2020 Hot 100 RankingsSep 25, 2017 by Brentt Eads
2020 Hot 100: Players 50-41
2020 Hot 100: Players 50-41
FloSoftball's 2020 Hot 100 rankings, players 50 to 41.
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We continue our 2020 Hot 100 identifying top talent in the class of 2020. We will reveal the Top 50 prospects this week, spotlighting 10 or more outstanding players each day on the way through our countdown from 100 to No. 1.
This list is an updated version of our initial 2020 Hot 100 rankings and over 40 percent of the players are new additions!
We'll announce the top 10 of the class on Friday, September 29, and shortly after will profile the No. 1 player and then list the "next in" classes comprising recruits 101-200, 201-300, 301-400, and 401-500 as well as which colleges have done the best so far in recruiting this outstanding group of players!
FloSoftball has ranked the Hot 100 beginning with the 2014 class and has done every grad year since including 2015, '16, '17, '18, '19, '20 (the first list exactly a year ago), and '21. We've also updated most of those years several times.
These 2020 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.
50 | Ireland Cavanaugh, P | EC Bullets - Byars (uncommitted)
Cavanaugh is already drawing comparisons to another elite pitcher who played in the East Cobb Bullets organization -- Kelley Lynch, a top 2019 hurler committed to Auburn, who is now with Georgia Impact - Lewis. Ireland is from the same organization that produced Florida standout Kelly Barnhill and is one of the top game-controlling pitchers in the 2020 class as she has excellent control and a strong repertoire of pitches that she's not afraid to throw no matter the count or game score. The Georgia ace was dominant at PGF Nationals and at the Boulder Independence Day Tournament to put herself on the national recruiting map, and she now has major interest from ACC and SEC schools.
T49 | Gabi Salo, P | Finesse - Bressler (Wisconsin)
Salo is a power pitcher who throws in the 63-64 mph range and complements her hard stuff with a curve, screw, and excellent change. The youngest player on Dan Bressler's 16U team, she is also skilled at mixing up speeds to keep hitters off balance. Salo had 170 Ks last spring to earn all-state honors as a freshman when she led her school to the Michigan state semifinals. She recorded 152 more strikeouts in club ball which included leading her team to the USA Softball 16U J.O. Cup championship and a top-10 finish at Colorado Fireworks. The sophomore had heavy interest from multiple Big Ten schools and several other DI programs before she committed to the Badgers.
T49 | Kayla Roncin, 1B/OF | Jersey Intensity (uncommitted)
Roncin comes from a strong baseball background and led her Toms River Little League team to a New Jersey state title a few years ago. In the championship game, she was the star as the New Jersey native had a pair of home runs to spark the victory. After eight years of baseball development, Roncin switched to the softball field and has become one of the top defensive outfielders in her class. A great all-around athlete at 5-foot-10, she has an overhand throw of 67 mph and runs home-to-home in 11.25 seconds. Roncin plays at the 16U level in the Intensity organization and has caught the eyes of coaches in the SEC and many other Power Five programs up and down the East Coast.
48 | Sydney Chambley, OF/P | Atlanta Vipers - Jiles (Georgia)
Chambley is a triple threat at the plate and can hit for power to all fields. She also has the ability to use the short game and her speed to keep the defense honest. Last summer with the Atlanta Vipers, Chambley hit an impressive .460 with 10 home runs. At ASA Nationals alone she hit .500 with six doubles, two triples, and three HRs helping her team to a second-place overall finish. A true athlete, Chambley has a very strong arm in the outfield, great range, and can get the job done in the circle when called upon. Chambley committed to the University of Georgia last fall.
T47 | Blaise Biringer, SS/C | Oro Valley Suncats (Ole Miss)
Biringer is a very good, young athlete with great range and a strong arm at shortstop. She makes the difficult play appear routine and finding her deep in the hole making the long throw across the diamond is just another day on the dirt for Blaise. Her soft hands and strong arm are also huge attributes behind the plate where she is equally comfortable. Although Biringer is known for her defense, she is no easy out at the plate. This past season at Cienega High School she hit .363 with 33 hits, 17 RBIs, and 29 runs scored helping lead her team to the state championship. After receiving interest from several schools out of the Pac-12, Big Ten, and SEC, Biringer verbally committed to Ole Miss.
T47 | Emari Frazier, SS/3B | So Cal Athletics - Briggs (LSU)
Frazier is a big, strong athlete who primarily plays the left side of the infield and hits in the heart of any lineup. The sophomore out of Tennessee is thought to be one of the deadliest hitters in her 2020 class, and will outwork anyone on the field. Frazier will be playing for the Southern California Athletics-Briggs 18U team this upcoming season and will have the opportunity to face the best of the best at a young age. Her ability to perform well on both offense and defense caught the eye of many top programs across the country, but she made her final decision to attend LSU.
46 | McKenzie Clark, OF/UT | Tampa Mustangs - TJ (uncommitted)
Clark, also known as "Pie," is a well-rounded athlete who plays far beyond her years. Playing on her Sarasota Christian High School team since 6th grade, Clark learned advanced on-field communication at an early age and has been able to take that to her Mustangs team where she commands the outfield and handles the pitchers from behind the plate. She has very fast hands in the box and great running speed. This past year at Sarasota Christian, Clark was in the top five in batting average, home runs, and RBIs in 3A Florida high schools and was named second-team team all-state. Clark has multiple offers from ACC and SEC schools and hopes to make a decision this fall.
45 | Zoe Laneaux, 3B | Georgia Impact - Newland (Mississippi State)
Laneaux is just a pure hitter who can hit for power to all fields. Last year she led her Georgia Impact team with 14 HRs, but she has excellent discipline at the plate as well which helped her to a .364 batting average and .454 OB percentage. According to her coach, Laneaux has a very high softball IQ and good instincts at third base. She can read the ball well, get into position quickly, and fire it across the diamond with her cannon of an arm. Along with her obvious talents, Laneaux has a stellar work ethic that has allowed her to make huge strides from last year to this. She is committed to Mississippi State.
44 | Allison Royalty, P | Texas Blaze (uncommitted)
Royalty is a true student of the game who processes and communicates information like a professional. In the circle, Royalty works primarily up and down with an incredible rise ball and a knee-buckling changeup to complement it. During three major summer tournaments (Independence Day Tournament, TCS Nationals, and PGF Nationals) Allison pitched 86 innings, striking out 124 and only allowing 10 earned runs. During PGF bracket play alone she pitched 25 innings, striking out 37 and only giving up six hits and one earned run. Royalty will be taking several unofficial visits to Pac-12 and Big Ten schools this fall.
43 | Haley Pittman, P/1B | Atlanta Vipers - Holbrook (Florida)
Pittman is a dominating left-handed pitcher who initially committed to Auburn before the recent coaching changes. She was 26-3 with an 0.92 ERA as a freshman for her Alabama Christian High School team this year and kept her opponents to a .165 batting average. She also batted .394 with a .527 slugging percentage. Pittman was named first-team class 4A all-state and the Advertiser's 1A-4A All-Metro player of the year. She has been playing high school ball since the 7th grade. After attending the Select 30 All-American camp this year, representing the Atlanta Vipers, Pittman was named first-team All-American for the 2020 class.
T42 | Shelby Lowe, P/1B | Birmingham Thunderbolts (Auburn)
Lowe is a workhorse pitcher who has drawn comparisons to Paige Parker of Oklahoma because of her build and bulldog mentality in the circle. She is a 5-10 lefty with great spins and movement with a riseball that is very tough to resist. Hailing from a small town about 30 miles from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Shelby completely dominates in the circle for her Pickens Academy high school team, striking out well over 10 batters in most games. Her go-to is her drop ball which compliments her fastball that can reach speeds up to 68mph. She went on visits to Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi State, and Tennessee before deciding to commit to the Tigers.
T42 | Maren Judish, P | DeMarini Aces (Baylor)
Over the summer, Judish struck out 72 batters in 42 innings and had a .87 ERA before her summer was unfortunately cut short after a knee injury. She's already back to full strength and is hitting 64-65 -- not missing a beat. Her pitches may look a little similar to former Missouri Ace Chelsea Thomas because she takes pitching lessons from her dad, Rich Thomas. Judish committed to Baylor last year after falling in love with coach Moore's staff and Baylor's commitment to excellence and faith.
41 | Destinee Noury, MIF | OC Batbusters - Stith (Oklahoma)
Noury has one of the strongest arms in the country and coaches say she does everything well. She was a key cog on the So Cal A's-Mercado team that finished second at the 16U PGF Nationals this year before leaving the team for the OC Batbusters. Batbusters coach Mike Stith says Noury has all the natural tools that make a great infielder. Noury has good size and is strong in her fundamentals. She has an excellent technical swing and is a smart player who is always thinking two or three steps ahead, be it on defense or at the plate. Noury has shined at nationally prestigious camps such as the OnDeck West Coast Elite Camp, where Derek Allister of OnDeck praised her for her "sophisticated level of play" and "poise and athleticism." She's one of six Oklahoma commits in the 2020 class so far.
This list is an updated version of our initial 2020 Hot 100 rankings and over 40 percent of the players are new additions!
We'll announce the top 10 of the class on Friday, September 29, and shortly after will profile the No. 1 player and then list the "next in" classes comprising recruits 101-200, 201-300, 301-400, and 401-500 as well as which colleges have done the best so far in recruiting this outstanding group of players!
FloSoftball has ranked the Hot 100 beginning with the 2014 class and has done every grad year since including 2015, '16, '17, '18, '19, '20 (the first list exactly a year ago), and '21. We've also updated most of those years several times.
These 2020 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.
50 | Ireland Cavanaugh, P | EC Bullets - Byars (uncommitted)
Cavanaugh is already drawing comparisons to another elite pitcher who played in the East Cobb Bullets organization -- Kelley Lynch, a top 2019 hurler committed to Auburn, who is now with Georgia Impact - Lewis. Ireland is from the same organization that produced Florida standout Kelly Barnhill and is one of the top game-controlling pitchers in the 2020 class as she has excellent control and a strong repertoire of pitches that she's not afraid to throw no matter the count or game score. The Georgia ace was dominant at PGF Nationals and at the Boulder Independence Day Tournament to put herself on the national recruiting map, and she now has major interest from ACC and SEC schools.
T49 | Gabi Salo, P | Finesse - Bressler (Wisconsin)
Salo is a power pitcher who throws in the 63-64 mph range and complements her hard stuff with a curve, screw, and excellent change. The youngest player on Dan Bressler's 16U team, she is also skilled at mixing up speeds to keep hitters off balance. Salo had 170 Ks last spring to earn all-state honors as a freshman when she led her school to the Michigan state semifinals. She recorded 152 more strikeouts in club ball which included leading her team to the USA Softball 16U J.O. Cup championship and a top-10 finish at Colorado Fireworks. The sophomore had heavy interest from multiple Big Ten schools and several other DI programs before she committed to the Badgers.
T49 | Kayla Roncin, 1B/OF | Jersey Intensity (uncommitted)
Roncin comes from a strong baseball background and led her Toms River Little League team to a New Jersey state title a few years ago. In the championship game, she was the star as the New Jersey native had a pair of home runs to spark the victory. After eight years of baseball development, Roncin switched to the softball field and has become one of the top defensive outfielders in her class. A great all-around athlete at 5-foot-10, she has an overhand throw of 67 mph and runs home-to-home in 11.25 seconds. Roncin plays at the 16U level in the Intensity organization and has caught the eyes of coaches in the SEC and many other Power Five programs up and down the East Coast.
48 | Sydney Chambley, OF/P | Atlanta Vipers - Jiles (Georgia)
Chambley is a triple threat at the plate and can hit for power to all fields. She also has the ability to use the short game and her speed to keep the defense honest. Last summer with the Atlanta Vipers, Chambley hit an impressive .460 with 10 home runs. At ASA Nationals alone she hit .500 with six doubles, two triples, and three HRs helping her team to a second-place overall finish. A true athlete, Chambley has a very strong arm in the outfield, great range, and can get the job done in the circle when called upon. Chambley committed to the University of Georgia last fall.
T47 | Blaise Biringer, SS/C | Oro Valley Suncats (Ole Miss)
Biringer is a very good, young athlete with great range and a strong arm at shortstop. She makes the difficult play appear routine and finding her deep in the hole making the long throw across the diamond is just another day on the dirt for Blaise. Her soft hands and strong arm are also huge attributes behind the plate where she is equally comfortable. Although Biringer is known for her defense, she is no easy out at the plate. This past season at Cienega High School she hit .363 with 33 hits, 17 RBIs, and 29 runs scored helping lead her team to the state championship. After receiving interest from several schools out of the Pac-12, Big Ten, and SEC, Biringer verbally committed to Ole Miss.
T47 | Emari Frazier, SS/3B | So Cal Athletics - Briggs (LSU)
Frazier is a big, strong athlete who primarily plays the left side of the infield and hits in the heart of any lineup. The sophomore out of Tennessee is thought to be one of the deadliest hitters in her 2020 class, and will outwork anyone on the field. Frazier will be playing for the Southern California Athletics-Briggs 18U team this upcoming season and will have the opportunity to face the best of the best at a young age. Her ability to perform well on both offense and defense caught the eye of many top programs across the country, but she made her final decision to attend LSU.
46 | McKenzie Clark, OF/UT | Tampa Mustangs - TJ (uncommitted)
Clark, also known as "Pie," is a well-rounded athlete who plays far beyond her years. Playing on her Sarasota Christian High School team since 6th grade, Clark learned advanced on-field communication at an early age and has been able to take that to her Mustangs team where she commands the outfield and handles the pitchers from behind the plate. She has very fast hands in the box and great running speed. This past year at Sarasota Christian, Clark was in the top five in batting average, home runs, and RBIs in 3A Florida high schools and was named second-team team all-state. Clark has multiple offers from ACC and SEC schools and hopes to make a decision this fall.
45 | Zoe Laneaux, 3B | Georgia Impact - Newland (Mississippi State)
Laneaux is just a pure hitter who can hit for power to all fields. Last year she led her Georgia Impact team with 14 HRs, but she has excellent discipline at the plate as well which helped her to a .364 batting average and .454 OB percentage. According to her coach, Laneaux has a very high softball IQ and good instincts at third base. She can read the ball well, get into position quickly, and fire it across the diamond with her cannon of an arm. Along with her obvious talents, Laneaux has a stellar work ethic that has allowed her to make huge strides from last year to this. She is committed to Mississippi State.
44 | Allison Royalty, P | Texas Blaze (uncommitted)
Royalty is a true student of the game who processes and communicates information like a professional. In the circle, Royalty works primarily up and down with an incredible rise ball and a knee-buckling changeup to complement it. During three major summer tournaments (Independence Day Tournament, TCS Nationals, and PGF Nationals) Allison pitched 86 innings, striking out 124 and only allowing 10 earned runs. During PGF bracket play alone she pitched 25 innings, striking out 37 and only giving up six hits and one earned run. Royalty will be taking several unofficial visits to Pac-12 and Big Ten schools this fall.
43 | Haley Pittman, P/1B | Atlanta Vipers - Holbrook (Florida)
Pittman is a dominating left-handed pitcher who initially committed to Auburn before the recent coaching changes. She was 26-3 with an 0.92 ERA as a freshman for her Alabama Christian High School team this year and kept her opponents to a .165 batting average. She also batted .394 with a .527 slugging percentage. Pittman was named first-team class 4A all-state and the Advertiser's 1A-4A All-Metro player of the year. She has been playing high school ball since the 7th grade. After attending the Select 30 All-American camp this year, representing the Atlanta Vipers, Pittman was named first-team All-American for the 2020 class.
T42 | Shelby Lowe, P/1B | Birmingham Thunderbolts (Auburn)
Lowe is a workhorse pitcher who has drawn comparisons to Paige Parker of Oklahoma because of her build and bulldog mentality in the circle. She is a 5-10 lefty with great spins and movement with a riseball that is very tough to resist. Hailing from a small town about 30 miles from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Shelby completely dominates in the circle for her Pickens Academy high school team, striking out well over 10 batters in most games. Her go-to is her drop ball which compliments her fastball that can reach speeds up to 68mph. She went on visits to Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, Mississippi State, and Tennessee before deciding to commit to the Tigers.
T42 | Maren Judish, P | DeMarini Aces (Baylor)
Over the summer, Judish struck out 72 batters in 42 innings and had a .87 ERA before her summer was unfortunately cut short after a knee injury. She's already back to full strength and is hitting 64-65 -- not missing a beat. Her pitches may look a little similar to former Missouri Ace Chelsea Thomas because she takes pitching lessons from her dad, Rich Thomas. Judish committed to Baylor last year after falling in love with coach Moore's staff and Baylor's commitment to excellence and faith.
41 | Destinee Noury, MIF | OC Batbusters - Stith (Oklahoma)
Noury has one of the strongest arms in the country and coaches say she does everything well. She was a key cog on the So Cal A's-Mercado team that finished second at the 16U PGF Nationals this year before leaving the team for the OC Batbusters. Batbusters coach Mike Stith says Noury has all the natural tools that make a great infielder. Noury has good size and is strong in her fundamentals. She has an excellent technical swing and is a smart player who is always thinking two or three steps ahead, be it on defense or at the plate. Noury has shined at nationally prestigious camps such as the OnDeck West Coast Elite Camp, where Derek Allister of OnDeck praised her for her "sophisticated level of play" and "poise and athleticism." She's one of six Oklahoma commits in the 2020 class so far.