap-to-gap approach to take off for second and even third base.     It's difficult to be a slapper who has consistent success getting extra-base hits. Despite this fact, Ella McNiel has perfected a really difficult craft at a young age. She compiled an .881 OPS during the varsity season and batted .433 during the summer, improving her stats against much more difficult competition. She's a hitting machine who has the speed to turn routine grounders into singles, and when the ball finds the grass, she's off to the races. Ella is a rare kind of hitter who is only going to get better, stronger and more successful at the plate as time goes on.     Niayli Calvo, or Yelli, is a dynamic athlete who has already racked up regional and statewide awards, and only seems to improve as the years go by. After an incredibly strong freshman season at Vanden High School, she batted a whopping .710 with 18 doubles, two triples and six home runs this past season in just 22 games played. She has a compact swing that is a fundamental's dream. It's all about the process to the ball for Yelli, and the results have come fast and furiously for her. It will only be up from here for one of the top hitters in California.     Sarah Madrigal is your prototypical corner infielder who flashes strong leather at the hot corner and first base, and then comes up to the plate and punishes softballs. Her first foray into varsity ball this year was wildly successful, as she posted a .676 batting average through 22 games. She had 19 RBI, one of the top marks in eastern California, and tacked on a triple, as she introduced herself to East Bakersfield with authority. Sarah is a strong competitor with a talented bat that's going to lead her to become a prolific middle-of-the-order hitter for the rest of her career.

Coaches talk constantly about players hitting the gaps in the outfield. Hit the right-center or left-center gap, and you'll likely be standing on second base. Plenty of softball players who model their game after that approach have seen their careers blossom.