From Role Players To Stars: Five Summer Breakouts

Travel ball season is the perfect time to get your name out into the mainstream softball recruiting world. By facing tough competition day in and day out, athletes are able to put their capabilities to the test and shine on the big stage.   The players who made the list below were able to help out their teams and themselves at the same time this summer. See them below.    Zoey Coppess already knows how to handle the bat. This past season for the Frankton Eagles, she led the team in batting average (.413), on-base percentage (.471), and slugging percentage (0.478). In the circle, she had a solid season with a 3-1 record, 2.36 ERA and 55 strikeouts. This summer, however, she found a new level of success in the circle, particularly in the strikeout category. Playing for the Lightning Brigade, she racked up 100 strikeouts in 22 games over 59 innings pitched, including a 17-strikeout performance at the Hoosier Invitational. Not to be outdone at the plate, she has shined offensively, hitting for a .600 batting average at the All-American Showcase and blasting a home run later in the summer for good measure. If she can keep up her momentum both in the circle and at the plate for the Eagles as her sophomore year approaches, her stock is going to soar.     In her three seasons with the Quakertown Panthers, Kayla Scheibenhofer has been utilized for her fielding skills. In her junior year alone, she had 18 assists, 24 putouts, and turned four double plays. She has a career fielding percentage of .908, and is adept at holding down multiple positions. This summer, she found her offensive calling. Playing for the PA Mystics Gold, she hit .438, with seven RBIs at a tournament in Richmond, Virginia in late June. Throughout the weekend, her focus was clearly to put the ball in play, and it worked to great results. She used the entire field by not only finding holes for base hits, but by also adhering to the fundamentals of advancing runners and making productive outs. With continued improvement in all facets of the game, Scheibenhofer is an athlete to look out for.     Jordan Gerendash heated up offensively, along with the weather, and her numbers prove it. After having a career-best season for the Baldwin Highlanders, in which she hit .356 with 10 doubles and 16 RBIs, she kept up with her hitting ways into the summer. Donning a yellow uniform for the Pittsburgh Lady Roadrunners, she started off the travel ball season with a .462 batting average and an on-base percentage of .533 at the Laser Nation Showcase in June. One month later, at the Ohio Stingrays Showcase, she one-upped her performance with a .714 batting average and an OPS of 1.524. Perhaps most impressive of all is her continued improvement season after season. She finished her junior year for the Highlanders with nearly three times as many hits as she had in her freshman season. Watch for her to continue to rake.     In her junior year for the Papillion-La Vista Monarchs, Taylor Schommer picked up two wins in the circle and struck out 10 batters in six appearances, providing a spark for her team. This summer, while in the circle and at the plate for the Thunder, that spark turned into an inferno. At the Colorado 4th of July tournament, she threw 15 innings and racked up nine strikeouts to help her team go 6-2 overall. She also hit for a .500 batting average and knocked in six runs for good measure. A couple weeks later at the TCS Fastpitch Midwest Summer Nationals, she once again had an explosive weekend at the plate with a .409 batting average, one home run, and 10 RBIs. In the circle, she also continues to produce for her team, including a 7.2-inning performance with five strikeouts. This is exactly the breakout summer she was looking for.     Zuzu Kountz had a summer to remember for Top Gun National. After a solid freshman season with a batting average of .366 and 13 RBIs for the Mid-Buchanan Dragons, her bat has found a second gear. At the 2025 PGF Nationals, she had seven hits in 16 plate appearances with four doubles, five RBIs, and a .538 batting average. This followed a similar performance at the Top Gun Discovery Tournament where she had seven hits, including two doubles, and drove in five runs. She can hit to all fields and excels at going the opposite way. Her swing is short and quick through the zone, ideal for putting the ball in play. She also has some pop in her bat when needed. She is set up for not only an excellent high school career, but also a successful college showing.

Travel ball season is the perfect time to get your name out into the mainstream softball recruiting world. By facing tough competition day in and day out, athletes are able to put their capabilities to the test and shine on the big stage.