CLASS 5A SOFTBALL PLAYERS TO WATCH IN 2025
   

KYA BEHR, GREAT BEND

Behr provided an immediate impact for the Panthers as a freshman, helping fuel a trip to the state tournament for Great Bend, which finished 22-7. Behr played second base as a freshman before shifting over to shortstop as a sophomore this season. She hit. 486 a year ago with 51 hits, 20 doubles, 3 home runs, 42 RBI, 40 runs scored and 9 stolen bases. That production earned her second-team All-5A honors and a first-team spot on the All-Western Athletic Conference squad. 
 

 
TAYLOR BREES, SHAWNEE HEIGHTS
 
Brees enters her third year as a starter on the infield for the T-Birds. She’s a .480 hitter throughout her career and has racked up 32 stolen bases, including a school-record 17 last seaseon. Brees earned first-team All-United Kansas Conference honors and was a second-team All-Class 5A selection. She has signed with Washburn.
 

 DESHAWNNA BRYANT, GREAT BEND

Bryant is a four-year starter in the outfield for the Panthers. She put up strong numbers last year, batting .489 with 45 hits, 16 doubles, 4 home runs, 38 RBI, 27 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. She entered her senior season as a .454 career hitter with 86 career RBI and 11 home runs. Bryant is a two-time first-team All-Western Athletic Conference selection and she earned first-team All-5A honors last season. Bryant is headed to Butler Community College for softball.

PAYTON CONVERSE, ANDOVER CENTRAL

Converse’s power was a welcome addition last season for the Jaguars, as she hit a team-high eight home runs during Andover Central’s 16-12 campaign. She was one of three freshmen first-team All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I selections for Central, joining second baseman Tessa Cooper and third baseman Kelsey Barscewski as an outfield pick. Converse was also voted All-Class 5A second team for the Jags, who advanced to the regional finals before losing to Maize South.
 

RILEY DREHER, HAYS

Dreher is a four-year starter who has split time between pitcher, shortstop and third base in her career. Dreher earned first-team All-Western Athletic Conference honors in each of her first three seasons. She was honorable mention All-5A as a junior. Dreher went 12-7 in the circle with 2.51 ERA in 78 innings pitched last year while hitting .452 with 9 doubles, 8 triples and 3 home runs. She entered her senior season as a .486 career hitter and with a 20-13 pitching record. Dreher is a Hutchinson Community College signee. 

PAITYN FRITZ, SALINA SOUTH
 
The 6-foot-3 Fritz has completed an all-league trifecta, earning All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors in volleyball, basketball and softball. Last year, Fritz earned that honor as a utility player after helping the Cougars finish 19-9 and reach the regional finals. Fritz, a junior who has committed to UNLV, batted .378 with 10 home runs and 33 RBI last season, and handled the lion’s share of pitching duties for South with a 14-4 record, 2.50 ERA and 106 strikeouts.
 

KARLI GEORGE, EISENHOWER
 
George has been a fixture for Eisenhower at third base and in the pitcher’s circle since her freshman season in 2022, helping the Tigers to a third-place finish in 5A that year and a runner-up finish as a sophomore. Eisenhower was bounced in the regional finals last spring by eventual state champion Bishop Carroll, but George repeated as an All-AVCTL II first-team pitcher and earned all-state second-team honors after going 11-5 with a 1.73 ERA and 171 strikeouts. She also batted .341 with three homers and 17 RBI, and is trying to help the Tigers replace the offensive production of her former batterymate Karlee Ford, who is playing at Iowa State.
 

CHARLEE HOFFMANN, KAPAUN MT. CARMEL
 
Hoffmann’s junior season ended with an injury in late April, but the Crusaders’ four-year starter still earned All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team honors for the third time in her career as an outfielder. Kapaun’s center fielder batted .442 and was perfect on steal attempts last season as the Crusaders finished 16-11. Hoffmann also had a .941 fielding percentage.
  

LIZZIE LASSLEY, MAIZE SOUTH
 
The daughter of former Wichita State catcher Cody Lassley, Lizzie has handled those duties for Maize South since her freshman season. After earning All-Class 5A second-team recognition as a sophomore, Lassley received all-state honorable mention to go with All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first-team honors during her 2024 junior season, which ended with Maize South finishing fourth in 5A. Lassley contributed a .396 batting average with 14 hits for extra bases, 19 RBI, 8 stolen bases and 37 runs scored as the Mavericks finished 26-5. 
 

 
RAEGAN MCCONNELL, SEAMAN
 
McConnell enters her senior season as a three-year starter at catcher for the Vikings and was a second-team All-United Kansas Conference selection last year while also earning second-team All-Class 5A honors. She led the Vikings with a .523 average last season, hitting a pair of homers and sharing the team lead in RBI with 35 – one of five Vikings with 30 or more RBI. Her 46 hits rank as the fourth-best single-season total in Viking history and her 13 doubles also are fourth-best. She’s a .422 career hitter with 6 homers.
  

 
KAELYN O’ROURKE, SEAMAN
 
O’Rourke leads a Vikings pitching staff that returns intact this season for first-year head coach Daniel Ruda. As a junior last year, O’Rourke posted an 8-5 record with a 1.85 ERA. She struck out 151 batters in 87 innings, a mark that ranks in the top three for Seaman in its history. She owns the career saves record with six, getting four of those last year in relief of fellow hurlers Addison Sibley, who went 10-1, and Acey Thompson, who was 4-1. O’Rourle also ranks fourth in career strikeouts with 245 in her career. O’Rourke was a second-team All-Class 5A selection last year and first-team All-United Kansas Conference.
 

ALLYSON ORTH, BISHOP CARROLL
 
While Orth’s innings were limited due to injury last season, she was still in the circle for Bishop Carroll’s 12-2, run-rule victory over St. Thomas Aquinas in the Class 5A championship game. Orth yielded two runs on three hits and three walks in six innings to help the Golden Eagles win their 15^th state softball crown. Orth, a junior, was voted All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first team as a utility player last spring after batting .489 with 21 RBI and 41 runs scored. She also posted a 7-2 record with a 1.58 ERA, striking out 53 in 62 innings, all of which came against teams with winning records.
 

ABREYA PERRY, VALLEY CENTER
 
The speedy Perry is healthy and back in center field for the Hornets in her junior season after sustaining a season-ending shoulder injury in Valley Center’s ninth game last spring. That was still enough time for the Texas A&M commit to bat .552 with five home runs, 14 RBI and four stolen bases. Perry had a monstrous freshman season, helping the experienced Hornets defend their Class 5A title by batting .566 and scoring 50 runs. She also set a Hornets’ single-season record with 22 stolen bases.
 

CLARA PINKHAM, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

As a freshman last season, Pinkham showed a strong ability to read pitches and get her bat on the ball. In 95 at-bats, she never struck out. Pinkham connected well enough for a .379 batting average with 36 hits and 28 RBI. She also stole eight bases on her way to finishing with 37 runs scored. Starting every game at shortstop, Pinkham posted a .943 fielding percentage with 41 putouts and 42 assists while only having 5 errors. Adding her to an already strong line-up helped push Aquinas to a 25-5 campaign and a state runner-up finish. Pinkham earned All-EKL first-team honors at infielder last season. 
 

ELLA PRZYBYLSKI, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Przybylski earned All-EKL first-team honors at catcher as a junior last season. She proved to be a workhorse behind the plate as she started every single game there during a 25-5 season for the Saints, which culminated in a state runner-up finish. Przybylski had 158 putouts in 175 total chances with five errors and a .971 fielding percentage. She also delivered at the plate with a .415 batting average. Przybylski racked up 34 hits, 27 RBIs and 21 runs.
 

ELLIE RUFFIN, SPRING HILL

Ruffin earned All-Frontier League first-team honors at outfielder as a junior last season. Ruffin, who will play softball at Baker University next year, has been asked to play all across the outfield over the last few years for the Broncos. Last year she had 17 putouts in 20 total chances with just three errors. Her .850 fielding percentage does not properly capture her level of skill in the outfield, with Ruffin consistently making web-gem type catches. At the plate, Ruffin batted .391 with 25 hits, including 13 extra-base hits, as she drove in 22 runs. She also scored 30 runs in just 27 games. Her coach describes Ruffin as a person dedicated to being a high-level person and high-level student as much as being a high-level player.
 

KARTER SKILLMAN, BLUE VALLEY SOUTHWEST

Skillman earned All-5A and All-EKL first team honors at utility as a junior last season. The Blue Valley Southwest program also chose her as the team’s offensive player of the year. Skillman produced 40 hits on a .460 average last year, driving in 27 runs on the strength of 5 homers and 9 other extra-base hits. She helped led the team to a 15-12 record, although the team ended up facing an early postseason exit with a 6-3 loss to St. James Academy in the regional opener. As a freshman, Skillman was a starter for a Timberwolves squad that won the EKL title and a regional title on the way to state. She was a standout on an 8-11 squad in 2023, earning her first postseason honor by making All-EKL second team at utility as a sophomore. Skillman also helped the Timberwolves girls basketball team reach state during her junior year. As a senior, she set the school record for career rebounds, the highest FG% in a season and most charges for both a season and a career. She also doubles up her spring sports, competing as a thrower for the school’s track and field team. She holds the school record for discus with her mark of 119 feet, 3 inches from last year’s EKL championship meet.
 

SOPHIE STOCKAM, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Stockam, a senior, has been a power-pitching, hard-hitting force for the Mavericks for three-plus seasons. Last spring, she led Maize South to a fourth-place finish in Class 5A, posting a 15-1 record with a 1.86 ERA and 200 strikeouts in 97 innings. Also a third baseman, Stockam batted .389 with eight home runs and 40 RBI, finishing the season with 18 hits for extra bases. Stockam signed with UNLV in November after earning All-5A first-team honors and made up half of the Mavericks’ All-AVCTL I first-team pitching duo with current sophomore Kinslee Cottner.
 

KEIRA STRIPLING, BISHOP CARROLL
 
On a state championship team loaded with standouts, Stripling carved her place last season as an All-Class 5A and All-Greater Wichita Athletic League first-team pitcher, earning both accolades as a freshman. Stripling posted a 12-2 record with a 2.31 ERA and struck out 125 in 75.2 innings. She was equally valuable to the Golden Eagles at the plate, batting .611 with 55 hits – 16 for extra bases – while driving in 24 and scoring 71 runs. Stripling, who bats leadoff, notched early-season victories in the circle this spring against 2024 6A regional finalist Maize and 6A third-place finisher Washburn Rural.
 

AURORA SWEETLAND, ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Sweetland earned All-EKL first-team honors at pitcher as a junior last season. She delivered as the Saints starting pitcher during the team’s 25-5, state runner-up campaign in 2024. Sweetland started 12 games and took the mound in relief during another seven outings. She struck out 72 batters and kept a 3.694 ERA as she delivered an 8-2 record. She did not have too many of her pitches head right back at her, but she delivered the assist in all five of those situations to maintain a perfect fielding percentage last season.
 

TAYLIN TABOR, ANDOVER CENTRAL

Tabor, a senior, is in her second season at shortstop after playing second base for the Jaguars as a freshman and sophomore. The change worked well enough last season for Tabor to earn All-Class 5A and All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first-team honors as Central finished 16-12. The Jaguars entered this season strong up the middle with sophomores Tessa Cooper at second and Payton Converse in center. All three were all-league first-team picks last spring.
 

KYLIE THORNQUIST, MAIZE SOUTH
 
Thornquist, a junior, has started every game at shortstop for the Mavericks since taking the field as a freshman. Her solid play in the field and at the plate, where she batted .519 with seven homers, 48 RBI and 44 runs scored last season, helped Maize South win a regional title and finish fourth in Class 5A. Thornquist, who earned All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division I first team, fueled her .568 on-base percentage with 23 extra-base hits in 2024.
 

KATY WAGNER, SALINA CENTRAL
 
Wagner, a sophomore, primarily plays shortstop for the Mustangs, who finished 10-17 a year ago. She made her impact on the basepaths last season, swiping 28 bases to finish one shy of Central’s single-season program record. Wagner, who pitched last season and occasionally plays center, was selected to the All-Ark Valley-Chisholm Trail Division II first team at the utility spot. She was one of six Mustang underclassmen who received all-league recognition.
 

JALEIGH WHITE, SPRING HILL
 
White earned All-5A and All-Frontier League first-team honors at pitcher last season. White went 15-2 on the mound last season, racking up 121 strikeouts and only allowing 13 earned runs with a .856 ERA through 106 innings pitched. She was equally dominant at the plate. White posted a .533 batting average with a 1.567 OPS. She had 61 RBIs in just 31 games last season. White had 29 of her 57 hits go for extra bases, sending 10 over the outfield wall. While her stats impress everybody who watches her games in person, her coach is even more impressed with how much the team’s superstar player remains humble. Coach Corey Katzer said White, who will play at Central Arkansas next year, is the first to give her teammates credit for the team’s success, which includes a 28-3 record last season and a third-place finish at state.