Check out Ohio's top high school softball players ahead of 2023 season

The state of Ohio continues to produce high-quality high school softball players who will put their talents on display this spring.

As a preview to this season, the high school sports staff of the Gannett Corp.'s 21 Ohio newspapers and websites compiled a who's who of the Buckeye State's prep softball players.

Ohio's best: The top 22 Ohio high school football players in 2022

Ohio's best: Top 22 high school volleyball players

This is one of a series that included boys and girls basketball's top 23 players in winter and football, volleyball, boys soccer and girls soccer in the fall.

How they were ranked

USA TODAY Network Ohio staff across the state compiled a list of its respective area's top players. The journalists voted on these players using a point system. First-place players received 23 points, second-place players got 22 and so on until the 23rd player wrapped it up with 1 point. Those points were tabulated to determine the top 23 players.

1. Carsyn Cassady, Watkins Memorial

The junior and University of Pittsburgh commit pitched the Warriors to the Division I state tournament each of her first two seasons, including a runner-up finish in 2021. Last season, she was 27-2 with a 0.95 ERA. She struck out 307 in 169 innings and allowed 71 hits and 57 walks.

1. Haley Ferguson, Beavercreek

A first-team All-Ohio selection in Division I last season, the junior was Ohio’s No. 15 softball player before the 2022 season. The University of Michigan commit led the Greater Western Ohio Conference in wins (17), strikeouts (191) and ERA (0.84) last season. At the plate, she was fourth in the GWOC in batting average (.506) with 40 hits (12 extra-base) and 16 RBIs.

3. Renae Cunningham, Heath

Cunningham, a senior, is a Northwestern signee who led the Bulldogs to the Division II state tournament. She is one of the state’s top two-way players and a feared slugger after hitting .592 with 19 homers and 42 RBIs, striking out just three times with a .708 on-base percentage last season. In the circle, she struck out 124 in 107 innings against just 19 walks while sharing the pitching duties. Cunningham was ranked the No. 9 player in Ohio prior to last season.

4. Macy Chamberlain, Evergreen

The junior infielder is committed to Penn State and is considered one of the top catchers in the country. Her .690 average (49-for-71) as a freshman in 2021 is the 28th highest for a single season listed by the OHSAA. Last season, Chamberlain hit .621 and Extra Inning Softball listed her as the No. 12 catcher and No. 22 player in her class.

5. Macee Eaton, Wheelersburg

The Virginia commit is a 2021 and 2022 NFCA All-American, ranked No. 31 overall by Extra Inning Softball and EIS All-America first team in 2022. Eaton helped lead Wheelersburg to back-to-back Division III state tournament appearances, including a championship last season. Eaton plays travel ball with Team NC-Hinde.

6. Carter Wachtel, Triway

The junior pitcher led Triway to a Division II state championship last season. The Georgia Tech commit struck out 308 batters in her sophomore season with a 0.84 ERA in 159 1/3 innings. At the plate, she hit .454 with 13 doubles. As a freshman, she hit .575 with 22 doubles.

7. Brooke Mannon, West Jefferson

The senior pitcher was a first-team All-Ohio selection last season after earning second-team honors in 2021. She went 17-1 with a 0.28 ERA, allowing only five earned runs, and had 269 strikeouts. She also batted .569 with five home runs, 24 RBIs, 32 runs scored and 10 stolen bases. Mannon was named an All-American by Extra Inning Softball, which also ranked the Arizona signee as the No. 17 recruit in the country.

8. Julia Gossett, Massillon Jackson

The senior pitcher and Purdue commit struck out 20 batters in a Division I district final win. Gossett is a top 40 player in the country on multiple rankings. Last season, she hit .409 with a .500 on-base percentage to go with five home runs and six doubles.

9. Sam Pennington, Mason

The second-team All-Ohio selection and Ohio State signee ranked second in the Greater Miami Conference in hits (56) and stolen bases (34) last season. She also ranked third in the GMC in both batting average (.596) and on-base percentage (.610). Pennington, who helped Mason win 20-plus games for the ninth consecutive year, collected a hit in 24 of 26 contests last season, including 18 multi-hit games.

9. Emma Ody, Avon

The senior catcher was named first-team All-Ohio last season. A University of Toledo commit, Ody hit .443 with 10 doubles, nine home runs and a pair of triples last season. Ody was ranked the No. 22 softball player in Ohio prior to last season.

11. Haley Winans, Marysville

A senior catcher, Winans was first-team all-state and all-district last season after putting up impressive numbers offensively and defensively. She also was OCC-Cardinal Player of the Year, hitting over .700 in league play, and became the seventh player in state history to have a hit in 14 consecutive at-bats. She finished with a .457 batting average, 42 hits, 27 RBIs, 10 doubles and a .995 fielding percentage. She is committed to Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

11. Brooklyn Patchen, Anthony Wayne

The senior pitcher was a first-team All-Ohio selection last season and is ranked in the top 100 in her class by Extra Inning Softball. She was also named the Northern Lakes League Player of the Year. She had a 0.86 ERA and hit .523 at the plate. Patchen is committed to Creighton.

13. Camrynn Linneman, Taylor

The junior pitcher was first-team All-Ohio in Division II last season. Linneman was a dominant two-way player for Taylor. She led the Cincinnati Hills League in ERA (0.78) and was second in wins (12) and strikeouts (208). At the plate, she led the CHL in home runs (10) and RBIs (48) and was fourth in batting average (.544) and second in runs scored (46). She is committed to the University of Dayton.

14. Brenna Farmer, Riverdale

The senior infielder was named first-team All-Ohio last year after leading Riverdale to its most wins in a season. The Ohio University signee hit .692 last season with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 41 RBIs.

15. Mady Yackee, Springfield

The senior pitcher was first-team All-Ohio last season (for the second time) after leading Holland Springfield to a Division I state runner-up finish. She is a University of Toledo signee. Yackee was ranked the No. 17 softball player in Ohio prior to last season.

16. Avery Gottlieb, Oak Hills

Gottlieb, a senior, was named first-team All-Ohio in Division I last season. Gottlieb was the GMC co-Pitcher of the Year last season after leading the conference in wins (23) and strikeouts (227). She was top 5 in the league in ERA (1.10). At the plate, she hit .367 with four home runs and 29 RBIs. The Lourdes University commit helped lead Oak Hills to its first district championship since 2012.

17. Sydnie Watts, Austintown Fitch

As a freshman last season, Watts was named first-team All-Ohio. In the circle, Watts went 22-3 with a 0.83 ERA with 314 strikeouts over 143 1/3 innings. At the plate, Watts hit .526 (41-for-78) with 11 home runs.

18. Cameron Kaufman, Sandusky Perkins

The senior infielder is a Bowling Green commit. At the plate, Kaufman has hit .600 or better in back-to-back seasons. Last year, the first-team All-Ohio selection hit .623 with 16 doubles, five triples and seven home runs.

19. Reese Poston, Lancaster

Last year, as a sophomore, Poston was named first-team All-Ohio, first-team all-district and first-team all-OCC. She pitched 100 1/3 innings and had 172 strikeouts and finished with a 1.32 ERA. At the plate, she batted .321 with 26 hits, including seven doubles and six home runs. She helped lead the Gales to a 25-2 record and regional final berth.

19. Ella Teubner, Lebanon

The sophomore was named second-team All-Ohio in Division I last season. Teubner was the ECC Offensive Player of the Year as a freshman. She led the ECC in batting average (.628), on-base percentage (.657), hits (59) and RBIs (57). She also ranked top 5 in doubles (17), triples (4) and home runs (7). Teubner started her freshman season on a 10-game hitting streak and ended it on a 17-game hitting streak, helping Lebanon reach a district final. She's been invited to play in the Premier Girls Fastpitch 2023 Futures All-American Game in July.

21. Ashley Arnold, Centerville

The senior outfielder was named second-team All-Ohio in Division I last season. Arnold led the GWOC last year in both home runs (10) and RBIs (40). She also ranked top 5 in the conference in batting average (.500) and on-base percentage (.573) with 37 hits. Arnold is a University of Rhode Island commit.

22. Shelbie Krieger, Rootstown

The junior and Miami University commit went 13-2 last season with a 0.79 ERA (0.696 WHIP) with 246 strikeouts over 106 1/3 innings. At the plate, Krieger hit .483 with a .549 on-base percentage, 12 doubles, four home runs, 19 RBIs and 23 runs scored.

23. Niki Bode, Oak Hills

The senior infielder was a first-team All-Ohio selection last season. Bode was top 10 in the GMC in batting average (.537), hits (44) and RBIs (31) and ranked third in both home runs (6) and runs scored (47). The Evansville commit helped lead Oak Hills to its first regional championship game appearance since 2012.

23. Anna Wise, Brecksville

The junior pitcher was a first-team All-Ohio and Suburban League selection last season. In the circle, she went 25-3 with a 0.70 ERA and was named the Cuyahoga County Softball Coaches Association Pitcher of the Year. At the plate, Wise posted a .446 batting average.

23. Jordan George, New Albany

The third baseman and University of Pittsburgh signee led the Eagles in batting average (.636), hits (42), runs (37), home runs (10) and RBIs (33) last season. She earned first-team all-OCC, first-team all-district and second-team All-Ohio honors. Her batting average broke a 29-year-old program record.

Others receiving votes

Hayley Arnold, Centerville; Kirnan Bailey, Gahanna Lincoln; Hannah Bendle, John Glenn; Cara Cooper, Circleville; Alayna Crouch, Ross; Cora Hall, Sheridan; Avery Fielman, Milford; Kylie Gorsuch, Green; Olivia Kidd, Mogadore; Emily Liskai, Anthony Wayne; Sydney Marshall, John Glenn; Delaney Maynard, Eastwood; McKennah Metzger, Aurora; Savannah Smith, Reading; Meghan Spencer, Logan; Kelly Szolek, South Range; Isabelle Tetreault, Garaway; Chameron Vanden Eynden, Goshen; Reagan Vunak, Lebanon; Lydia Wilkerson, Westerville Central; Izzie Wilson, Olentangy Berlin; Sophia Wygast, Whitmer

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Top Ohio high school softball players in 2023