Vote now: Who will be national high school softball pitcher of the year in 2023?

As the winter season winds down in high school sports, several states are gearing up for softball season.

As much of the country eagerly awaits warmer weather and lively scenes on the diamond and in the circle, we put the spotlight this week on some of the top high school softball players in the country.

We started by featuring 20 of the top pitchers in the nation, then turned to the top 20 high school hitters in the nation.

Now we're giving you, the reader, the chance to vote for which pitcher will be the best of the best this season. Check later this week for the hitters poll at scorebooklive.com.

Voting for the top softball pitcher will conclude Friday, Feb. 17, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time.

Descriptions of each player are below the poll.

Julia Apostolakos, sr., RHP, Donovan Catholic (New Jersey)

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.

Ava Bradshaw, jr., RHP, South Lyon (Michigan)

The defending Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year, Bradshaw went 28-2 as a sophomore with 314 strikeouts in 175.2 innings and a 0.88 ERA. She led South Lyon to a state championship as a freshman.

Ava Brown, sr., RHP, Lake Creek (Texas)

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.

Hallie Burns, sr., RHP, Booneville (Mississippi)

Burns pitched a no-hitter and homered to lead Booneville to the state championship last season, and that was after leading the Blue Devils to a basketball state championship in the winter season. The Ole Miss commit finished the season 20-5 with a 0.34 ERA, striking out 293 in 163.2 innings.

Carsyn Cassady, jr., RHP, Watkins Memorial (Ohio)

Cassady has been the staff ace in both of her high school softball seasons, leading Watkins Memorial to the state semifinals both years. As a sophomore the Pitt commit went 27-2 with nine shutouts, striking out 307 in 169 innings and posting an ERA of 0.95.

Ashtyn Danley, sr., LHP, Huntland (Tennessee)

Danley's hitting stats easily stack up with the best batters in the state, but pitching is still her specialty. She finished her junior season 22-4 with a 0.41 ERA and 217 strikeouts in 154.2 innings. The Florida State commit also hit .659 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs.

Addisen Fisher, jr., RHP, Bend (Oregon)

Fisher was one of the best two-way players in the country as a sophomore, hitting .510 with 13 home runs, but pitcher is where she's expected to play for UCLA. Last year she had 20 wins with a 0.46 ERA, striking out 259 batters in 122.1 innings.

Jayden Heavener, jr., LHP, Pace (Florida)

Heavener is coming off a dominant sophomore year that saw her compile a 16-2 record with a 0.60 ERA, 300 strikeouts and hold batters to a .054 average. Eight of the LSU commit's 16 wins were no-hitters.

Alyssa Houston, sr., RHP, Benton (Arkansas)

Houston is a power hitter and pitcher for Benton, leading the Panthers to a 34-0 record and the Class 5A state championship. The Stanford commit 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.

Katie Kutz, sr., RHP, Bishop O'Connell (Virginia)

Kutz is coming off a 17-0 season with a 0.39 ERA and 235 strikeouts in 107 innings, allowing just 11 walks. The defending Gatorade Player of the Year in Virginia has won state titles in all three of her high school seasons. Kutz is also a competitive bodybuilder and will be playing college softball for Oklahoma State.

Kendra Lewis, jr., RHP, Milan (Illinois)

Through two years of high school softball, Lewis still doesn't know what it's like to lose a game. Milan has won back-to-back state titles, going undefeated each year, and Lewis is 42-0 as a pitcher in that stretch. Last year the Wisconsin commit posted 25 of her team's 35 wins while racking up 228 strikeouts in 156.2 innings, with an ERA of 1.07.

Priscilla Llamas, jr., LHP, Eastvale Roosevelt (California)

Llamas was Roosevelt's ace last season down the stretch in leading the Mustangs to the Division I state championship. She battled through a hand injury as a sophomore but still finished 14-1. The Mississippi commit also hit .475 with seven home runs.

Audrey Lowry, jr., LHP, Tri-West (Indiana)

Lowry went 22-3 with a 0.42 ERA, 302 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 148.1 innings. In addition to her blazing fastball, the Oklahoma commit keeps hitters off balance with a drop ball, change-up, curveball and a change-rise combo.

Ryan Maddox, sr., LHP, Clovis North (California)

Maddox earned honors last season as SBLive California's Central Section Athlete of the Year regardless of the sport. An injury kept her out of the playoffs, but her numbers as a pitcher and hitter were both eye-popping. She finished with a 20-2 record and an ERA of 0.36, striking out 264 batters in 132.2 innings in the circle while hitting .506.

Sage Mardjetko, sr., RHP, Lemont (Illinois)

Mardjetko amassed a 21-1 record and a miniscule 0.29 ERA in 142 innings last season, allowing only 25 hits, 31 walks and six earned runs and striking out 329. She led Lemont to its first state championship and will be playing college softball for South Carolina next season.

Katelynn "Red" Oxley, jr., RHP, Bartow (Florida)

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.

Keagan Rothrock, sr., RHP, Roncalli (Indiana)

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

Julia Shearer, sr., LHP, North Penn (Pennsylvania)

Shearer was a nightmare for opponents at the plate and in the circle as a junior, 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 committed to play college softball for Maryland.

Kaitlyn Terry, sr., LHP, Greenway (Arizona)

As dominant as Terry is as a hitter (.595 batting average with 17 home runs last season), she's probably even better in the circle. The UCLA commit threw 14 no-hitters last season, finishing with a 0.33 ERA and striking out 427 batters in 170 innings.

Sydnie Watts, soph., RHP, Austintown Fitch (Ohio)

Watts had a freshman season for the ages, winning 22 games, striking out 314 batters in 143.1 innings and finishing with an ERA of 0.83, posting nine shutouts, four no-hitters and a perfect game. She also swung a big bat, hitting .526 with 11 home runs.