10 Top Performers From Boulder IDT In The 2028 Class

In one of the marquee events of the summer, 216 teams representing 92 travel softball organizations from 34 different states descended on Colorado for the Boulder Independence Day Tournament, with college coaches from all across the country in attendance. Most of those coaches were there to scout the 2028 prospects, as the formal recruiting period for that class nears on September 1.   Coaches likely came away impressed by almost everyone they saw, but these 10 players in particular stood out. With power displays, gutsy pitching performances, heads-up baserunning, and game-changing defense, these prospects are surely leaving Colorado feeling rightfully proud of their performances as they head into their final summer tournaments and prepare for the fall.    A tall right-hander with the Atlanta Vipers 2028 - Bratton team, Emme Hackworth did an excellent job mixing speeds and had good movement on her pitches — no easy task in the thin Colorado air. Hackworth generated swings and misses in helping her team to a win on the first day of the tournament, working in a changeup and a rise ball. She also did a nice job fielding her position.   "She had a target school here watching her, so the pressure was increased a little bit, so to see her perform like that in the circle and set the tone was really good," Hackworth's coach, Rob Bratton, said.   Hackworth performed at the plate as well, hitting a home run on each of the first four days of the event. She is a true two-way talent who should have no problem finding a home at the next level.     Andrea Dalberg's leadership skills shine through on the diamond for her American Freedom 16U National Select team. At first base, she takes charge on pop-ups, vocally calling for the ball and making sure she stays out of collisions with her teammates. Offensively, even after making an out, Dalberg is always passing information on the pitcher to the on-deck batter and offering encouragement. Her height makes her an ideal fit at first base, but she also spends time behind the plate as a rare left-handed catcher. Dalberg has prodigious pull-side power, hitting multiple postseason home runs for her high school this past spring, and she is a standout in the classroom as well, carrying a 4.28 GPA.     Natalia Wu is a two-way star for Beverly Bandits Komara Premier 16U, and she showed off on both sides on the first day of the tournament at Clark Centennial Fields in Longmont. She started things off with a three-run home run over the wall in straightaway center field, then picked up a pair of strikeouts on a drop ball in the dirt and a curve, the latter of which got her out of a tight spot. Wu plays in the outfield when she is not in the circle and routinely faces high-level competition at the high school level in Southern California. Her strong performances continued throughout the week, helping her Bandits finish tied for fifth place out of 56 teams in the 16U bracket.     Playing for the California Cruisers, Charlotte Cannington got off to a strong start in Colorado, working a long at-bat in her second game Wednesday and capping it with a sharp single up the middle. She later made a nice running catch in right field to take away a potential extra-base hit. The next day, Cannington drove a pitch over the fence in right-center at Garden Acres, and the night after that, she homered again, this time with a no-doubter over the wall in left. Cannington significantly boosted her stock at the IDT despite a difficult showing for her team, which won just one of seven games at the tournament, although four of the losses came by just one run.     The name of Mya Menge's high school — Cannon Falls — is a funny coincidence, as a cannon is exactly what Menge has for an arm. Primarily a catcher, she threw out six would-be base-stealers at the IDT, in most cases firing the ball with strong, accurate throws well ahead of the runners. And Menge is just as powerful at the plate as she is behind it, hitting the ball hard throughout the week, including a home run. She has the speed out of the batter's box to leg out extra-base hits, and she even dropped down a successful suicide squeeze bunt. Menge also plays third base and in the outfield, which are other positions where her strong arm comes in handy.     Few players took advantage of the high altitude more than Olivia Alvey, who — despite her 5-foot-1 frame — went deep in six consecutive at-bats over three games. Batting from the left side, Alvey has an explosive swing with no movement wasted, generating impressive bat speed for anyone, especially a player her size. She finished the tournament batting .708 with a 1.882 slugging percentage, adding a pair of doubles to her six long balls. Her blasts created quite the spray chart, going to the pull side, dead center, and the opposite field. Alvey helped her team go 6-0 in pool play and 7-1 overall.     Natalie House played an integral role in helping her St. Louis Chaos team to a top-10 finish at the IDT with a 6-2 record. She homered twice and connected on several other hits, spraying line drives and hard grounders to the opposite field and hustling out a bloop double. House stole a base on the first day of the tournament and showcased her catlike reflexes behind the plate, springing out of her crouch to catch a mishit bunt and then quickly firing to first to double off a baserunner.     Kaelyn Deckerd defied the hitter-friendly conditions on the first day of the tournament by tossing a perfect game, starting things off by striking out the side in order in the first inning. She picked up her first punchout on the rise ball, the next with an off-speed pitch, then froze the third batter looking with a perfectly-placed offering at the top of the zone. The next day, she helped her own cause with a towering home run to left field in the midst of another shutout in the circle. Deckerd's summer performance comes on the heels of leading her high school team to an undefeated state championship season in the spring, homering and striking out 14 batters in the title game.     The other half of the Atlanta Vipers' primary battery with Emme Hackworth, Tenley Cloer is a steady presence behind the plate and wherever else she is needed. Not many catchers also regularly play the middle infield, but Cloer saw time at both second base and shortstop at the IDT and gave her team consistent results offensively as well. She jumped on the first pitch for a sharp single through the left side on the first day of the event, then hit a home run two days later. Coach Bratton had high praise for Cloer's versatility.     Gracie Willtrout put all her tools on display over the past week, finishing the IDT with a .429 batting average and .469 on-base percentage. With her speed, a routine grounder is far from a sure out, as she legged out multiple infield hits during the tournament. Those wheels also allow her to make tough plays look easy in the outfield, reaching balls that many players would not be able to get to. Willtrout is also a catcher and middle infielder, throwing out half of the runners who tried to steal on her during her high school season last fall, and she combines her speed and defensive versatility with home-run power.

In one of the marquee events of the summer, 216 teams representing 92 travel softball organizations from 34 different states descended on Colorado for the Boulder Independence Day Tournament, with college coaches from all across the country in attendance. Most of those coaches were there to scout the 2028 prospects, as the formal recruiting period for that class nears on September 1.