Vote: Who was the best high school freshman softball player in America in 2024?

Cast your vote for the Freshman Player of the Year in high school softball
Gainesville High School (Florida) ace Leanna Bourdage was among 10 players named to SBLive's high school softball freshman All-America team.
Gainesville High School (Florida) ace Leanna Bourdage was among 10 players named to SBLive's high school softball freshman All-America team. / Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY

Last week SBLive Sports unveiled our 2024 freshman All-America team in high school softball.

Now it's time to vote for the Freshman Player of the Year.

Read about the 10 freshman All-Americans and click the link below to vote for the Player of the Year.

Voting will conclude Friday, July 5, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE

Hutton Adrian, Melissa (Texas)

Adrian earned the starting catcher job on one of the best teams in the state, and she quickly established herself as one of the best freshmen in the country. Nicknamed “LuLu,” she hit .492 with 22 homers, 14 doubles and 66 RBIs in leading Melissa to the 5A state championship. Adrian also made no errors in 333 chances.

Leanna Bourdage, Gainesville (Florida)

Bourdage was borderline unhittable in her first season of high school softball. She struck out 251 batters in 136 innings and pitched three no-hitters, holding a 0.57 ERA on the season and winning 19 games. She also hit .386 with seven home runs.

Addison DeRoche, Cheverus (Maine)

DeRoche enjoyed a magical freshman year, winning state honors as Gatorade Player of the Year and leading her team to a state title. The bona-fide ace in the circle gave up just one earned run in 87 innings, striking out 212 batters. 

Brielle Gardiner, Ridgeline (Utah)

Gardiner became the first freshman to ever be named Deseret News Ms. Softball primarily for her prowess in the circle, but she can also hit. She tied the state record with 27 wins, plus held a state-best 0.77 ERA, 246 strikeouts, 14 shutouts and four no-hitters while also hitting .532 with nine home runs.

Kaylee Hodges, Matoaca (Virginia)

Hodges flashed her hitting skills as a freshman, batting .581 with six home runs, but pitching is her forte. She struck out 135 batters in 63 innings while holding a 0.56 ERA.

Morgan Maxwell, West Forsyth (North Carolina)

Regardless of whether she was at the plate or in the circle, Maxwell dominated her competition in 2024. She went 16-3 with a 0.58 ERA and 141 strikeouts in 107 innings, plus hit .530 with a .644 on-base percentage and five home runs.

Courtney Norwood, South Warren (Kentucky)

A varsity standout since seventh grade, Norwood blasts home runs at the plate while piling up strikeouts in the circle. She had an especially strong year in the circle, going 15-2 with a 1.38 ERA, fanning 133 batters in 91 innings.

Malie Satete, West Las Vegas (New Mexico)

It will be hard for Satete to top the power numbers she put up in 2024 over her next three years of high school softball. She slugged 25 home runs in, drove in 76 runs and barely knew the feeling of getting out, batting .773 while leading her team to its first state championship. 

Peyton Tsao, Mountain View St. Francis (California)

Tsao earned first-team all-league honors playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country. The middle infielder hit .421 with 11 home runs, 32 RBIs and a .489 on-base percentage.

Finlee Williams, Allen (Texas) 

Williams wielded a strong bat in 2024, earning district co-offensive player of the year honors. The shortstop hit .538 with eight home runs, eight triples, 16 doubles and 65 RBIs. The speedster also stole 26 bases.

CAST YOUR VOTE HERE

— 

-- Mike Swanson | swanson@scorebooklive.com | @sblivesports


Published
Mike Swanson, SBLive Sports

MIKE SWANSON, SBLIVE SPORTS

Mike Swanson is the Trending News Editor for SBLive Sports. He's been in journalism since 2003, having worked as a reporter, city editor, copy editor and high school sports editor in California, Connecticut and Oregon.