Minnesota’s top high school softball players: Meet the state’s best infielders (Pt. 1)
Over the next week, we’ll be taking a look at some of the top players across the Minnesota softball scene this season. This list will begin to cover the state’s premiere infielders.
There are hundreds of standout softball players in Minnesota and these lists are not intended to be comprehensive.
Part two will be posted on Wednesday. The following athletes will be included in SBLive's "Who is the top infielder in Minnesota high school softball?" poll to be posted on Thursday.
Note: Some statistics have been updated more recently than others by nature of variance in games played.
Macy McNally, senior, Winona
McNally, a two-time all-state catcher is “able to play any position on the field, but is one of the best behind the plate,” according to coach Mitch Grossell.
The senior has only had two passed balls in three seasons. This year, she’s batting .534 with a .558 OBP and 1.230 OPS and has struck out just once.
She has 171 putouts, 11 assists and has thrown out eight of 14 base stealers.
Lauren Freeberg, junior, Rogers
Freeberg is a “slick fielding shortstop with a cannon for an arm,” according to coach Christopher Donnay, who added that she gets to balls in the hole that most shortstops can’t get to.
She’s had a hot bat all year, striking out just twice while batting .517 with nine doubles, three triples and a homer, in addition to 25 RBIs, through 16 games.
“Batting in the third position, she is hard for any pitcher to get past her,” Donnay said.
Lexie Young, junior, Rogers
Young plays both catcher and first base, splitting the roles roughly 50/50. She started on varsity as an eighth grader and her bat is “as good as it gets” this year, according to Donnay.
She’s batting .500 with 22 RBIs and nine doubles. Last season, she was an all-conference honorable mention on a team with six seniors.
Kami Messer, junior, Rogers
Another member of a talented Rogers’ junior class, Messer is a catcher and utility player. When not catching in relief of Young, she operates at first, second, third and even left field.
“Behind the plate she has a cannon for an arm,” Donnay said.
She has thrown out four base stealers in eight attempts. She is batting .429 with 13 RBIs and three doubles and was also an all-conference player last year when she started at third.
Jory Corde, junior, Zimmerman
A varsity member since she was a freshman, Corde is a junior captain. An all-conference honoree last season, she’s batting .411 and slugging .696 with 10 doubles and a pair of homeruns.
She is already the program’s all-time leader in doubles. This year, she leads the team in runs scored and RBIs.
Corde has also played spots as a pitcher, where she brings a “steadying” presence, a 3.80 ERA and 38 strikeouts.
Anika Burke, junior, Proctor
Thus far this season, Burke, a catcher, is batting .440 with a .562 OBP and 1.323 OPS. She has 27 RBIs, six doubles and four home runs.
“Anika is the most outgoing kid I know, and that translates to her play on the field,” coach Bud Joyce said. “She's never afraid to play, wants to be out there in tight situations, is extremely supportive of her team and will run through a wall for her coaches.”
Sophie Parendo, senior, Proctor
Parendo is a standout first baseman for Joyce’s program. She has just a lone error in three seasons at first.
The team captain boasts a perfect fielding percentage this season. She’s batting .418 with a .542 OBP and 1.292 OPS.
She’s hit nine doubles, and two triples with 14 steals — she has yet to be caught stealing.
Jillian Pulkrabek, sophomore, Sacred Heart
Pulkrabek is batting .518 with a .534 OBP, 26 RBIs and 10 doubles. She has a perfect fielding percentage at first base and is 7-3 as a pitcher with 91 strikeouts and 5.64 ERA.
“Jillian is an outstanding, smart, softball player,” Sammy Bales. “She has the knowledge on what to do while hitting, pitching and fielding. She helps our team become better in all aspects of the game.
"She has been an instrumental player in helping us clinch the third spot in our conference as just a sophomore and I am very excited to see her grow as a player in the coming years.”
Brooke Stelten, junior, Kimball Area
Everything Stelten does, she does with power.
“She works hard to take and implement feedback immediately,” Greniger said. “Her diligence to perfect her hitting mechanics is a main reason for her success.”
Despite acting as the program’s DP, she is the team’s “energy bus.”
“It's hard to have a bad day when she is in our dugout,” Greniger said, “which makes the game so much more enjoyable for everyone.”
She’s batting .457, .604 OBP and .1690 OPS with 19 RBIs, six singles, four doubles and six home runs.
Callie Elg, senior, Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted
Elg, a first baseman, is batting .389 with 9 RBI, three doubles, a triple and a .947 fielding percentage. “Callie is an amazing leader,” coach Garrett Elg said.
A team captain for two seasons now, she was an all-conference honorable mention in 2021, before landing all-conference last season.
Hannah McNab, sophomore, Worthington
McNab is both a shortstop and outfielder, but coach Avery Wysong believes she could play her wherever needed. She has 20 singles, 10 doubles, two singles, five home runs and 14 RBIs at the plate.
“As a first-year coach and coming right out of Division I collegiate softball, Hannah has shown that her ability to compete at a high level in college is in her future…,” Wysong said. “Outside of her athleticism, she is an excellent leader on and off the field. Everyone looks up to her and values her hard work ethic and willingness to always become better.”
Lydia Simons, junior, Glencoe-Silver Lake
Coach Taylor Jones called Simons, a shortstop, “an elite hitter and solid defender,” who doesn’t get fooled at the plate and has abundant collegiate potential.
Simons is batting .646 this season with 12 extra base hits, 28 RBIs and 12 stolen bases.
Audrey Petersen, junior, Glencoe-Silver Lake
Petersen, a third baseman, is batting .463 on the season with a .585 OBP. She has scored 27 runs with seven extra base hits including two triples and three home runs to go along with 19 RBIs.
Jones called her an “aggressive attacking defender who also swings a powerful bat and attacks on the bases with speed and intensity.”
Hannah Graf, junior, Glencoe-Silver Lake
Graf, the catcher, is the program’s “most consistent” hitter at the plate and is an excellent bunter, according to Jones. She’s batting .404 with a .451 OBP, 23 RBI and three home runs.
“Her most impressive trait has been her ability to throw out runners from behind the plate at an absurd rate this season,” Jones said. Graf has thrown out 11 of 16 runners this season.
Brylee Miller, freshman, Fairmont
Miller, just a ninth grader, is a rising star both at the shortstop position as well as at pitcher in addition to batting leadoff. She bats .492 with a .544 OBP and .770 SLG. She has six doubles, four triples, a home run, 13 RBI and 27 runs scored.
“She consistently sets the table for our offense but can also hit for power,” coach Cory Hainey said.
She’s pitched 25 innings with a 3-0 record, 35 strikeouts and a 2.24 ERA as the team’s secondary pitcher.
Nevaeh Rahm, junior, Fairmont
Rahm is a first baseman, pitcher and designated player for Fairmont. She bats .412 with a .455 OBP and .686 SLG to go along with eight doubles, two homers and 22 RBIs.
“Nevaeh is coming off a serious injury, but still hits in our clean-up spot, and can be counted on for driving the ball with authority,” Hainey said.
Morgan Arndt, senior, Nicollet
Arndt operates at both first and second base. She has been the vocal leader of the varsity team for five seasons, coach Marc Bode said. She bats .435 and has scored 11 runs with seven RBI.
“She bats leadoff and works the count very well and is our best two strike hitter,” Bode said. “She often sets the tone for the game by how she works the counts and sees a lot of pitches. She can play anywhere and has played multiple positions for the team this year after primarily being a catcher throughout her career.”
Arndt is a former all-section and all-state honoree.
Ivy Borkoski, sophomore, Zimmerman
A three-year varsity starter, Borkoski is batting .391 with a .500 OBP and .400 SLG to go along with nine runs and 10 RBI and only two strikeouts.
A catcher and shortstop, she boasts a .958 fielding percentage this season after early all-conference honors last season.
“She is a steadying and mature presence on the field,” coach James Doran said. “We have a relatively young pitching staff and she does a wonderful job calling the game and helping our pitchers through rough spots. While not a captain, she is undoubtedly the team leader.”
Cheyenne Jones, senior, Pine Island
Jones, a shortstop, developed into an offensive threat last season and has continued her dominance this season. She has a .607 OBP and 1.282 OPS with a .526 BA with runners in scoring position as well as 13 singles, five doubles, a home run and eight RBIs.
“She is a hitter that pitchers do not like to face,” coach Kim Jones said. “She is a lefty who can bunt, slap, and hit for power and has speed on the base paths.”
Last year, she was an all-conference and section honoree who will continue her career at Grandview University next fall.
Macy Lembke, junior, Blooming Prairie
Through 17 games, Lembke is hitting .582 with a .652 OBP, 28 runs, 30 stolen bases, 10 RBI and just two strikeouts.
“Macy is one of the top players in our conference and area,” coach Cam Rutledge said. “Hitting from the left side, she is a threat to slap, swing away, or drop down a bunt… Sure handed at shortstop, Macy hardly ever lets a ball go by her.”
Aca Klick, junior, Minnetonka
Klick is batting .486 with 30 singles, two doubles, a triple and three home runs to go along with 19 RBIs and 21 runs.
She leads the team in batting average and fielding percentage (.992) from first base. She hits in the No. 4 spot and has struck out just four times all season. She was an all-conference player last season.
Zariya Anderson, senior, Minnetonka
Anderon is Minnetonka’s leadoff hitter. She’s batting .434 with a .506 OBP, 22 singles, eight doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs. A speedster, she operates at both catcher and third base.
The former all-conference nominee has struck out just four times and will play for Bates College next season.
Ellie Collins, junior, Minnetonka
Collins just “finds a way to get on base,” according to coach Mary Beth Wiig.
She’s batting .424 with 13 singles, two doubles a homerun and 13 RBIs. A previous all-conference and section player, she has a .506 OBP and is routinely a top performer in team batting average.
