Iowa's best high school softball players: Meet the state's top middle infielders
By Barry Poe
With the high school softball season getting underway, SBLive is looking at the best players in Iowa. In our fourth installment, we feature middle infielders across all classifications. The state is loaded with talented second basemen and shortstops and many of these players excel at other positions as well. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list as there are hundreds of outstanding middle infielders statewide.
Katelyn Lappe, Boundurant-Farrar, SS, Sr.
Lappe, a Northern Iowa recruit, earned first team all-state honors as a junior after hitting .594 with 21 home runs and 59 RBIs.
Alexis Houge, Collins-Maxwell, SS, Sr.
Houge, a DePaul recruit, earned first team all-state honors as a junior producing a .551 batting average with 53 runs scored.
Peyton Robinson, Lisbon, SS, Jr.
Robinson, a first team all-stater, led Class 1A with 59 runs scored as a sophomore while hitting .425.
Josie Hartman, Southeast Warren, SS, Sr.
Hartman, a first team all-stater, hit .472 as a junior while scoring 56 runs and driving in 28 for a team that reached the state semifinals.
Macy Sievers, Newell-Fonda, 2B, Sr.
Sievers hit .417 while scoring 52 runs and driving in 42 for 1A state champs.
Erika Rife, Logan-Magnolia, SS, Sr.
Rife posted a .506 batting average as a junior while earning second team all-state honors.
Kenzyn Roberts, Twin Cedars, 2B, Soph.
Roberts enjoyed a strong freshman season with a .333 average and a team-high 49 runs scored.
Kenzie Groen, North Butler, SS, Jr.
Groen hit .386 with a team-high 32 runs while earning second team all-state honors.
Mya Bunkers, Remsen St. Mary's, SS, Soph.
Bunkers was a third-team all-stater as a freshman after leading the Hawks to the state tournament, a .419 average and 32 runs scored.
Mia Danielson, West Sioux, SS, Jr.
Danielson earned third-team all-state honors as a sophomore while hitting .484 to go with only five strikeouts in 95 at bats.
Emma Vohs, Ridge View, SS, Sr.
Vohs hit .425 with six home runs and 32 RBIs as a junior on way to earning third team all-state honors.
Skylar Benesh, North Linn, SS, Soph.
Benesh, a first team all-stater, led Class 2A with 71 runs scored to go with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs while hitting .473.
Olivia Van Bank, North Union, SS, Jr.
Van Bank enjoyed a strong sophomore season, earning first-team all-state honors after leading Class 2A in RBIs with 68 to go with a .513 batting average.
Natali Harrill, Pella Christian, SS, Sr.
Harrill, a first team all-stater as a junior, posted a .483 average while hitting seven home runs and driving in 56 runs for a state tournament team.
McKenna Hohenadel, Louisa-Muscatine, 2B Sr.
Hohenadel earned second-team all-state honors as a junior after hitting .465 and only striking out four times in 71 at bats.
Tory Bennett, Fort Dodge, SS, Sr.
Bennett, an Iowa recruit, hit .455, drove in 36 runs and struck out only four times in 123 at bats for the Class 5A state champs while earning third team all-state honors.
Kaitlyn Powell, Davenport West, SS, Sr.
Powell, a Dubuque recruit, hit an even .500 with 55 hits in 110 at bats while earning second team all-state honors.
Lydia Olejniczak, Perry, SS, Jr.
Olejniczak earned third team all-state honors after posting a .429 batting average as a sophomore.
Rachel Chambers, Charles City, SS, Sr.
Chambers, a Drake University recruit, hit .415 as a junior with 19 home runs and 64 RBIs while earning second team all-state honors.
Elise Evans-Murphy, SS, Sergeant Bluff-Luton, Jr.
Evans-Murphy hit .396 with 21 XBH, including 16 doubles, while driving in 52 runs on way to earning third team all-state honors.
Hillary Wilson, Solon, SS, Jr.
Wilson, a first team all-stater as a sophomore, led Class 3A with 65 runs scored while hitting .548 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs.
Brylee Hempey, Sioux City East, SS, Sr.
Hempey, a South Dakota recruit, led all of Class 5A as a junior with 68 runs scored while she produced seven home runs and 26 RBIs while hitting .462.
Maia Bentley, Mount Vernon, SS, Sr.
Bentley was named a first team all-stater after a junior season where she hit .504, scored 49 runs, hit nine home runs and drove in 46.
Megan Lobberecht, Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont, SS, Soph.
Lobberecht hit nine home runs and drove in 43 while hitting .378 during her freshman season, earning second team all-state honors, that included only four strikeouts in 119 at bats.