Vote: Which high school softball player is Missouri's top returner for the 2025 fall season?

Our candidates are loaded with returning first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state performers. Cast your vote for the best of the best!

Oakville's Addie Frank (4) is one of Missouri's top returning softball players for the 2025 high school season. An all-state performer in 2024, Frank is also a standout baseball player who holds an invitation to travel to Washington D.C. to participate in a draft tryout to become one of 150 players eligible for the 2026 Women's Professional Baseball League Draft. / Tim Vizer

Fall isn't only for football. Missouri's high school softball players are also set to take the field in the coming weeks to kick off their 2025 campaign.

We have highlighted 41 of the state's top expected returners for the 2025 season and it's a loaded list of conference, district, region and state champions, as well as first team all-conference, all-region, all-district and all-state performers.

Most of these players have been tearing it up for their respective summer fastpitch teams all across the country the last few months, and that gives us a pretty good indication that they intend to defend their all-state status.

Be sure to read up on each of our candidates and then cast your vote in the poll at the bottom of the page. You may vote as many times as you'd like between now and Sunday, July 20, at 11:59 p.m. Central.

As always, feel free to share this page on all socials.

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Missouri high school softball 2025 fall season top returner candidates

Bailey Barnett, INF, jr., South Harrison                    

A two-time all-state selection, Barnett earned Class 2 first team honors last fall as a sophomore as she helped the Lady Bulldogs to a 22-12 record. Barnett hit .531 with 25 doubles, a triple, 4 home runs and 32 RBI.

Brynn Bird, P, sr., Gallatin

A big-time two-way player on the diamond for the Lady Bulldogs, Bird earned Class 1 first team all-state honors after leading the squad to a 24-9 record and a trip to the state finals.

Summer Branch, P, sr., Jefferson City                       

Branch throws heat. The Washburn commit has been up to 65 mph this summer as the Class 4 first team all-state selection gears up for her senior campaign – and first under new Jeff City head coach Whitni Howell – after helping the Lady Jays to a 19-13 mark last season.

Gracie Britton, C/INF, sr., Southern Boone           

A Class 3 first team all-state selection at catcher, Britton had a monster season before announcing her commitment to Mizzou on Nov. 12, 2024. She will face an uphill battle trying to top the staggering .626 batting average, 13 home runs, 55 RBI and .714 on-base percentage she put up as a junior.

Jaylynn Brown, P, jr., Centralia                       

A Class 3 first team all-state selection, Brown set the Lady Panthers’ school record with 19 strikeouts in a game last season and fired a no-hitter with 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 win against Winfield in the state quarterfinals. Centralia captured its first district title since 2020 and rode that momentum all the way to a 35-4 record and a trip to the Class 3 finals. She’s as dominant as any pitcher in the state.

Ava Bush, OF, sr., Rock Bridge                        

After committing to Iowa in early January, Bush announced on June 5 that she had reopened her commitment. The all-conference, all-district, all-region and Class 5 first team all-state selection shouldn’t have much trouble finding a home for her powerful left-handed bat and terrific defense. Speaking of that defense, she capped her season with an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter when she made the Top 10 Plays of the Night on Nov. 2, 2024 – landing at No. 9 – when she robbed a potential 2-run home run from Lafayette Wildwood’s Abby Carr and doubled off a runner at second in the state championship game.

Josie Casler, C, sr., Excelsior Springs       

The Lady Tigers went 20-10 last season with Casler serving as one of the top varsity catchers in the state. Her big year was punctuated with Class 3 first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state honors.

Carlyanne Cossou, P, jr., Chaffee                

A multi-sport athlete who is also a state champion in track and field, Cossou was named Class 2 first team all-state at pitcher as a sophomore as she helped Chaffee to a 26-8 record and the Class 2 semifinals.

Bailie Crist, OF/UTIL, sr., Highland                              

She set program records last season for on-base percentage (.607), doubles (20) and RBI (48) and earned Class 2 first team all-state honors after batting .549 with 20 doubles, 6 triples, 4 home runs and 48 RBI. She scored 43 runs, stole 15 bases and slugged .961.

Payton Davis, OF, sr., Hallsville                    

Hallsville made a run at the Class 3 title last season, and Davis will be back to help them take another run in 2025 after she earned first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and Class 3 first team all-state honors in the outfield as a junior.

Ashlyn Dawes, P, sr., Jackson                         

A two-time Class 5 all-state selection, Dawes earned first team all-state honors as a pitcher last season after helping Jackson go 31-10, reaching the Class 5 quarterfinals. Just as dangerous with the bat as she is in the circle, Dawes batted .532 and set program records for singles (51), single-season at-bats (124) and hits (66).

Kelsie Donaldson, P, sr., Raymore-Peculiar         

The elite southpaw will be taking her talents to the collegiate level to play for NC State, but first the two-time Class 5 first team all-state selection will try to help Ray-Pec build on last season’s 25-6 mark and trip to the state quarterfinals.

Charlize “Charli” Duemmel, C/OF, sr., St. Elizabeth     

Duemmel earned Class 1 first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state honors at catcher after helping lead St. Elizabeth to a 30-2 record and the state championship in 2024. She will be a huge part of their bid to repeat in 2025.

Kamryn Florea, INF/OF, sr., Lawson                           

A two-time state champion in the pole vault, Florea’s athleticism stands out on the softball field where she played her way into Class 3 first team all-state honors as an infielder last season.

Adelaide “Addie” Frank, INF, sr., Oakville

Frank is coming off a standout season in which the lefty earned Class 5 first team all-conference, all-metro and all-state honors while also earning Suburban Conference Player of the Year. Frank also excels in baseball, where she earned a tryout invitation to the 2025 Women’s Professional Baseball League – which will be held at the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy in Washington D.C., from Aug. 22-25. There she will compete to become one of 150 players eligible to be selected in the 2026 WPBL Draft.

Reese Hill, UTIL, jr., Montgomery County

Rated by Extra Inning Softball as the No. 46 junior infielder in the country, Hill is a two-time first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state selection. She homered six times in her first 12 games last season and finished the year with 13 bombs while also batting .561 with 46 RBI and pitching to a 16-5 record with 219 strikeouts.

Rylen Jensen, OF, jr., Silex

Jensen’s bat and standout defense were a big part of the Owls’ success last season, and she will be returning to build off a fantastic sophomore campaign that saw her earn a spot on the Class 1 all-state first team.

Madison “Madi” Johnson, INF, sr., Centralia       

She helped lead the Lady Panthers to the Class 3 state finals while earning first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state honors as an infielder. Johnson is committed to Missouri State.

Kinley Kemna, UTIL/DP, soph., St. Elizabeth

Wielding the bat like a veteran, Kemna earned Class 1 first team all-state honors as a freshman and helped the Lady Hornets win the Class 1 state title.

Abby Lay, P, sr., Highland

The right-hander went 5-0 in the postseason and finished her dominant junior campaign 24-5 on the mound with a 1.25 ERA and a 0.885 WHIP. She fired 162.2 innings and struck out 213 batters while leading Highland to the Class 2 state championship – the second title in program history. Lay was promptly named Class 2 first team all-state pitcher for her efforts.

Ashlynn Lewis, INF/OF, sr., La Plata

A Class 1 first team all-state selection as an infielder last season, Lewis plays dandy defense in center field and is a threat to hit the ball over the fence any time she steps to the plate. She has been earning honors since her freshman year and that doesn’t figure to stop for one of Missouri’s top seniors in Class 1.

Lexi Lohnes, OF/P, jr., Francis Howell North        

One of the top all-around 2027 high school softball prospects in the state, Lohnes picked up Class 5 first team all-state honors as an outfielder after smacking 10 home runs and driving in 26 runs for the Lady Knights as a sophomore. But she’s also one of the most dominant junior southpaws, too. She set North’s program record last season for strikeouts in a season with 201 in 109 innings. She put up more big numbers while traveling the country this summer with the 16U St. Louis Chaos National squad.

Landry Marsh, P/UTIL, jr., Chillicothe

She went 19-5 in the circle last season with 1 save and a 1.49 ERA across 28 games and 141 innings as a junior to earn Class 3 first team all-state honors. But she was also very good at the plate, where she had a .473 average with 9 doubles, 3 triples, 2 home runs, scored 30 runs and stole 23 bases.

Channing McBroom, C/INF, sr., Gallatin

McBroom was named honorable mention all-conference, but the standout catcher was first team in everything else: Class 1 all-district, all-region, and all-state after helping the Lady Bulldogs to a 21-5 record.

Leila Miller, C/UTIL, sr., Rockwood Summit

Fantastic on both sides of the ball, Miller played solid defense while batting .480 with 11 doubles and carried a .523 OBP, slugged .630 and had a 1.153 OPS last season – earning Class 4 first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state honors.

Molly Munson, P, jr., Oak Grove

The dominant southpaw set Oak Grove’s single-season strikeout record last season as a sophomore, and that dominance continued into the postseason as she guided the Lady Panthers from the circle to the Class 3 state championship. She’ll be back and looking to repeat after earning first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state honors.

Kymorie Myers, OF/INF, sr., North Callaway

A Class 3 first team all-state selection, the Southern Illinois commit batted .514 (56 for 109) with 16 doubles, 5 triples, 7 home runs, 46 RBI and scored 47 runs. She was also 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts, recorded 43 putouts and had a .935 fielding percentage.

Brooke Paalhar, INF, sr., Kearney                 

Committed to Utah, the lefty was named first team all-conference, all-district, all-region, and Class 4 first team all-state as an infielder after her monster junior season for the Lady Bulldogs. She finished with a .545 average and set program records in single-season RBI (45) and doubles while collecting 54 hits.

Taylor Pierson, INF, sr., Carrollton

A slick-fielding shortstop with a ton of range, Pierson also has fantastic bat control and can circle the bases in a hurry. Her dominance in both categories earned her Class 2 first team all-state honors as a junior.

Amelia Raziq, INF/UTIL, sr., Francis Howell Central      

Raziq crushed Class 5 pitching last season. The slugging first baseman batted .515, hit 11 home runs and collected 36 RBI as a junior. She finished with a .576 OBP and slugged .990 on her way to becoming first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state.

Keera Rothweiler, INF, jr., Highland

Highland is certainly happy to have two more years of Rothweiler on the diamond. She turned heads as a sophomore when she batted .505 and got on base at a .567 clip and played fantastic defense. That prowess earned her a Class 2 state championship and first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and all-state as an infielder.

Madison Rust, OF, jr., Grain Valley              

Sophomore slump? Not hardly. Grain Valley’s Offensive Player of the Year was a huge piece to their puzzle in 2024, as the Lady Eagles went 33-3. Rust earned first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and Class 5 first team all-state honors as an outfielder.

Paityn Slezak, INF/OF, sr., Timberland     

A two-time all-state and three-time first-team all-region selection, Slezak earned Class 5 first team all-state honors from Missouri’s softball coaches last fall after batting .564 with 30 runs, 20 RBI, 21 stolen bases and a 1.486 OPS.

Katie Stephenson, OF, jr., Belton                 

After a fantastic 2024 season that earned her Class 4 first team all-state honors, Stephenson has continued tear it up this summer. Playing for Select Fastpitch Moss, her squad competed in Colorado the first week in July where Stephenson collected 13 hits and batted .464 with 4 doubles, a triple, 3 home runs – including a pair of grand slams – scored 13 runs and drove in 14.

Reese Sutton, INF, sr., Paris             

Sutton batted .447 with 16 doubles, 7 home runs, 38 RBI and scored 28 runs while also sporting a .926 fielding percentage. That performance landed her on the Class 1 first team all-state squad.

Kaelyn Thomas, INF, jr., Fort Zumwalt West                        

Thomas has monster power. As a sophomore in 2024 she hit more home runs (18) than singles (15). She also had four doubles and 44 RBI. In the circle she went 13-5 with a 1.92 ERA. In 120.1 innings she struck out 157 and walked 37 and was a slam-dunk Class 5 first team all-state selection.

Bella Trim, P, sr., Father Tolton                       

The right-hander got better in the season’s biggest moments. Dominant all season, she turned it up in the playoffs and didn’t allow an earned run over her final 35.1 innings and struck out 68 over that span as Father Tolton cruised to the Class 3 state championship. Trim finished the year 17-5 in the circle, struck out 265 batters and was named to the Class 4 all-tournament team and Class 4 all-state as a pitcher. Trim is committed to Lindenwood.

Sophie Voss, P/UTIL, sr., Linn                          

A star on both sides of the ball at Linn, Voss was named Class 2 first team all-state after batting .345 and pitching to a 1.61 ERA and a .982 WHIP in 109 innings. She helped lead the Lady Wildcats to a 26-6 record last season and a fourth-place finish at state.

Sydnee Wagner, INF, sr., Grain Valley       

A Southern Illinois commit, Wagner will be back to build off a junior season that saw her bat .437 with 11 doubles, a triple, 6 home runs, 31 RBI and scored 40 runs. She was also part of a 33-3 team that set a program record for wins in a season and was named first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and Class 5 first team all-state.

Reagan Wobbe, INF, sr., St. Elizabeth       

A Class 1 first team all-state infielder, Wobbe – who is also one of Mid-Missouri’s top girls basketball players – smacked a walk-off double in St. Elizabeth’s Class 1 state championship run-rule victory last season. She will be back to chase the program’s sixth title in 2025.

Hayden Young, UTIL/DP, jr., Oak Grove

Young put to bed any fears of a sophomore slump when she crushed Class 3 pitching and earned first team all-conference, all-district, all-region and Class 3 first team all-state as a utility player and DP while helping Oak Grove to the Class 3 state championship.

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