Texas High School Softball: Top 20 Player Rankings

See which Lone Star softball stars cracked High School on SI's top 20 state player rankings for players in all classes for the 2025-2026 season.

Levi Payton | 3 Hours Ago

High School on SI has released the top 20 Texas high school softball players for the 2025-2026 Spring season. / Michael Horbovetz

The 2026 Texas high school softball season is underway, and early returns already suggest another year defined by elite pitching, power-packed lineups and national championship aspirations across multiple classifications. From returning state title winners to nationally ranked programs stacked with Division I talent, the Lone Star State again features one of the deepest player pools in the country, highlighted by experienced seniors chasing legacy seasons and underclassmen quickly emerging as national prospects.

Several programs that dominated the 2025 postseason enter the spring with star power still firmly in place, particularly Melissa, Montgomery Lake Creek and Corpus Christi Calallen, each returning cornerstone contributors who played major roles in state championship runs. At the same time, perennial contenders across Classes 6A through 3A feature impact two-way athletes capable of changing games both in the circle and at the plate—a defining trait of Texas softball’s highest-level prospects.

College recruiters have already made their evaluations clear. The majority of the state’s premier players are committed to Power Four programs such as Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, LSU and Texas Tech, underscoring the national significance of the talent competing across Texas diamonds this spring. Many of these athletes have also gained experience on national travel circuits, USA Softball teams or deep postseason runs, adding to the high-level experience they bring into the 2026 campaign.

With the season just beginning and championship races still months away, the following rankings spotlight the Texas high school softball players positioned to shape the 2026 storyline—from proven senior stars building final-year résumés to rising juniors expected to define the next recruiting cycle.

Texas high school softball: Top 20 rankings

Feb. 16, 2026

1. Kennedy Bradley, INF, sr., Melissa

College commitment: Florida

One of four Lady Cardinals to play in all 39 games last season, Bradley’s prowess at the plate carried her to a .500 batting average (59-for-118) with 12 doubles, three triples, 24 home runs and 59 RBIs. Those 24 home runs were tops on a national championship team that set the national mark for home runs in a single season. She is chasing her third consecutive season with at least 20 home runs and went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs in the 2026 season opener.

2. Ella Kate “E.K.” Smith, P, sr., Katy

College commitment: Oklahoma

District 19-6A’s MVP and a member of the Texas High School Coaches Association 6A Super Elite Team, the outfielder and pitcher helped Katy go 36-2 last season while going 11-1 in the circle with a 0.58 ERA and 145 strikeouts. Her dominance as a two-way player gets her slotted at No. 2, as she also sported a .614 average with 15 home runs, 24 doubles, four triples and 45 RBIs. She had 62 hits with 43 going for extra bases.

3. Mia Clemmer, C, sr., Coahoma

College commitment: Texas

Clemmer clobbered Coahoma to a national ranking and another 3A state championship last season on the same diamond in which she’ll soon be starring for the Longhorns. Splitting time at catcher and first base, she hit .637 as a junior with 20 home runs, 22 doubles, two triples, 47 RBIs and scored 47 runs. A career .598 hitter with 56 doubles, 56 home runs and 170 RBIs in 106 career games, she went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, three RBIs and three runs scored in Coahoma’s 2026 season opener.

4. Madi Doty, P, sr., Grandview

College commitment: Texas

One of the top high school pitchers in the nation, Doty struck out 11 in the 3A Division I state championship game against Whitesboro last season, leading the Lady Zebras to a 9-3 win and their first 3A Division I state championship. Doty capped the season 24-1 inside the circle and entered 2026 as one of the top high school pitchers in the country.

5. Finlee Williams, OF, jr., Melissa

College commitment: Oklahoma

The top junior in Texas, Williams boasted a .569 batting average as a sophomore for the Lady Cardinals, logging 20 doubles, five triples, 19 home runs and 60 RBIs during the team’s 2025 5A Division I state championship and national championship run. Williams was part of a team that broke the UIL single-season record for home runs (105), ultimately setting the bar at 122 as a group.

6. Sara Wiggins, P-INF, sr., Montgomery Lake Creek

College commitment: Wichita State

Unbeaten in the circle last season, the right-hander guided the Lady Lions to their third UIL 5A Division II state championship in four seasons with 11 strikeouts in the state championship against Hallsville to earn Most Valuable Player honors. She also earned Super Elite Team MVP from the Texas High School Coaches Association as well as all-district and all-state honors and is one of the country’s best hurlers.

7. Hutton “LuLu” Adrian, C, jr., Melissa

College commitment: Arkansas

Still sporting an embarrassment of talent riches, Melissa harbors two of the top five juniors in the country with Finlee Williams and LuLu Adrian. One of the top 2027 high school catchers in the land, Adrian led the repeating state champions and No. 1 team in the country with a .604 average in 39 games as a sophomore, slugging 17 home runs with 15 doubles, four triples and 59 RBIs.

8. Stevie South, C-OF, sr., Magnolia

College commitment: Texas

A true left-handed catcher and outfielder, South is a two-time gold medalist with USA Softball, where she has logged time with the 15U national team. A first-team all-state selection, South hit .535 with 122 hits last season and is off to another strong start for Magnolia in 2026, hitting .421 with a double, triple, three home runs, eight RBIs and 12 runs scored through seven games.

9. Lorelei “Lolo” Gamble, C, jr., Dripping Springs

College commitment: Texas

Despite being a sophomore, it was obvious last season that Gamble was already among the very best players in the state regardless of class. In 43 games the backstop hit .547 with 23 home runs, 13 doubles, five triples and 66 RBIs. The start to her junior season has been even stronger with eight hits in 10 at-bats (.800) with a double, triple and six home runs in six games—all wins.

10. Eloisa Maes, P, jr., Melissa

College commitment: Arizona

If it weren’t bad enough that Melissa’s offense bludgeons pitching, the Lady Cardinals’ talented right-hander led the team to a national championship as a sophomore while pitching to a 31-1 record. Maes finished with a 1.30 ERA and 238 strikeouts in 145.1 innings.

11. Jordynn Booe, INF, sr., Pflugerville Weiss

College commitment: Texas

One of the toughest players in Texas to strike out, Booe has whiffed only 14 times in 84 career games. A four-year starter and career .520 hitter in 84 games, she turned in a .533 average with 10 doubles, seven triples, two home runs, 26 RBIs and scored 43 runs with 17 stolen bases last season while committing only two errors in 81 chances.

12. Hunter Quentel, P, jr., Humble Kingwood

College commitment: Oklahoma State

A true two-way star with the ability to shut down an opposing lineup while beating up on the opposing pitcher, Quentel led Kingwood to the UIL 6A Division II state title as a sophomore last season while hitting .458 with 16 home runs and piling up 177 strikeouts in the circle.

13. Macie Bryant, P, jr., Mont Belvieu Barbers Hill

College commitment: Louisiana State

She set the bar so high for herself that she’s going to have a tough time topping the incredible sophomore season she had in 2025. Recently selected for the second time to pitch for USA Softball this summer, the gold medalist helped Barbers Hill to a state runner-up finish while striking out 214 and pitching to a 0.44 ERA.

14. Peyton Valentine, INF, sr., College Station A&M Consolidated

College commitment: Auburn

Valentine’s slick glove and strong arm make her a staple up the middle, but she also packs a punch at the plate, as 12 of her 27 hits last season were home runs, and she sported a .453 batting average. She is already off to a strong start with a home run to begin the 2026 season.

15. Avery Howerton, P, sr., Whitesboro

College commitment: Texas Tech

Another two-way star, the 5-foot-10 righty went 21-4 with a 1.52 ERA last season, striking out 226 with only 29 walks in 151.2 innings. At the plate she belted 12 home runs while hitting .461 with seven doubles, a triple and 44 RBIs while helping lead the Lady Bearcats to a 24-12 record and a trip to the 3A Division I finals.

16. Abby Lynch-Buxton, C, sr., Little Elm Aubrey

College commitment: Mississippi

Packing a quick, powerful left-handed punch, Lynch-Buxton has a catcher’s eye at the plate, good hands and a strong eye behind it—making her a top 20 catcher in the country for the 2026 class. She hit .476 with 12 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs, 40 RBIs and scored 59 runs in 37 games. Defensively, she turned in a .997 fielding percentage—committing only one error on 331 chances with 322 putouts and eight assists.

17. Jordyn Thibodeaux, P, sr., Corpus Christi Calallen

College commitment: Texas Tech

The righty won 16 games and pitched to a 0.99 ERA with four saves, 268 strikeouts, 43 walks and surrendered only three home runs and 21 earned runs in 149 innings while helping the Lady Wildcats to a 34-6 record and the program’s third consecutive state championship.

18. Parker Malone, INF, jr., Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial

College commitment: South Carolina

Impressive as a freshman when she hit .406 with 13 doubles, four triples, four home runs and 37 RBIs, Malone’s numbers went through the roof as a sophomore, hitting .626 and blasting 23 home runs with 23 doubles.

19. Adelynn Siegel, OF, sr., Shiner

College commitment: Louisiana State

Injuries have plagued the All-American’s varsity career a bit, but the versatile star outfielder—who ran cross country for the first time as a senior—picked up her first hit on the diamond in late October after missing 15 months and appears ready to get back to what helped her become the first 2026 recruit to commit to LSU when she gave her verbal in late 2024.

20. Hope “Lillie” Gaudio, INF, jr., Mansfield Legacy

College commitment: Louisiana State

A career .589 hitter with 34 home runs in 73 career varsity games, Gaudio hit .465 with 11 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs and 16 stolen bases as a freshman, then came back as a sophomore and hit .696 with 17 doubles, 10 triples, 18 homers, 15 stolen bases and 67 RBIs. Through the first three games this season she’s hitting .695 (5-for-8) with a double, two home runs, two RBIs and four runs scored.