FloSoftball finishes up Week 1 of unveiling the Hot 100 in the Class of 2021 by continuing to spotlight 10 or more outstanding players each day on the way to the revealing of No. 1.

We'll announce the Top 10 of the class next, Friday, May 19, and shortly after will profile the No. 1 player and then the "Next In" classes comprising prospects Nos. 101-200, 201-300, 301-400, and 401-500!

FloSoftball has ranked the Hot 100 softball players beginning with the 2014 class and has done every grad year since: 2015, '16, '17, '18, '19 and '20. We've also updated most of those years several times, the 2019 Hot 100 being the most recent (updated in February).







And as for the 2021s -- who are just in the eighth grade, even though many are playing up at the varsity high school level already -- we'll update the Hot 100 list several times too over the next five years. So know this is just the starting point!

These honorees were chosen based on input and feedback from college and club coaches as well as our own FloSoftball event and in-person observations.

Criteria for choosing and ranking the players includes performances at the club and high school levels and projecting how they will play at the collegiate level.

Today, we feature players No. 60 to 51, who come from California (two), Connecticut, Georgia (three), Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania (two), Tennessee, and Texas.

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60--Haylie Brunson SS/3B… Ohio Outlaws -- Sciullo (Penn State)
Brunson is a 5-foot-7 shortstop who's been with the Outlaws for the last two years and in 2016 helped her Ohio team finish 17th at PGF Nationals. The lefty hitter averaged .479 to lead her team and was tops in doubles and triples while playing mostly against older programs. In the field, Brunson is smooth defensively and has a big arm with a 65 mph overhand throw. She also plays basketball, and her athleticism quickly caught the eyes of Penn State coaches when she attended a winter clinic in 2015-16. After standout performances at Team NJ and the Outlaws Invitational, the Nittany Lions offered, and in early September, Brunson, who comes from a Penn State family, made it official and verbally committed.

T-59--Madison Dobbins IF/UT… Georgia Impact - Gusaeff (uncommitted)
Dobbins' strength is her versatility -- she can play any position but pitch -- and she does everything well on the field to the point of taking over and dominating a game. One scout said, "She's one of the top defensive infielders in the country and can hit for power and average at the plate." The Georgia standout is also one of the smartest players you will see in any age group and knows how to make the game come to her, slow down, and seem easy. On offense, she's always hit for a high average, but this spring has found her power stroke. She's batted over .500 with an on-base percentage of .700-plus since the start of the new year. Madison has multiple Power Five schools interested and has been on many visits already. She's hearing from top programs in the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC.

T-59--Hannah Coor OF/MIF… OC Batbusters - McArthur/Stith (uncommitted)
Due to her tremendous athletic tools, Coor looks to be another in a long line of Batbuster athletes who can play in the outfield or middle infield. She's long and lanky but coordinated and skilled both athletically and in her softball mechanics. One top coach said, "Hannah has the skill set to play any sport and the athleticism to play any position in any sport." She's a right-handed power hitter who earned Select 30 honors last August. Playing for coaches Richard McArthur and Katie Stith, she owns the outfield and can track down balls with the likes of some of the top 2021 and '22 talent in the West. Coor will have her choice of Power Five conferences by the time the summer is over based on early praise from club coaches who've faced her.

58--Abby Ota MIF/OF… Jersey Intensity National (uncommitted)
Ota is the only first-year 14U player on the talented Jersey Intensity National Team and is ranked as one of the top all-around prospects in the New England area. A great athlete, she can drop the drag bunt and beat it out with her 2.7-2.8 speed or drive the ball in the gaps and crank up the speed to turn doubles into triples and even inside-the-park home runs (of which she's had many). Ota is the ideal middle infielder because of her quickness and ability to cut off balls most couldn't get to, but her explosiveness makes her an ideal outfielder because of her range. Playing for an Intensity regional team in 2016, she put up huge numbers: a .645 batting average, a .705 on-base percentage, 44 steals, 35 RBIs, eight triples, and, perhaps most impressive, had only one strikeout in 43 games. Ota earned USA Elite Select Futures All-American honors the last two seasons and was a Select 30 invitee last year. She also plays hoops and runs track, but major Division I softball is in her future, and her recruiting interest is just starting to take off.

T-57--Kaylee Lyon MIF… Gametime Stars (uncommitted)
Lyon was one of the stars at the Surf City Showcase last fall, and her ability to hit for a high average and with power has since earned her a pair of offers with a half-dozen major colleges -- such as Arizona State, Houston, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State -- showing serious interest. She clubbed nine home runs last year as a seventh-grader as she hit .467 with a .568 on-base percentage. Also attractive to scouts is her high level of knowledge in the field playing defense and while running the basepaths. Lyon is a solid all-around athlete who also excels in volleyball and track, both of which help her quickness and explosiveness that translates on the softball field to great first steps and angles when playing the infield.

T-57--Julia Mrochko SS/UT… TNT (South Florida)
Mrochko is a two-sport athlete who also plays high-level travel basketball and is following in the college footsteps of her father, Gregg, who played baseball at the University of Pittsburgh. On the basketball court, Julia played for her school's freshman team as an eighth-grader and led the squad in scoring. The Pennsylvania infielder has tremendous power -- she hit 15 home runs over the fence over the last year -- but also hits for a high batting average because of her solid hitting mechanics. Defensively, she is a skilled shortstop but has the tools and athleticism to line up anywhere in the infield or outfield. Last year at the club level, she batted .516 with a .565 on-base percentage, and this spring started her school ball season off strong, hitting .535 with a .621 OBP through the early part of the campaign. Julia verbally committed to South Florida in March after receiving multiple offers from several Division I colleges.

56--Brianna Evans MIF/OF… Texas Glory (uncommitted)
Evans is a multi-sport star who one coach calls "crazy athletic with tremendous upside." She's small in stature but has developed into a quality triple threat from the left side because her quick hands and powerful swing give her the option to effectively bunt, slap, or drive the ball to all fields. On the basepaths, she creates chaos and causes fits for opposing teams. The Texas star is gifted defensively with skills and instincts that give her the ability to play all over the field, but most scouts feel she's a natural at short and second. Coaches love her versatility, and one Glory coach says, "We love Brianna in that she has the courage and reactions to play the hot corner and more than enough speed to roam the outfield. She's constantly working to improve and is the kind of player every coach loves to have." SEC and Big 12 schools are in the hunt early on.

T-55--Reece Holbrook MIF... Atlanta Vipers -- Holbrook (uncommitted)
Reece is a two-sport athlete--as a basketball player, she's part of a Georgia high school program that has won 14 of the last 16 state titles--but she's getting heavy ACC softball interest because of her middle infield skills, where she has played since she was five years old. An excellent athlete with quickness and good explosion--Reece does speed & agility workouts three days a week after school--she plays for the Vipers coached by her father, Jason, and is an excellent defensive player who had a 96% fielding percentage this year in club ball. She attacks the ball well, has excellent footwork and has the arm strength deep in the 5-6 holes to throw out fleet-footed runners. Offensively, Reece has a keen eye at the plate and hit .458 with a .589 on-base percentage playing exclusively a 16U schedule and sometimes even in 18U tournaments. What really makes her one to watch is she's grown five inches in the past year and now has added strength and power to her hitting arsenal. She's already been to a pair of ACC school with visits to four more plus an Ivy League school set up for this summer.

T-55--Jordan Hatch P/IF… Team NC Louisville Slugger -- Hatch (uncommitted)
Hatch is one of the most polished pitchers in the country in what is looking like a very deep year in the circle for the Class of 2021. The lefty throws in the 57-59 mph range with a 45 mph change-up, but it's her movement -- including a baffling curve (24 RPS on Revfire) and change-up -- that leads to her getting double-digit strikeouts most games. She also mixes in a rise and drop ball. Plus, she has all the intangibles -- a strong work ethic, a fierce competitive drive, and a strong determination to win. The North Carolina hurler fields her position well and can also play well at first when not on the mound. She helped lead Team NC to a fifth-place finish at the 12U World Fastpitch Championship last summer and has had success pitching up for Team NC-Baylog at the 16U level in tourneys such as Team NJ and D9. Hatch also was invited to the Select 30 camp in Alabama last August. She has been on unofficial visits to Florida, Duke, Virginia, and Virginia Tech and is also hearing from North Carolina, Syracuse, East Carolina, and North Carolina State.

T-54--Grace Nieto MIF... Beverly Bandits Futures -- Stephens (uncommitted)
Grace is a true five-tool athlete who plays middle infield and bats from the left side hitting with authority. She has excellent speed and can beat you playing small ball or driving the ball over the fence. Defensively, she has a great glove and her ceiling is very high. Her big sister, Kayce, pitched at Utah and Grace too has the ability to play at the Power 5 level. Says one coach of her, "Grace is a true clutch competitor and a game in every sense. She has a great work ethic and is only getting better, much better, in time." Derek Allister of OnDeck Softball says, "She's a solid defender, she can play second or possibly third, and the future looks bright for this one."

T-54--Skylar Berkhiser MIF… Glory Adkins/Berkhiser (uncommitted)
Berkhiser is a 2021 but has a 2003 birthday and has played up with older age groups since she was 8 years old. She has been a starting second baseman on the same club team for the past seven years. Although she can hit for power despite her small frame, what separates her from most every other player in her class is her mental approach and maturity. Berkhiser is aggressive on defense and has one of the top gloves in her class, but it's her instincts and anticipation that make her special. This spring, she's compiled a .989 fielding percentage playing spring club ball in Georgia (high school ball is in the fall), and she's hitting .421 with an on-base percentage over .500. She's getting attention from schools in the SEC and ACC and will set up camps trips in the fall to start trying to finalize her college decision.

53--Isabela Emerling C/IF… Universal Fastpitch -- Garcia (Cal)
Emerling is a power-hitting catcher and corner infielder who never gets cheated on her swings. She consistently puts the ball into play and has so much strength that people stop to watch her in batting practice drive the ball deep and over the fence. Defensively, she has college skills and size now with a great glove, smooth feet, and the ability to make the throw from any arm slot when in the field. She also can make all the throws on the run or deep in the hole. Behind the plate, Emerling also shines because she has quick pop times and above-average arm strength with a quick release. She's one of the standouts on Martin Garcia's Nor Cal team and had ACC and Pac-12 interest before she verbally committed to Cal.

52--Claire Woods P/OF… Tennessee Mojo (uncommitted)
Woods moves over to the Tennessee Mojo from the Sparks Elite 01 team where she pitched in the PGF 14U Nationals last year, beating several top teams and leading the Alabama-based squad to a top 25 finish. She tops out at 60 mph with great control and has a dominant rise ball that is her out pitch. She keeps batters off-balance with her off-speed stuff and does a great job of controlling the game in the circle. Woods has continued her stream of success by going 6-0 this spring and averaging two strikeouts per inning. She first burst onto the national scene in 2015 when she pitched for the championship of the All-American Games in Orlando, FL, and was chosen for the USSSA Boombah Elite Select All-American team in the Southeastern Region. Woods has SEC and ACC interest with more to come this summer.

T-51--Sarah Currie P/1B… Georgia Impact - Gusaeff (uncommitted)
Currie is one of the stars on Jason Gusaeff's loaded Georgia Impact team and dominated at PGF Nationals last summer when she threw 28 innings and gave up only two runs. A bulldog on the mound, Currie wasn't fazed when pitching on TV for the USA Elite World Fastpitch Championship in 2016 -- a game in which she gave up just two earned runs. Currie is a big-game pitcher who has superior control of multiple pitches and won't be outworked by anyone. This spring, her ERA is under 1.00, and she is averaging over one strikeout per inning. She's well under way in the recruiting process as multiple Power Five schools are interested, and she has been on several campus visits already.

T-51--Easton Lotus SS/UT… Beverly Bandits -- Harkness (uncommitted)
Lotus has good athletic lines as her parents played baseball and softball at Illinois-Chicago (her mom, Nikki, was an outfielder unlike the daughter, who is a standout middle infielder). She is a great leadoff hitter who is always a tough out as she grinds at every at-bat. Lotus batted .474 in the fall with a .516 on-base percentage. Defensively, she has great range with a strong arm and makes the tough plays look easy. Her club coach, Ramsey Harkness, says: "Easton started in baseball when 8 years old and is one of the smartest softball kids I have ever coached. She is a spark plug in everything she does, and when she goes, we go." The Illinois standout is getting looked at by several Big Ten schools and other top programs across the East.