2020 Hot 100 RankingsSep 27, 2017 by Brittany Connors Connors
2020 Hot 100: Players 30-21
2020 Hot 100: Players 30-21
FloSoftball 2020 Hot 100 rankings, players 30 to 21.
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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.
30 | Leslie Cochran, C/IF | Firecrackers - Sewell (Duke)
Cochran is the player that every team wishes they had: she can win the ball game with one swing of the bat or with an eye-popping play on defense. Cochran has some remarkable power and discipline, at the plate posting a .502 batting average last season while drawing 52 walks. Once on base, Cochran is always a threat to run and was caught on only three of 27 attempts last season. During her freshman year at Union Grove High School, Cochran helped lead her team to a top-five finish in the 5A class, where she was recognized as first-team all-district, first-team all-region, and second-team all-state. Cochran is an athlete expected to do great things the minute she steps on the field at Duke.
29 | Paige Knight, P/3B | Tulsa Elite (Oklahoma)
Knight has all the tools necessary to make big waves at the next level. The 5-foot-10 athlete has a very strong arm, good speed, and the versatility at the plate to be able to connect consistently for power and average. Paige has proven to be a mainstay in the heart of the lineup for a very tough Tulsa Elite organization, and has helped lead them to top finishes at several major tournaments. Because of her ability to compete at a high level in the circle, on the field, and at the plate, she caught the eye of in-state powerhouse Oklahoma and made her commitment to the Sooners.
T28 | Ava Justman, P | So Cal Choppers (uncommitted)
Justman first made a national splash at the 2016 PGF Nationals when she pitched for the So Cal 3D team and had 10 strikeouts against a powerhouse OC Batbusters-Campbell team that would tie for third. This year she moved to the Choppers, and once again shined on club ball's biggest stage as she went 2-1 with a pair of complete-game victories as she recorded 13 Ks in 10 innings and had an impressive 0.93 ERA. A 5-8 lefty who throws a curve, screw, changeup, and riseball, she had a strong freshman season at Granada Hills (California) High, going 10-3 with 112 Ks in 112 innings with a 0.83 ERA. She has major Power Five interest from across the nation.
T28 | Emily Wilkie, C/3B | Atlanta Vipers (Florida)
Wilkie is a tall, athletic catcher/corner player who has great size at 5-10 and the speed to bat leadoff. She has great instincts behind the plate and is usually two steps ahead in her mental approach with the physical tools -- like a strong arm -- to play multiple positions. With just a few games left in the Georgia high school regular season, she's batting .469 with 42 RBIs, a .560 on-base percentage, and 1.305 OPS. She's also had 20 steals and only been caught once. She had strong interest from many SEC schools, but chose to cross the border south and play for the Gators.
27 | Giulia Koutsoyanopulos, 1B/OF | OC Batbusters - Stith (Arizona)
Koutsoyanopulos -- or "G" as most everyone calls her -- is versatile enough to play first base at the club level and outfield for her Capistrano Valley (California) High team. As one coach said, "Defensively, Giulia has all the tools," including a strong arm and glove. She can drive the ball to all fields and helped the Batbusters go 10-2 at PGF 14U Nationals, where she had 9 RBIs in 11 games and a .990 fielding percentage playing first. "G" won a PGF Nationals Championship at the 12U level for the Batbusters in 2015, and in October of that year committed to the Wildcats at a prospect camp. She was a long-time Arizona fan after attending multiple camps run by Jennie Finch and playing for another Wildcats great, Toni Mascarenas, on the '15 title-winning team.
26 | Tehya Bird, P/SS | Universal Fastpitch (Oregon)
Bird -- AKA "T-Bird" -- helped lead Universal Fastpitch to a top-10 finish at PGF 14U Nationals this summer as she hit .300, played sound defense at shortstop, and was a leader on and off the field. Bird covers a lot of ground and has a strong arm; she also can pitch "with a presence," as one coach described her, as the 5-9 athlete throws in the mid-60s range. Most importantly, T-Bird -- a long-time Duck fan who was the first 2020 commit to Oregon -- elevates her game when the team needs her most. As one scout put it, she "shines when the lights come on." Offensively she has excellent power to drive the ball to all fields and is a great mistake hitter.
T25 | Sara Beth Allen, P/UT | East Cobb Bullets - Caldwell (uncommitted)
Allen is a standout pitcher with a nasty changeup often called in to shut down a big-hitting team, but she's also a force in the field where she has great speed and a strong arm to gun down runners from her outfield positions. A catalyst who gets the team motivated no matter the situation, she's the type of player who one coach says "will run through a fence, crash into a wall, or do whatever it takes to help her team win." Allen has a strong summer, crushing 13 home runs with 48 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .704 for Jeff Caldwell's Bullets team. The Georgia standout has interest from ACC, SEC, and Sun Belt Conference schools and is expected to commit soon.
T25 | Thessa Malau'ulu, 3B | Firecrackers - Rico (UCLA)
Malau'ulu is playing for Tony Rico's Firecrackers 18U team, showing that she has the advanced skills to play at an elite level. One coach described Malau'ulu as "one of the most consistent hitters at PGF and, defensively, you won't find a better defensive third baseman than her." The SoCal standout sophomore combines excellent instincts with athleticism, and showed her overall skills as a freshman at St. Anthony High in Long Beach, California, as she batted .408 and went 12-for-12 in steals and didn't make an error all season in 20 games playing the infield primarily. She had strong interest from top colleges -- including academically strong schools like Duke and Stanford -- before she committed to UCLA in August.
24 | Ryleigh Carricaburu, C/SS | Firecrackers - TJ (Michigan)
Carricaburu has a cannon for an arm which prevents teams from even attempting to steal on her. She hit .400 for the summer and had six home runs. Before softball, Carricaburu led her baseball team to multiple championships. In her second full season of softball, she caught 67 innings at PGF Nationals and helped her team to a fifth-place finish. The 5-9 athlete is strong and quick and carries a pop time under 1.60. Catching is her primary position but she is more than capable of playing shortstop or any other position when needed. She had Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and Pac-12 interest before committing to the Wolverines.
23 | Alyssa Brito, OF/SS | OC Batbusters - Stith (Oregon)
Brito came out strong this summer, batting .465 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 45 runs, and an .879 slugging percentage. When she's not slugging home runs she is power-hitting to the gaps. Brito helped her team take second place at PGF 14U Nationals this year and blasted 13 home runs during the hitting station at the OnDeck June Jamboree. As a freshman at Foothill High in Santa Ana, Brito started at shortstop for the varsity squad and hit .401 with eight home runs (team leader) and 29 RBIs. She transferred to Pacifica High School for her sophomore year and will no doubt help guide the team. The utility player has a great arm with a 68mph overhand speed. Brito committed to the Ducks after getting interest from SEC, Big West, and other Pac-12 teams.
22 | Alison Newland, OF | Georgia Impact - Newland (LSU)
Newland is a batter you can count on. She commands the strike zone and does not swing at balls out of the zone as evidenced by her ridiculous .556 on-base percentage for the year. During the spring she had a .441 batting average. She can lay down a bunt, slap, or drive one out of the park. Despite missing a few weeks after having her appendix removed, she led Georgia Impact - Newland in hits, steals, doubles, and triples and hit double-digit HRs. Newland is also great on defense, reading the ball well off the bat and tracking down everything in center field. At PGF this year -- where the team took fifth -- she hit over .400 with a .484 on-base percentage. One coach said of her, "She is the team leader -- the engine that makes the car go. She has an amazing work ethic and loves to practice." Coaches say she "has some of the best footwork you'll see." Newland is also an accomplished tennis player and will be joining the Tigers on the field at LSU down the road.
T21 | Raegan Breedlove, P/1B | Universal Fastpitch (Oregon)
Breedlove is a big-time pitcher from Redding, California, throwing an average velocity of 65mph and nailing her spots. She guided the Universal Fastpitch 14u - Garcia team to a top-10 finish at this year's 14U PGF Premier National Championships. In her freshman year of high school, she compiled 301 strikeouts and ranked third in California and third in the nation among freshman pitchers. At the plate for her high school, Breedlove hit .500 with 44 RBIs and 10 home runs. At PGF, she posted a 5-0 record in 36 innings with a 1.944 ERA and 43 strikeouts. She will be back next summer to help lead Universal Garcia at the 16U level.
T21 | Jesse Fontes, P | So Cal Choppers - Fausett (Arizona)
Fontes is a natural left-handed pitcher who is noted for her great poise on the mound; as one coach put it, "She has ice water in her veins and shows no expression . . . she's unflappable." Jess throws a riseball, curve, drop, but her screwball is her money pitch. The Fillmore, California, sophomore pitched 28 innings at PGF Nationals and had 26 Ks with only four earned runs allowed (1.00 ERA) to go 1-1 and help the Choppers to go 4-2. Last year, Fontes threw 11 straight games at PGF Nationals. She's a big-game pitcher who loves the pressure of tight situations. She committed to Mike Candrea and the Wildcats on March of 2016.
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.
30 | Leslie Cochran, C/IF | Firecrackers - Sewell (Duke)
Cochran is the player that every team wishes they had: she can win the ball game with one swing of the bat or with an eye-popping play on defense. Cochran has some remarkable power and discipline, at the plate posting a .502 batting average last season while drawing 52 walks. Once on base, Cochran is always a threat to run and was caught on only three of 27 attempts last season. During her freshman year at Union Grove High School, Cochran helped lead her team to a top-five finish in the 5A class, where she was recognized as first-team all-district, first-team all-region, and second-team all-state. Cochran is an athlete expected to do great things the minute she steps on the field at Duke.
29 | Paige Knight, P/3B | Tulsa Elite (Oklahoma)
Knight has all the tools necessary to make big waves at the next level. The 5-foot-10 athlete has a very strong arm, good speed, and the versatility at the plate to be able to connect consistently for power and average. Paige has proven to be a mainstay in the heart of the lineup for a very tough Tulsa Elite organization, and has helped lead them to top finishes at several major tournaments. Because of her ability to compete at a high level in the circle, on the field, and at the plate, she caught the eye of in-state powerhouse Oklahoma and made her commitment to the Sooners.
T28 | Ava Justman, P | So Cal Choppers (uncommitted)
Justman first made a national splash at the 2016 PGF Nationals when she pitched for the So Cal 3D team and had 10 strikeouts against a powerhouse OC Batbusters-Campbell team that would tie for third. This year she moved to the Choppers, and once again shined on club ball's biggest stage as she went 2-1 with a pair of complete-game victories as she recorded 13 Ks in 10 innings and had an impressive 0.93 ERA. A 5-8 lefty who throws a curve, screw, changeup, and riseball, she had a strong freshman season at Granada Hills (California) High, going 10-3 with 112 Ks in 112 innings with a 0.83 ERA. She has major Power Five interest from across the nation.
T28 | Emily Wilkie, C/3B | Atlanta Vipers (Florida)
Wilkie is a tall, athletic catcher/corner player who has great size at 5-10 and the speed to bat leadoff. She has great instincts behind the plate and is usually two steps ahead in her mental approach with the physical tools -- like a strong arm -- to play multiple positions. With just a few games left in the Georgia high school regular season, she's batting .469 with 42 RBIs, a .560 on-base percentage, and 1.305 OPS. She's also had 20 steals and only been caught once. She had strong interest from many SEC schools, but chose to cross the border south and play for the Gators.
27 | Giulia Koutsoyanopulos, 1B/OF | OC Batbusters - Stith (Arizona)
Koutsoyanopulos -- or "G" as most everyone calls her -- is versatile enough to play first base at the club level and outfield for her Capistrano Valley (California) High team. As one coach said, "Defensively, Giulia has all the tools," including a strong arm and glove. She can drive the ball to all fields and helped the Batbusters go 10-2 at PGF 14U Nationals, where she had 9 RBIs in 11 games and a .990 fielding percentage playing first. "G" won a PGF Nationals Championship at the 12U level for the Batbusters in 2015, and in October of that year committed to the Wildcats at a prospect camp. She was a long-time Arizona fan after attending multiple camps run by Jennie Finch and playing for another Wildcats great, Toni Mascarenas, on the '15 title-winning team.
26 | Tehya Bird, P/SS | Universal Fastpitch (Oregon)
Bird -- AKA "T-Bird" -- helped lead Universal Fastpitch to a top-10 finish at PGF 14U Nationals this summer as she hit .300, played sound defense at shortstop, and was a leader on and off the field. Bird covers a lot of ground and has a strong arm; she also can pitch "with a presence," as one coach described her, as the 5-9 athlete throws in the mid-60s range. Most importantly, T-Bird -- a long-time Duck fan who was the first 2020 commit to Oregon -- elevates her game when the team needs her most. As one scout put it, she "shines when the lights come on." Offensively she has excellent power to drive the ball to all fields and is a great mistake hitter.
T25 | Sara Beth Allen, P/UT | East Cobb Bullets - Caldwell (uncommitted)
Allen is a standout pitcher with a nasty changeup often called in to shut down a big-hitting team, but she's also a force in the field where she has great speed and a strong arm to gun down runners from her outfield positions. A catalyst who gets the team motivated no matter the situation, she's the type of player who one coach says "will run through a fence, crash into a wall, or do whatever it takes to help her team win." Allen has a strong summer, crushing 13 home runs with 48 RBIs and a slugging percentage of .704 for Jeff Caldwell's Bullets team. The Georgia standout has interest from ACC, SEC, and Sun Belt Conference schools and is expected to commit soon.
T25 | Thessa Malau'ulu, 3B | Firecrackers - Rico (UCLA)
Malau'ulu is playing for Tony Rico's Firecrackers 18U team, showing that she has the advanced skills to play at an elite level. One coach described Malau'ulu as "one of the most consistent hitters at PGF and, defensively, you won't find a better defensive third baseman than her." The SoCal standout sophomore combines excellent instincts with athleticism, and showed her overall skills as a freshman at St. Anthony High in Long Beach, California, as she batted .408 and went 12-for-12 in steals and didn't make an error all season in 20 games playing the infield primarily. She had strong interest from top colleges -- including academically strong schools like Duke and Stanford -- before she committed to UCLA in August.
24 | Ryleigh Carricaburu, C/SS | Firecrackers - TJ (Michigan)
Carricaburu has a cannon for an arm which prevents teams from even attempting to steal on her. She hit .400 for the summer and had six home runs. Before softball, Carricaburu led her baseball team to multiple championships. In her second full season of softball, she caught 67 innings at PGF Nationals and helped her team to a fifth-place finish. The 5-9 athlete is strong and quick and carries a pop time under 1.60. Catching is her primary position but she is more than capable of playing shortstop or any other position when needed. She had Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and Pac-12 interest before committing to the Wolverines.
23 | Alyssa Brito, OF/SS | OC Batbusters - Stith (Oregon)
Brito came out strong this summer, batting .465 with 17 home runs, 60 RBIs, 45 runs, and an .879 slugging percentage. When she's not slugging home runs she is power-hitting to the gaps. Brito helped her team take second place at PGF 14U Nationals this year and blasted 13 home runs during the hitting station at the OnDeck June Jamboree. As a freshman at Foothill High in Santa Ana, Brito started at shortstop for the varsity squad and hit .401 with eight home runs (team leader) and 29 RBIs. She transferred to Pacifica High School for her sophomore year and will no doubt help guide the team. The utility player has a great arm with a 68mph overhand speed. Brito committed to the Ducks after getting interest from SEC, Big West, and other Pac-12 teams.
22 | Alison Newland, OF | Georgia Impact - Newland (LSU)
Newland is a batter you can count on. She commands the strike zone and does not swing at balls out of the zone as evidenced by her ridiculous .556 on-base percentage for the year. During the spring she had a .441 batting average. She can lay down a bunt, slap, or drive one out of the park. Despite missing a few weeks after having her appendix removed, she led Georgia Impact - Newland in hits, steals, doubles, and triples and hit double-digit HRs. Newland is also great on defense, reading the ball well off the bat and tracking down everything in center field. At PGF this year -- where the team took fifth -- she hit over .400 with a .484 on-base percentage. One coach said of her, "She is the team leader -- the engine that makes the car go. She has an amazing work ethic and loves to practice." Coaches say she "has some of the best footwork you'll see." Newland is also an accomplished tennis player and will be joining the Tigers on the field at LSU down the road.
T21 | Raegan Breedlove, P/1B | Universal Fastpitch (Oregon)
Breedlove is a big-time pitcher from Redding, California, throwing an average velocity of 65mph and nailing her spots. She guided the Universal Fastpitch 14u - Garcia team to a top-10 finish at this year's 14U PGF Premier National Championships. In her freshman year of high school, she compiled 301 strikeouts and ranked third in California and third in the nation among freshman pitchers. At the plate for her high school, Breedlove hit .500 with 44 RBIs and 10 home runs. At PGF, she posted a 5-0 record in 36 innings with a 1.944 ERA and 43 strikeouts. She will be back next summer to help lead Universal Garcia at the 16U level.
T21 | Jesse Fontes, P | So Cal Choppers - Fausett (Arizona)
Fontes is a natural left-handed pitcher who is noted for her great poise on the mound; as one coach put it, "She has ice water in her veins and shows no expression . . . she's unflappable." Jess throws a riseball, curve, drop, but her screwball is her money pitch. The Fillmore, California, sophomore pitched 28 innings at PGF Nationals and had 26 Ks with only four earned runs allowed (1.00 ERA) to go 1-1 and help the Choppers to go 4-2. Last year, Fontes threw 11 straight games at PGF Nationals. She's a big-game pitcher who loves the pressure of tight situations. She committed to Mike Candrea and the Wildcats on March of 2016.