Under-The-Radar South Carolina 2028s Poised To Break Out

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Last season, state championship hardware was claimed in South Carolina by Latta (1A), East Clarendon (2A), Aynor (3A), Gray Collegiate (4A), Catawba Ridge (5A Division 2), and Byrnes (5A Division 1).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In addition, Holly Hill Academy (1A), Carolina Academy (2A), Pee Dee Academy (3A), and Laurence Manning (4A) were the four SCISA teams that finished their seasons with state wins. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the 2026 softball season across South Carolina commencing this month, we take a look at six sophomores looking to break out after completing their freshman campaigns last year. </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":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Bella Gowan","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'2u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"30","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Mountain View Prep","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Ohana Tigers","_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-6983b77f9d33a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Mountain View Prep debuted as a school two years ago. The Stars compete in the 3A ranks, and Bella Gowan has established herself as a star among Stars. Gowan competed in 18 contests last season for Mountain View Prep and finished her freshman campaign with a .400 batting average. She displayed her ability to hit for contact throughout last season , which was one that included her delivering two doubles and a triple for her team. Gowan also scored eight runs last year. In the 54 plate appearances she had in 2025, she only struck out on seven occasions and had nearly as many walks (four).</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":"Ansley Nesbit","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'11u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"24","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Lee Academy","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"","_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-6983b77f9d5d0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ansley Nesbit is a multi-sport athlete who has also played basketball in addition to her softball achievements. She stands at 5-foot-11 and can operate defensively at a variety of spots on the diamond. Volleyball is another athletic discipline Nesbit excels at. She earned SCISA All-State honors in 2025. She will enter her third season at the varsity level after beginning her career as an eighth grader. In 2025, she posted a .580 average with six home runs plus 28 RBIs. Nesbit played in 17 games last season with SCISA 2A Lee Academy and hit eight doubles in those contests. One can expect Nesbit's continued heroics to lead to more victories for the Cavaliers.</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":"Kylee Moody","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"28","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Fort Dorchester","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Berkeley Elite Myers 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-6983b77f9d6e5"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">In addition to playing softball at the varsity level for 2A Timberland, Kylee Moody also spends a good portion of the fall season on the junior varsity volleyball team. One can place Moody in a defensive lineup either at third base, in the outfield, as a utility player, or in the circle as a pitcher. Moody was also part of a Moncks Corner all-star team that qualified for the South Carolina Athletic Programs' 12U state tournament by winning the Southern District championship. Her play helped last season's Wolves improve from three wins in 2024 to 11 in 2025. Moody hit .424 last year with an on-base percentage of .604.</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":"Kaylynn Miller","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'8u0022","_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":"Lancaster","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Bandits National Brooks","_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-6983b77f9d7fa"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The Bruins of 4A Lancaster have steadily improved in terms of overall victories and region performance. Kaylynn Miller helped out in the Bruins' efforts last season to Lancaster's first season with at least 10 victories since 2021-22. Miller has displayed an ability to hit from either side of the plate, automatically giving her an advantage over any pitcher. She also displayed how she can help a team win from the circle as well, as she made 12 appearances last year and recorded 40 strikeouts. Miller has been playing at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader, and one can expect her to build on her .333 average she had in 15 games last season as a freshman. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["144653"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":156430,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6983b77f9d890"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">We wrote about [player_tooltip player_id='144653' first='Lily' last='Brinson'] throughout the course of last season, which was one that saw 5A Division 1 Fort Dorchester put together a 15-8 record. Brinson helped the Patriots make a 12-game improvement from what was a forgettable 2024 for Fort Dorchester. She is a right-handed pitching prospect who plays up in class during the travel season with USA Athletics Brinson 16U. Brinson has also continued her solid work at the dish. In the 23 games she played in last season, she built a .485 batting average with 28 RBIs. She also had an on-base percentage of .532, plus a slugging percentage of .676. </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":"Hayden Bright","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_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":"Dorman","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_program":"Carolina Crush 2028","_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-6983b77f9d99c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The cliches and puns about a bright future have certainly applied to this rising prospect from the Palmetto State's largest high school: 5A Division 1 Dorman. Hayden Bright has played at the varsity level since she was a seventh grader, and she put forth some of her best work in the circle for last season's Cavaliers. She made eight appearances as part of Dorman's staff and went 6-0 with an ERA of 1.93. Bright helped the Cavaliers improve their win output by seven over their 2024 showing, as Dorman went 17-9-1 last season. In addition to being a right-handed pitcher, she can also operate as a utility player. Bright's career resume also includes 12U USA Softball All-American honors. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->