Summer Stars We Expect To Continue To Shine This Fall

After a quick, but nonetheless productive summer for softball players nationwide, it is almost time for athletes to take the field again for fall ball. While for some players that means a restart after the grind of summer ball, for the players on this list, it just means picking up where they left off at the end of the summer season.   Prep Softball takes a look at athletes who raked in the summer heat, and who we expect to keep it going into the fall.    [player_tooltip player_id='107196' first='Caroline' last='Gatewood'] had a productive summer with Georgia Impact Hupp, especially at the plate. At the Owl City Showcase in June, she racked up 10 hits in 15 at-bats by maximizing her ability to use the entire field. And at the Premier Girls Fastpitch Show Me The Money Series, also in June, she finished with a .700 on-base percentage. Her speed on the bases is one of her greatest overall strengths. In her two full seasons with the Harris County Tigers, she has 22 stolen bases, with 19 of them coming during her sophomore season. At the time of this writing, she already has three stolen bases in the first three games of her junior year of high school ball. Do not count on striking her out much either. After having 11 strikeouts in her freshman season, she only has two strikeouts in the 94 at-bats she has had since then. She is definitely on track to have a big season this fall.     Hitting for power hasn't always been a part of Cali Bernat's repertoire, but it certainly has been recently. Earlier this year at the Memorial Day Madness tournament, she picked up seven hits with a .636 batting average and a 1.000 slugging percentage, while playing for CG Legacy Hawkins. That performance came after another tournament in April, in which she hit a long ball in the championship game. So far in the young fall 2025 season for the Barrow Arts and Sciences Academy Blazers, Bernat has nine RBIs, three triples, one double, and one home run in only four games. Overall, she has already surpassed the number of extra-base hits she had in all of her junior season. She has a career .407 batting average, rarely strikes out, and with her newfound power, she is primed to be near the top of several offensive categories this fall.     From the Peach State to the Sooner State, Trinity Stevens is beginning her junior season on a hot streak. Recently, in preseason play for the Alva Goldbugs, she compiled 17 strikeouts, along with a .933 WHIP and an opponent batting average of .232. Additionally, earlier this year against tough competition at the Top Club National Spring Invitational, she held opponents to a .222 batting average, and had a 2.52 ERA. She is able to stymie batters by working the corners and forcing weak swings, while also freezing them with a strong drop ball. As of this writing, she has yet to allow an earned run in 13 innings pitched for the Goldbugs, and she has helped lead them to a 3-0 record so far this season. With increased movement on her pitches and a strong defense and offense behind her, she is set for a strong season ahead.     In a spring and summer filled with highlights both in the circle and at the plate, Marlie Day capped off her time with GA Impact late last month with a 75-pitch complete-game performance. The uncommitted righthander has an electric rise ball and the ability to rack up strikeouts. At the plate, she has plenty of pop in her bat, which was evident by her three bombs in one weekend earlier this year. She also fields her position well, rarely making errant throws. At the time of this writing, she ranks third in the country in strikeouts so far with 43 Ks in 30 innings pitched for the LaFayette Ramblers in the early fall season. She is an excellent all-around athlete who is sure to lead her team this season and beyond.     It's hard to have a better summer at the plate than Kaitlyn Malone had for Atlanta Premier Elite. At two showcases early in the summer season, she had a combined 10 singles, six doubles, and 15 RBIs with a batting average over .500. Later on at the Southern Summer Showcase in June, she had a .560 batting average with 11 singles, three doubles, and five walks. Finally, at the Owl City Showcase, she had a .555 batting average with five doubles and five RBIs. The point being, this is a softball player who knows how to hit and get on base. She is able to generate power to all fields with her swing and has a knack for coming through in the clutch. In the first game of the season for the North Murray Mountaineers, she went 3-for-3 at the plate with a single, double, and three-run home run. In only six games played so far this season, she already has 12 RBIs. After coming up short of making postseason play last year, Malone and the rest of her team are prepared to change that outcome this year.

After a quick, but nonetheless productive summer for softball players nationwide, it is almost time for athletes to take the field again for fall ball. While for some players that means a restart after the grind of summer ball, for the players on this list, it just means picking up where they left off at the end of the summer season.