Meet SBLive's national high school softball players of the year in 2021-22

We've officially shifted from the 2021-22 high school sports season to the 2022-23 preseason, so it's time to look back on the stars of the past fall, winter and spring seasons before we start looking ahead to who's next.

We started by highlighting some of the players of the year in volleyball, and next came the top football players, boys soccer players and girls soccer players in the nation.

Last week we featured the top girls basketball players and boys basketball players in the country, and now it's the softball stars' turn.

Vote now: Who was the national high school girls soccer player of the year in 2021-22?

Vote now: Who was the national high school boys basketball player of the year in 2021-22?

Vote now: Who was the national high school girls basketball player of the year in 2021-22?

Over the next couple of weeks we'll also be featuring the top stars nationally in boys and girls track and field and baseball.

Here are 20 high school softball players who had a season worthy of national recognition.

Alabama: Larissa Preuitt, OF, Hartselle, sr.

Preuitt led the Tigers to a 51-9-1 record and the Class 6A North Regional playoffs in 2021-22. The speedster hit .552 with 13 triples, seven home runs, 60 RBIs, 103 runs scored and 86 stolen bases. She'll be playing for Alabama next season.

Arizona: Jocelyn Erickson, C, Sandra Day O'Connor, sr.

Erickson's prodigious power (25 home runs) didn't impede her average, as she hit .624 for the 22-11 Eagles, driving in 58 runs. The Oklahoma signee also posted a .704 on-base percentage and a 1.581 slugging percentage.

Arkansas: Alyssa Houston, P/3B, Benton, jr.

Houston was a power hitter and pitcher for Benton, leading the Panthers to a 34-0 record and the Class 5A state championship. She compiled a 14-0 record in the circle with a 0.49 ERA, striking out 175 batters while allowing just 22 hits in 85.1 innings. She also hit .407 with 11 home runs, 34 RBIs, a .864 slugging percentage and 26 runs scored.

California: Micaela Kastor, P/SS, Oaks Christian, sr.

SBLive's Southern Section Athlete of the Year, Kastor did it all for Oaks Christian. The Notre Dame signee led the Lions to a Southern Region title and the best record in the state (34-1), in addition to the Southern Section D1 semifinals. Kastor went 25-1 with a 0.51 ERA and 256 strikeouts in 151.1 innings, plus hit .522 with 11 home runs, 39 RBIs, and an OBP/SLG/OPS line of .594/1.026/1.621.

Florida: Katelynn "Red" Oxley, P, Bartow, soph.

Oxley finished her sophomore season with an incredible 0.10 ERA in 140 innings, piling up 337 strikeouts and 21 wins. She also hit .459 with 10 doubles. The only earned run Oxley gave up all year was in an extra-inning playoff loss to Melbourne in a pitchers duel with another super sophomore, Jazzy Francik.

Georgia: Amber Reed, P/1B, North Gwinnett, jr.

Reed led North Gwinnett (30-5-1) to the Class 7A state championship last fall, posting a 25-0-1 record with a 0.93 ERA, striking out 215 batters in 151.1 innings pitched while walking just 25. She also hit .443 with 12 home runs and 37 RBIs.

Idaho: Delaney Keith, SS, Skyview, sr.

Keith hit .596 with 51 RBIs, 13 home runs and a state-best 73 runs scored, striking out only four times. She earned her second consecutive Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year award and will play college softball for Coastal Carolina next season.

Illinois: Sage Mardjetko, P, Lemont, jr.

Mardjetko amassed a 21-1 record and a miniscule 0.29 ERA in 142 innings, allowing only 25 hits, 31 walks and six earned runs and striking out 329. She led Lemont to its first state championship, and the rising senior is already committed to play college softball for South Carolina.

Indiana: Keagan Rothrock, P/SS, Roncalli, jr.

Rothrock finished the season 28-0 with five perfect games, three no-hitters, a 0.70 ERA and 382 strikeouts over 170.1 innings. The top-ranked junior in the nation also hit .523 and slugged 14 home runs, earning the honor of National Gatorade Player of the Year. She's already committed to play college softball for Florida.

Louisiana: Corine Poncho, UT, Notre Dame, sr.

Poncho led Notre Dame (30-5) to its fourth straight Division III championship, hitting a state-record 32 home runs, tops in the nation in 2021-22. She finished the season on a 17-game hitting streak, hitting .480 with 72 RBIs and a .561 on-base percentage. In the circle she posted a 13-1 record with 60 strikeouts in 60⅔ innings.

Nebraska: Ruby Meylan, P, Skutt Catholic, sr.

The 6-foot-1 Meylan led Skutt Catholic (33-0) to the Class B state championship this past season. She posted a 17-0 record with a 0.41 ERA, striking out 180 batters in 86 innings while walking just 16. The Washington signee also hit .537 with 18 home runs and 44 RBIs.

New Jersey: Julia Apostolakos, P, Donovan Catholic, jr.

Apostolakos went 26-0 with 308 strikeouts and a 0.34 ERA while also batting .656 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. The South Florida commit led undefeated Donovan Catholic to the NJSIAA Non-Public A title with a win over Mount St. Dominic in the championship game.

North Carolina: Kierston Deal, P, East Forsyth, sr.

Deal posted a 23-3 record with a 0.79 ERA, striking out 305 batters in 150.1 innings and walking just 34. She also hit .533 with five home runs and 28 RBIs and will be playing college softball for the defending champion Oklahoma Sooners next season.

Ohio: KK Mathis, P/1B, Lakota West, sr.

Mathis did a little bit of everything this season in leading Lakota West to the Division I state title. In the circle, the James Madison signee racked up a 23-2 record and struck out 189 batters in 147 innings. At the plate, she hit 10 homers and drove in 55 runs. She hit .600 on the season with 16 doubles and six triples and struck out just twice all season.

Oregon: Makenna Reid, P, Tigard, sr.

Reid finished Tigard's state championship-winning season with an earned-run average of 0.45, giving up just 60 hits while striking out 438 batters in 199 innings. Her 438 strikeouts is the second-highest single-season total in state history. The Florida State signee struck out a championship-game-record 21 in the final against Oregon City.

Pennsylvania: Julia Shearer, P/OF, North Penn, jr.

Shearer was a nightmare for opponents at the plate and in the circle, hitting .618 and going 25-2 with a 0.26 ERA. She struck out 299 in 159 innings, giving up just six runs all season. She's already committed to play college softball for Maryland.

South Carolina: Katelyn Cochran, P, North Augusta, sr.

Cochran dominated in the circle like she did all season in the state championship series, pitching back-to-back one-hit shutouts to lead North Augusta (33-2) to its first state title. She finished the season with 344 strikeouts, a 0.70 ERA and 16 shutouts. She'll continue her softball career next season at Central Florida.

Texas: Ava Brown, P/1B, Lake Creek, jr.

The Florida commit went 30-0 with a 0.46 ERA and 335 strikeouts in 183.1 innings, pitching four no-hitters. Brown also hit .405 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs in leading Lake Creek to a 41-0 record and the 5A state championship.

Utah: Kaysen Korth, P/3B, Riverton, sr.

Korth led Riverton to a 28-1 record and a second straight Class 6A state championship in 2021-22. Korth went 24-1 in the circle with a 0.55 ERA, striking out 274 batters and allowing only 43 hits in 140.1 innings. The Weber State signee also hit .549 with seven home runs and 45 RBIs.

Washington: River Mahler, SS, Monroe, sr.

A career .649 hitter at Monroe, Mahler will take her talents to Stanford next fall. This spring, she moved to the leadoff spot — and began the season by hitting for the cycle against Kamiak. Overall, Mahler hit .691 with 65 hits (33 for extra bases), 52 runs, 42 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 28 games. She also had a .981 fielding percentage.