2028s With The Tools To Become Elite Recruits

With class of 2028 prospects just one year away from the start of their formal recruiting process, college coaches have had an eye on top rising sophomore talent for several months now. Those coaches are looking for players with advanced tools for their age—hitters with power, speed and plate discipline; pitchers who throw hard with movement and have a variety of pitches; and fielders who have a steady glove and a strong arm.   Below, Prep Softball highlights five rising stars from the class of 2028 who have the tools necessary to become elite recruits.    Mia West's high school numbers won't jump off the page. But she has been playing varsity softball since seventh grade in South Florida, home to some of the best talent in the United States. She posted personal bests in doubles and home runs last spring, resulting in a significant uptick in her OPS, and she also cut down on her strikeouts. West plays both catcher and third base, two of the most difficult positions on the diamond, and has an especially smooth glove at the hot corner, where she vacuums up ground balls, snags hot line drives and charges in to catch high-topspin pop-ups. She also has an excellent arm behind the plate. West can drive the ball for extra-base hits to both the pull side and the opposite field, and her offensive skill set should continue to improve as she gets closer to college.     Charlie Pendergraph already has two seasons of varsity softball under her belt, and she batted .370 with a 1.241 OPS as a freshman while improving defensively. Her power started to come along over the summer, when she hit five home runs and had 22 runs batted in. She can hit the ball over the fence to any part of the field, and when pitchers don't get their rise balls elevated enough, Pendergraph will punish them, with her exit velocity reaching 73 miles per hour. Her tall frame helps her take long, easy strides while running the bases. Pendergraph plays catcher and both corner infield spots and is up to 64 miles per hour with her overhand throw, to go along with an impressive 1.75-second pop time.     Tenley Lynch had an up-and-down freshman season, but with Georgia playing high school softball in the fall, she is already off to a much better start as a sophomore, with a .375 batting average and a .902 OPS through eight games. She has also matched her stolen base total from last year in a much smaller sample. Lynch has outstanding bat speed, with her bat exploding through the strike zone, and she will not hesitate to take an extra base when she sees the defense have trouble getting the ball back to the infield. She has occasional home run power, but is at her best spraying line drives between the gaps. Lynch also plays strong defense at both middle infield spots, and she has attended camps at Clemson, Tennessee, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Auburn to date.     Payton Cascio played at the junior varsity level as a freshman, but her stats show that she was clearly ready for varsity, hitting .527 in 18 games with seven doubles, five homers, 34 runs scored and a 1.558 OPS. Her height and strength make her power appear almost effortless, driving the ball over the fence with seemingly just a flick of the wrist. Cascio also runs the bases with ease and can lay off and spoil bad pitches as she waits for one she likes. She plays great defense at third base, with good range to all directions and the presence of mind to double runners off after catching line drives. Behind the plate, she is a good pitch framer and has a powerful arm making the throw to second.     Harley Juarez comes from the talent-rich Houston area, and is coming off a stellar summer with her travel team, including a 10-for-11 day at a tournament in Oklahoma City in June. Batting left-handed, she sprays line drives and hot grounders all over the field and can even deliver extra-base hits on pitches out of the strike zone. Juarez is an excellent defender, mostly at first base, where she ranges to her backhand side to catch foul pop-ups and digs out throws in the dirt from the left side of the infield. Last fall, she batted .508 in 59 at-bats without striking out a single time, driving in 17 runs with a 1.177 OPS.

With class of 2028 prospects just one year away from the start of their formal recruiting process, college coaches have had an eye on top rising sophomore talent for several months now. Those coaches are looking for players with advanced tools for their age—hitters with power, speed and plate discipline; pitchers who throw hard with movement and have a variety of pitches; and fielders who have a steady glove and a strong arm.