The third year of the Louisville Slugger Hit Club kicks off this Saturday morning and will run through Monday all over Orange County, California as these honored 10 elite high school grads about to embark on their college softball careers will have one final intensive weekend before they head to their respective campuses.

Louisville Slugger and Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) have partnered to give these elite players from the Class of 2017 three unique days of education, fun, bonding and competition ranging from a trip to Disneyland and watching a Giants vs. Dodgers MLB battle to hearing from legends like Sue Enquist and former Olympians like Amanda Freed and Lovie Jung.

Past Hit Club participants have included such current college standouts as Shay Knighten (Oklahoma), Amanda Lorenz (Florida), Brooke Vines (Tennessee), Morganne Flores (Washington), Amanda Doyle (LSU), Jessica Harper (Arizona), Elissa Brown (Alabama), Nicole Mendes (Oklahoma), Nicole Bates (Washington), Mackenzie Boesel (South Carolina), Shannon Rhodes (Oregon) and Dejah Mulipola (Arizona).  

This summer's selections have been evaluated by a panel of coaches, scouts and evaluators who look for hitting expertise, technique and ability for all types of hitters ranging from speedy slappers to long-ball mashers and come from the pool of players chosen as PGF All-Americans with many participating in the PGF All-American game this Friday night.

FloSoftball finishes up our unveiling of two players each week who have made this year's prestigious event and wraps up the list that has included Lauren Burke, Shaye Bowden, Jocelyn Alo, Danielle Romanello, Julie Rodriguez, Taryn Antoine, Camryn Ybarra and Kendyl Bailey with the final two coming from the Midwest and East Coast.

HIT CLUB PLAYER #9: MIA DAVIDSON

Position: Catcher/Infielder
High School (City/ST):  Orange (Hillsborough, North Carolina)
Club Team:  Birmingham Thunderbolts
University:  Mississippi State
Key Stats & Honors:  1st Team FloSoftball All-American (2017, 2016), PGF All-American, ranked #4 in the FloSoftball 2017 Hot 100; USA today 1st Team All-American, Gatorade State Player of the Year; four-time All-State; set a North Carolina career state record with 53 home runs, perhaps none bigger than a two-run blow that allowed her team to win the first game in the North Carolina State Championship's best 2-of-3 format; Mia hit .517 as a senior with a .750 on-base percentage thanks to 43 walks and had 12 home runs and 50 RBI.

Scouting Report:  Mia, along with Jocelyn Alo, is considered the top power hitter in the class as she hits tape measure shots and always seems to come up big when it counts, be it driving the ball over the fence or knocking in a key run. Mia isn't just a one dimensional player, either; she hits for a high average and is solid defensively behind the plate or at the corners. She can get hot for an extended period of time--like her entire junior year playing for her father, Eddie, at Orange High when she batted a spectacular .740 with 18 home runs and a jaw-dropping 2.060 slugging percentage. She will follow her older sister, Montana, to Mississippi State and if she keeps working on her game and improving could be one of the top stars in the game at the college level and behind.

HIT CLUB PLAYER #10: ALEX VELAZQUEZ

Position:  Outfielder
High School (City/ST):  Chanhessen (Minnesota)
Club Team:  Colorado Stars
University:  Minnesota

Key Stats & Honors:  1st Team FloSoftball All-American, PGF All-American, led her Granview (Aurora, Colorado) team to a state title as a sophomore, after moving to Minnesota as a senior earned All-State in her second state as she batted .537 with a .643 on-base percentage, All-State three years and All-City all-four years; her career average was .534 and she increased her home runs every year also.

Scouting Report: Versatile, speedy outfielder who played all three outfield spots in high school and club and was the leadoff batter all four years playing varsity while batting in the 1, 3, 4 and 6-holes at the club level. She hits for a high average and can hurt you in multiple ways with the bat.  Alex started playing 18U when only 13 and in the 8th grade for the Colorado Stars and at Boulder IDT and ASA Nationals she ended up batting .417 that year with a .485 on-base percentage... as a 13-year-old playing against girls five years older than her. A true lefty, the Minnesota resident is a five-tool player with speed and power and bats for a high average (three of her four varsity campaigns she hit over .500) with the skills to take over a game and be a difference maker every time she steps on the field.