Vote now: Who will be national high school softball shortstop of the year in 2023?
Camryn McDonald photo courtesy of Othello athletics
As the winter season winds down in high school sports, we're springing into softball season.
While much of the country eagerly awaits sunny days on the diamond, we've been putting the spotlight this month on some of the top high school softball players in the country.
We started by featuring 20 of the top high school pitchers and hitters in the nation. Next up is a position-by-position look at the nation's elite high school softball players, with catchers starting it off, followed by first basemen, then third basemen, and now shortstops are up.
Now we're giving you, the reader, the chance to vote for which shortstop will be the best of the best this season.
Voting for the top shortstop will conclude Saturday, March 4 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.
Descriptions of each player are below the poll.
Melody Acevedo, soph., Riverside Hillcrest (California)
Acevedo burst onto the Southern California softball scene as a freshman, hitting .495 with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, five triples, 44 runs and 43 RBIs. She was at her best in the playoffs, going 10 for 14 and hitting the decisive home run in leading Hillcrest to its first CIF softball championship.
Allie Blum, jr., New Palestine (Indiana)
Blum hit .394 with 12 home runs, 39 RBIs and 45 runs scored last season, leading New Palestine to a 23-4-1 record. The versatile athlete also plays basketball and soccer and has already committed to play college softball for Kentucky.
Rose Davis, sr., Middle Tennessee Christian (Tennessee)
Davis has compiled a .531 batting average with 16 home runs, 52 RBIs and 51 runs scored at Middle Tennessee Christian as a four-year starter. The three-sport star (volleyball, basketball) will be playing college softball for Oklahoma State.
Khamara Dement, jr., Selma (California)
Dement led Selma in eight statistical categories as a sophomore, including home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage and hits. She committed in the fall to Texas A&M over Oregon, Georgia, Duke, Alabama, LSU and Washington.
Kylee Edwards, sr., Shelbyville (Indiana)
Edwards recently earned all-conference honors on the basketball court playing for Shelbyville, but softball is her specialty. She hit .538 with 41 RBIs, 17 doubles and 13 stolen bases last season, making just four errors on defense. The Mississippi State signee has been playing varsity softball since eighth grade.
Jordan George, sr., New Albany (Ohio)
George is coming off a record-setting year for New Albany, establishing single-season school marks in batting average (.636) and runs scored (37). The Pitt commit who can play short, third and the outfield finished her junior year with 42 hits, 10 home runs and 33 RBIs.
Brooke Jones, sr., Hanahan (South Carolina)
Jones has earned all-state honors two years straight for Hanahan and has been the team's starting shortstop since eighth grade. The slick-fielding Texas A&M-Corpus Christi commit hit .385 last season with four home runs, five triples and 33 runs scored.
Jayden Jones, jr., Gaylord (Michigan)
Jones was the team's offensive and defensive leader last year starting at short, finishing with a .538 batting average, 13 home runs and 60 runs scored. She’s already committed to play college softball at Virginia Tech.
Mady Manning, sr., West Monroe (Louisiana)
Manning led West Monroe to the state championship game last season, and this year she'll try to cap her career with a state title before heading to LSU. She was the table-setter for her squad last year, scoring over 40 runs.
Nailyn Marshall, sr., Elk Grove Franklin (California)
Marshall is coming off a junior season in which she hit .405 with an on-base percentage of .483, rapping 10 doubles, two triples and four home runs. She's an elite defender at shortstop or second base and is committed to play college softball at Cal.
Camryn McDonald, sr., Othello (Washington)
The numbers for the 2A CWAC player of the year were outstanding last season — .667 batting average, 10 home runs, 60 runs and 51 RBIs — but the big-play shortstop seemed to do most of her damage against the best teams in the state.
Nellian McEnroe-Marinas, sr., Maryknoll (Hawaii)
McEnroe-Marinas hit .571 last season, and just like fellow Hawaiian Jocelyn Alo (arguably the best college softball player of all time) she’ll be taking her talents to Oklahoma. She led Maryknoll to the program’s first state championship last season.
Maddie McKee, sr., Lake Creek (Texas)
McKee earned SBLive Offensive Player of the Year honors in East Texas last season playing for one of the best teams in the country. The LSU commit batted .511 last season with 72 hits, 70 runs scored, 47 RBIs, 28 extra-base hits, seven home runs and a whopping 77 stolen bases. Yeah, she's kind of fast.
Sara McNelly, sr., South Plainfield (New Jersey)
McNelly also stars on the basketball court for South Plainfield, but her talent on the softball field is what's taking her to Virginia Tech next season. A Gold Glove winner on defense, she hit .484 last season with 16 home runs and 12 doubles.
Kayley Prudhomme, sr., Hardin-Jefferson (Texas)
Prudhomme's senior season is off to quite the start. She hit .800 at Hardin-Jefferson's opening tournament with three home runs. The two-sport star (volleyball) hit .475 with six home runs and 16 stolen bases last season and will be playing college softball for Houston next year.
Isa Torres, sr., Georgetown (Texas)
Torres hit .484 with six home runs and 42 RBIs in 38 games last season, and she's a wizard with the glove. The Florida State signee was named SBLive Defensive Player of the Year in Central Texas as a junior.
Kate Vance, jr., Hamilton (Arizona)
Vance hit .472 with 16 home runs in 35 games last season, scoring 47 runs, racking up 60 hits and driving in 40 runs. The Arizona commit has gotten off to a hot start this year, going 4 for 5 with three home runs in the season opener.
Frankie Vrazel, jr., Danbury (Texas)
A three-sport star, Vrazel earned all-district honors last season in softball, track and volleyball, but softball will be her focus at Texas A&M. Last season she hit .619 with 20 doubles, 16 triples and 57 RBIs, striking out just once all season.
Esther White, jr., Waverly (Tennessee)
White earned first-team all-state honors as a sophomore after hitting .535 with 11 home runs, nine doubles, three triples and 36 RBIs. The 6-foot Georgia commit swings a big bat from the left side and plays steady defense at short.
Jena Young, sr., Winterset (Iowa)
Young suffered a season-ending injury on the basketball court this winter (she was the team's leading scorer), but Iowa's softball season doesn't start until summer, giving Young more time to mend. The Iowa softball commit earned SBLive Iowa All State honors last season after tying for the state lead with 85 hits, batting .624 with 22 home runs and 55 RBIs.
