Top 20 high school softball first basemen entering the 2023 season

High school softball is set to herald the dawn of spring as the winter sports season draws to a close.

Last week we featured 20 top pitchers and 20 top hitters expected to be among the best in the nation in high school softball in 2023.

Now it's time to take a position-by-position look at some of the country’s top high school softball players. We started with catchers, and now up are the top first basemen.

Note: Many high school softball players excel at multiple positions. Don't be alarmed to see an ace in the circle or a great catcher listed here as a first baseman, for example.

Reganne Bennett, sr., Novi (Michigan)

Bennett is coming off a massively productive junior year, hitting .632 with 15 home runs, 72 hits and 68 RBIs. She also had a 0.58 ERA in 24 innings pitched. The South Carolina commit hit .521 with 10 home runs and 62 RBIs as a sophomore.

Jocelyn Briski, sr., Desert Vista (Arizona)

Briski is also one of the best right-handed pitchers in the country, but the Alabama commit can mash at the plate. She hit .517 last season with 13 home runs and struck out 349 batters in the circle.

Angelee Bueno, sr., Oviedo (Florida)

Bueno was named first-team all-conference, All-State 7A, and the Offensive Player of the Year in her junior season. The lefty with a sweet, compact swing hit over .400 each of the past two seasons and has committed to play college softball for Florida State.

Maalia Cherry, jr., Vanden (California)

A 6-foot, 235-pound power forward on the basketball court, Cherry is an imposing power hitter on the softball field. She's coming off a fantastic summer campaign playing for the California Grapettes, hitting .413 with 15 home runs and 49 RBIs against tough competition.

Chalea Clemmons, sr., Thompson (Alabama)

Clemmons hit .491 average with 49 RBIs as a junior after transferring from Cullman, where she set the school's home run record with 21 while hitting .514 with 65 RBIs. The left-handed slugger is also an ace in the circle and is committed to play college softball for Auburn.

Emmerson Cope, sr., Washburn Rural (Kansas)

Cope is also an ace in the circle, but she’s coming off a strong year at the plate, hitting .587 with seven home runs as a junior. She led Washburn Rural to the state championship game last season and will be playing college softball for Nebraska next year.

Renae Cunningham, sr., Heath (Ohio)

After a dazzling sophomore year where she hit over .500 and had an ERA under 1.00, Cunningham really took off as a hitter her junior year. She hit .605 with 20 home runs, striking out only twice on the season. The Northwestern commit is a power pitcher and hitter, but her bat is what stands out most.

Eileen Donahue, sr., Marist (Illinois)

Donahue helped lead Marist to a state championship as a sophomore, and last year she hit .410 with 10 home runs to earn first-team all-state honors. She'll stay close to home to play for Illinois in college.

Betsy Eatmon, sr., East Lincoln (North Carolina)

Eatmon excels in the field at catcher and first base, and she mashes at the plate regardless of where she’s playing in the field. The UNC Greensboro commit has earned all-state honors three straight years and is coming off a junior season in which she hit .625 with 11 home runs.

Macee Eaton, sr., Wheelersburg (Ohio)

Eaton hit her 20th home run last season (video above) in Wheelersburg's state championship win over Tuslaw, putting an exclamation point on a dominant junior year at the plate. The two-sport star (basketball) will be playing college softball for Virginia next season.

KG Favors, soph., Orange Beach (Alabama)

Favors burst onto the softball scene as a freshman last season, doing it all while leading Orange Beach to its second straight state championship. She hit .446 with 15 home runs and 63 RBIs at the plate and struck out 254 batters in 136 innings in the circle. She looks poised to put up some ridiculous numbers as a sophomore.

Melaney Granados, sr., Dumas (Texas)

Granados earned first-team SBLive Texas All State honors as a junior after hitting .551 with 89 RBIs, 75 hits, 61 runs scored, 36 extra-base hits, 11 home runs and striking out only four times in 39 games.

Trinity Kennemer, sr., Willow Canyon (Arizona)

A two-time state champion at Willow Canyon, Kennemer is coming off a huge season at the plate, hitting .542 with nine home runs, 12 doubles and five triples as a junior. She’ll be playing D1 softball at Manhattan College next season.

Ashtrid Kramer, sr., Fort Payne (Alabama)

Kramer has racked up Fort Payne records as a hitter and pitcher, tying the single-season home run mark as a sophomore and junior with 14, plus breaking the school strikeout mark in the circle with 265 last year. She's committed to play college softball for UAB. 

Shelby McKenzie, jr., Pace (Florida)

McKenzie helped lead Pace to a deep run in the playoffs last season after hitting .495 with a .569 on-base percentage, 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 41 RBIs. The Florida State commit will pair again with fellow super junior Jayden Heavener to make Pace a strong contender for a state championship this season.

Ella Parker, sr., Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (California)

Parker is an outstanding pitcher too, but her bat is her biggest tool. The left-handed Oklahoma commit hit .651 with 11 home runs as a junior, and in her three-year career she has a .671 batting average and 29 home runs.

Mya Perez, sr., Norco (California)

Perez is also Norco’s ace in the circle, but her bat is what Texas A&M liked most in signing her. She hit 17 home runs with 51 hits and a .676 batting average last season after batting over .500 with 11 home runs as a sophomore.

Peyton Plotts, sr., Tates Creek (Kentucky)

Plotts hit .512 with 11 home runs, 12 doubles, 41 RBIs and scored 38 runs last season for Tates Creek, and she'll be a senior leader on a young squad this season. The first baseman/outfielder will be playing college softball for Kentucky next year.

Tristian Thompson, sr., Midway (Texas)

Thompson hit 13 home runs as a sophomore and 11 as a junior, and she raised her batting average over 50 points from her sophomore to junior year. The 6-foot slugger has committed to play college softball at Indiana.

Hailey Van Beekum, sr., Idalou (Texas)

Van Beekum put up video game numbers last season, hitting .622 with 17 home runs, 72 RBIs, 66 runs scored, 61 hits, 36 extra-base hits and a .989 fielding percentage in 31 games, earning SBLive All-West Texas honors.