Hayden Smith, a freshman at Harris County High School, is having a season to remember. The speedy slapper ranks among the top three on her team in batting average, on-base percentage, and runs batted in, with only seniors ahead of her in each category. Smith, along with her team, is making a postseason run, during which she has scored nine runs in four games. Holding it down defensively, Harris County is allowing an average of fewer than two runs per game, with Smith contributing 17 putouts this season. As the fall season comes to a close, Smith will continue to compete with Athletics Gold Tamborra/Olson, which finished seventh at PGF Nationals. Smith will look to continue her impressive statistics throughout the remainder of her freshman year.

Two years removed from winning a state title, the Harris County Tigers are once again red-hot halfway through the season. Their pitching is simply dominant, led by senior Chloe Wolfenbarger, and they currently hold a 0.96 team ERA as of this writing. However, their offense is just as potent, and freshman Hayden Smith is right in the middle of it. She has a .433 batting average to go along with 13 hits and two doubles in only 37 plate appearances. She has good bat control and uses the entire field. Defensively, she has been stellar in the outfield, with a 1.000 fielding percentage and 12 putouts. If that’s not enough, she also has two wins in the circle, a minuscule 0.78 ERA, and 11 strikeouts over nine innings pitched.