High school softball's best pitchers in the nation entering the 2024 season

Expect these 20 pitchers to showcase their elite skills in the circle this spring

Author:
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports
Updated:
Feb 23, 2024 4:30 PM EST
Original:
Feb 22, 2024

It's still winter for a few more weeks, but several states have already begun the spring high school softball season, while basketball playoffs go on across most of the country.

A handful of other states, such as Georgia and Oklahoma, finished their softball seasons in the fall.

SBLive Sports this week is shining the spotlight the top high school softball players in the country.

We started with the top hitters in the nation, and now it's the ace pitchers' turn.

Yanina Sherwood struck out 255 batters in 164 innings in 2023 for the Jackson Timberwolves.

Sophia Bordi, jr., Haddon Heights (New Jersey)

Bordi has led Haddon Heights to consecutive state titles, throwing perfect games in both championship contests. As a sophomore, she had a 0.43 ERA and 258 strikeouts while allowing just 30 hits and 17 walks in 114.1 innings, throwing four perfect games in the playoffs. She committed to Oklahoma in September.

Payton Burnham, sr., Sheldon (Oregon)

Sheldon won the state championship last year despite being no-hit by Oregon City, and Burnham was the key. She struck out 17 in a 1-0 win to put an exclamation point on a dominant junior season that saw her go 30-1 strike out 386 batters in 192 innings and hold a 0.19 ERA. The Arkansas commit also hit .404.

Addisen Fisher, sr., Bend (Oregon)

Softball America’s top-ranked pitcher in the country, the UCLA commit had another strong season for the Lava Bears as a junior, going 17-2 with 13 shutouts and a 0.32 ERA. She struck out 214, allowing only 37 hits and 16 walks in 110 innings. She also hit .602 with seven home runs and 44 RBIs.

Jazzy Francik, sr., Melbourne (Florida)

Francik led the Sunshine State last year with 411 strikeouts, compiling a 19-4 record and a minuscule 0.19 ERA. Francik will be playing for Florida State next season.

Miali Guachino, sr., Great Oak (California)

Guachino, an Ole Miss commit, went 15-4 with a 0.57 ERA and 280 strikeouts in 135 innings. In lifting Great Oak to a Southern Section Division 2 championship, Guachino held five playoff opponents to one run, recorded a no-hitter and three performances with at least 18 strikeouts.

Lexie Hames, jr., Seneca Valley (Pennsylvania)

A power pitcher with an imposing presence in the circle, Hames finished her sophomore season with 269 strikeouts and 32 walks in 122 innings and a 0.45 ERA. The Clemson commit can also hit for power but was intentionally walked often last year.

Cameryn Harrison, sr., Katy (Texas)

Harrison can also hit, but pitching will be her forte when she gets to Arkansas next year. She finished a dominant junior year with 215 strikeouts and just 22 walks in 103.2 innings, holding a 0.81 ERA.

Jolie Hayes, sr., Northwest Rankin (Mississippi)

Hays earned the 6A honor of Miss Softball and Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year as a junior. The Southern Miss commit finished the season with 213 strikeouts in 157 innings and a 1.03 ERA while leading Northwest Rankin to a state championship.

Jayden Heavener, sr., Pace (Florida)

Heavener started her junior season with two perfect games and a no-hitter in three starts, and she kept that momentum going for a dominant junior season. The Florida commit had a 0.22 ERA with 300 strikeouts in 127 innings while hitting .459 with seven home runs at the plate.

Kendra Lewis, sr., Rockridge (Illinois)

Lewis hasn’t lost in her high school career, and she’ll try to lead Rockridge to its IHSA-record fourth consecutive state title this spring. The Wisconsin commit went 25-0 with 194 strikeouts last season and hit .568 with 14 home runs.

Audrey Lowry, sr., Tri-West (Indiana)

Lowry earned first-team all-state honors after posting a 0.95 ERA in 148 innings, striking out 252 and winning 20 games as a junior. The lefty ace also hit .612 with eight home runs and 50 RBIs. She’ll be pitching for Oklahoma next year.

Lillie-Faye McWhorter, jr., Woodlawn (Arkansas)

McWhorter has enjoyed two dominant seasons in the circle for Woodlawn. The Arkansas commit followed up a freshman season in which she compiled a 0.45 earned run average and struck out 230 batters in 107 innings with 205 strikeouts in 120.1 innings as a sophomore.

Karly Meredith, jr., Kaukauna (Wisconsin)

Kaukauna won its third state championship in a row last season and has won 81 consecutive games, and Meredith starred at the plate and in the circle for the Wisconsin dynasty. The Virginia commit hit .542 but did her most devastating damage as a pitcher, going 22-0 with a 0.48 ERA, striking out 205 hitters in 117.1 innings.

Katelynn Oxley, sr., Bartow (Florida)

Katelynn Oxley led Bartow to the Class 6A state title last year.
Photo by Bill Kemp

The future Florida Gator was clutch whenever she stepped into the circle for the Yellow Jackets as a junior, and was especially huge in the Class 6A state semifinals and championship game. Oxley went 23-2 last season with a 0.50 ERA and fanned 307 batters in 154.1 innings pitched in while leading Bartow to the Class 6A title.

Kaitlyn Pallozzi, jr., Mercy (Michigan)

The only way Pallozzi’s ERA from 2023 will ever be topped is if someone figures out how to allow negative runs. Yep, she had a 0.00 ERA in 96 innings, striking out 245 and giving up no extra-base hits. The Alabama commit struck out 224 batters in 90.2 innings as a freshman with a 1.08 ERA.

Yanina Sherwood, sr., Jackson (Washington)

Sherwood has evolved into the type of all-state workhorse pitcher who carries programs to championships. After No. 2 pitcher Allie Thomsen came down with an offseason injury last year, the Timberwolves were left with no real backup. Sherwood volunteered to pitch every inning, striking out 255 batters in 164 innings. The UNLV signee finished her junior year with a 24-1 record and 0.55 ERA.

Jordyn Thibodeaux, so., Corpus Christi Calallen (Texas)

SBLive Texas’ Newcomer of the Year in 2023, Thibodeaux was no typical freshman. She went 16-1 with a 1.43 ERA and 196 strikeouts in her first high school season, which ended with a UIL Class 4A state championship and earning honors as a first team all-4A state tournament selection.

Carter Wachtel, sr., Triway (Ohio)

Wachtel has put up a storied career’s worth of number with still one season of high school softball to go. She’s pitched 443 innings with 773 strikeouts and a 1.04 ERA, achieving double championships in 2022 with a state title at Triway and a national title pitching for her club team, Georgia Impact. She’s signed to play for Georgia Tech.

Sydnie Watts, jr., Austintown Fitch (Ohio)

After pitching a no-hitter in the semifinals, Watts led Austintown Fitch to its first state championship to punctuate her storybook sophomore season. She finished with a 21-0 record and a 0.38 ERA, recording 281 strikeouts in 129 innings while also mashing at the plate. She also hit .492 with six home runs and seven doubles and will join Wachtel at Georgia Tech in two years.

Berkley Zache, jr., South Bend St. Joseph (Indiana)

Zache forms one of the best batteries in the country with her older sister Riley, and they’re both Oklahoma commits. Berkley Zache went 17-1 with a 0.40 ERA as a freshman, then 16-1 with a 0.13 ERA as a sophomore. She struck out 251 batters in 107.2 innings last year while walking only seven.