Top 2030 Prospects To Watch In Vermont

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Vermont is the second-least populous state in the country, and its climate and topography make playing softball outdoors difficult for much of the year. But the Green Mountain State still puts a strong product on the field each year with several players striving to play at the college level.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Below, Prep Softball highlights three of the top Vermont high school prospects in the class of 2030.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":155740,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Karlie Weir","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'7u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"31","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Bellows Falls","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Keene Junior Swamp Bats 16U","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696eaeabcf8bc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Karlie Weir fills several of the most important roles for her teams as a pitcher, shortstop and center fielder. She likes the ball up in the zone and on the inner half of the plate, where she can pull her hands in and use a nice, level swing to split the gap in left-center field for extra-base hits. Weir does not chase many pitches off the plate, and as a taller player, she uses her long strides to practically glide around the bases. She has the strength to hit the ball over the fence as well, getting to rise balls that are not elevated enough. Weir was one of the primary pitchers on her local summer team who had back-to-back undefeated seasons in 2022 and 2023, with her curveball — which breaks sharply both horizontally and vertically — as an especially effective pitch.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Katie Prue","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'4u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"31","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lyndon Institute","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Granite State Elite","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696eaeabcf988"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Like Weir, Katie Prue can pitch and play shortstop and center field. She has mastered the slip changeup, releasing the ball before windmilling her arm but still following through with her windup. At the plate, Prue does a good job staying all the way through the ball and getting good extension on her swing, helping her muscle the ball over the infielders' heads. She also takes off running immediately after hitting the ball without looking to see where it's going, trusting her base coaches to guide her. But she can also be a daredevil on the bases, drawing a throw from the catcher back to third base and taking off for home before beating the return throw. Prue plays clean defense at shortstop, keeping her glove down to field ground balls and stepping into a strong, accurate throw to first.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":155743,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Ellis Montgomery","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2030","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"19","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Albans Town Educational Center","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Vermont Storm","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-696eaeabcfa33"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ellis Montgomery is a two-way player who works hard to sharpen her craft at the plate and in the pitcher's circle. She hit her first over-the-fence home run this past fall at a Fastpitch Nation event after switching travel teams from the Vermont Rockets to the Vermont Storm. Last summer, she pitched her Little League team to the New England regionals in Bristol, Connecticut, using her rise ball and changeup to keep batters guessing. In a game against Maine, she got a pair of strikeouts to work her way out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam without allowing a run. Earlier that day, she casually snagged a line drive back to the circle, showcasing her ability to field her position. For Montgomery, that performance was just a continuation of what she had been doing for several years at the Little League level, as she was one out away from a perfect game for her 10U team in the 2023 state tournament. Montgomery also plays on her middle school softball team and is a competitive downhill skier as well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->