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2026 Softball Recruiting Notebook: September 9

Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 7.46.34 PMby: Brady Vernon09/09/24BradyVernon
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When Softball America joined the On3 Network, one of our goals was to strive to cover softball recruiting at a different level. As September 1st rolled around, we hope to inform our readers about the 2026 softball recruiting class. Last week we launched our 2026 Recruiting Rankings and we bring you information about visits and commitments.

Caroline Stanton

The No. 1 overall recruit of the class will take her time. The right-handed pitcher from Buford High School and the Texas Bombers organization took her first visit to LSU this past weekend. She has visits planned to Florida, Oklahoma and Florida State in the ensuing weeks while finding time to play her high school season. Stanton plans to visit her ‘home’ school in Georgia but does not have a date scheduled at the moment. Stanton, with the help of her parents, wants to enjoy the recruiting process and take in each school before making her decision.

Annie Abdullah

The top overall position player in our 2026 softball recruiting rankings was a spectator at ‘The Swamp’ in Gainesville over the weekend. Abdullah, a Florida native and Stanton’s teammate on the Alliance Champions Texas Bombers squad has been to camps at Florida, Texas, LSU and Georgia multiple times over the years and has visits scheduled with four programs. She wants a team that will let her be her free self on the field and defensively.

Samantha Alekman

Alekman is the top catcher in the class and fifth overall in our rankings. She just completed her visit to Missouri. The Califonia native has a long list of visits set up. Alekman plans to head to Baton Rouge later this month. She also has visits set up with Minnesota, Oregon, NC State, Arizona State, San Diego State and Cal Poly. Alekman is a very competitive person and desires a program that will put her in the forefront of the competition.

Torynn Slaughter

Slaughter loves to travel and the Arizona native started off by heading across the country to Clemson. The catcher who plays with Arizona Rising Appel 18u, Pinnacle High School and 15u Women’s National Team has her interest out east for the most part. She has more visits to the SEC with Ole Miss and Alabama. Slaughter will also drive down to Tucson next week. The 19th overall recruit pointed out that Arizona and Alabama are her top two choices at the moment due to her connection with respective head coaches Caitlin Lowe and Patrick Murphy.

Taylor Johns

The Las Vegas native will likely have a similar change of scenery. Johns, the 21st recruit of the class, has always been drawn by the SEC and her top five programs makes that clear. She made her first official visit Clemson, citing that it has SEC-like vibes and she loves the upstart of the program. Johns will also head to Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss and Mississippi State. She has had a relationship with the Mississippi schools for quite some time. Johns mentioned that her Athletics Mercardo organization has had great things to say about Georgia and she enjoyed how quickly Trisha Ford has made a difference for the Aggies.

Stevie South

South, the 37th overall prospect, named Stanford and Texas Tech as her top choices. Stanford’s academics and that she really connected with head coach Jessica Allister from the start of her process. South, a Texas native, really likes Gerry Glasco as a coach and sees where the Red Raider program is headed.

Ryan Roberts

Roberts mentioned that her top three at this time are Baylor, NC State and Illinois. Baylor stood out to the Texas native because the coaching staff makes you feel like family. She loves the energy that Lindsay Leftwich brings to the NC State program. Roberts enjoys Champaign, Illinois and the coaching staff there. Those are the teams to watch for the 58th-ranked recruit.

2026 Softball Recruiting Visits

Not every top program received a commitment over the weekend but had plenty of the next group of softball stars on their various campuses.

Oklahoma State had a contingent from the talented Georgia Impact squad. RHP Addie Rackley (No. 6 in rankings), OF Cece Springfield (No. 27), INF Nina Carcone (No. 29) and OF Shayla Bahr (No. 38) all took in the football game in Stillwater. California infielder and eighth-ranked recruit Aubrey McLaughin also met with the Cowgirls coaching staff.

The Sooners also had a few of the best on campus. Ki’ele Ho-Ching, the third overall recruit of the class, was in Norman. As well as Hawaiian power hitter Ori Mailo, who came in at 40th in our rankings.

Texas A&M had quite the group as well. Top 10 recruits Karmen Vazquez and Ayla Tuua each made their first official visit to College Station. No. 35 Emoni Lam Sam from California and No. 41 ranked Payton Westra from Arizona also made their way to Texas A&M.

LSU brought quite a few to Tiger Stadium along with Stanton. Top 15 recruits pitcher Madi Doty from Texas, outfielder Sydnee Williams from Arizona and catcher Avary Stockwell from Tennessee also took officials to Baton Rouge.

Missouri had Alekman, No. 31 Audrey Cathey, No. 55 Katie Guilliam and No. 66 Megan Woodridge all in Columbia this past weekend.

Alabama hosted local No. 22 ranked Halle Bailey, while Ole Miss had top-50 recruit Peyton Valentine, the younger sister of current Alabama catcher Riley Valentine, in for a visit.

2026 Softball Recruiting Commitments

Georgia would be the leader in the clubhouse after the first major weekend for class rankings. The Bulldogs landed the first top-10 recruit in pitcher Kynzee Anderson. No. 42 in the class Luna Taboas also committed to Georiga over the weekend.

READ MORE: Top 10 2026 recruit Kynzee Anderson commits to Georgia

Taboas is a true utility player with great hands and the ability to make plays on the run. She’ll have to be a high on-base percentage player as a true triple threat at the plate.

Duke landed four commitments over the weekend. Jordynn Parnell, a right-handed pitcher from the Lady Dukes organization, headlined the group as she’s the 91st-ranked recruit.

“What stood out to me about Duke during my recruiting process is how they made sure my academics were just as important as my game of softball,” she said. “And how hands-on the coaches were at each camp I attended, and each coach made sure to build their relationship with me as a person and not just a softball player.”

Right-handed pitcher Eva Lantagne from Texas and Bombers Gold, Kyndall Banks a local infielder from Stars Gold club and utility Kayla Fletcher from Tennessee Mojo – Ramsey / Fisher all pledged to Duke over the weekend.

Oregon earned the commits from two infielders in No. 32 Bailey Goldberg and No. 33 Analise Dewitt. Goldberg comes from Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada and Athletics Mercado Smith. Dewitt is part of the Iowa Premier organization.

Angelina Eakman, the 43rd-ranked player in our rankings, a right-handed pitcher from Pennsylvania joined the Hokies’ future plans at Virginia Tech.

“I went to a biometrics camp on August 18th, 2024,” Eakman said. “I met (pitching) coach Josh (Johnson) and I was amazed by the knowledge he has. I knew he could make me the best player I will ever be. The overall coaching staff is so welcoming and down to earth. Each coach was easy to talk to and had their own knowledge that I knew would help me. The team has a family connection and that was a very important aspect I needed in order to choose the right college.”

Arizona landed 74th-ranked recruit Lilly Hauser from California and Athletics Mercado organization. She’s the daughter of former Wildcat Wendy Allen-Hauser, who played with Caitlin Lowe.

Here are a handful of other commitments from the weekend.

Paige Stanfield | Fury Platinum | Overland Park, Kansas | Alabama
Adison Bicknell | Texas Glory | Flower Mound, Texas | Ole Miss
Abby Zawadzki | Silver Hawks | St. Charles, Illinois | Ole Miss
Morgan Bragg | TN MOJO Ramsey/Fisher | Chandler, Arizona | Ole Miss
Ava Grace Pruitt | Carolina Cardinals | Reidsville, North Carolina | North Carolina
Taylor Smith | Unity Johnson | Apopka, Florida | North Carolina
Kensley Davis | NC Hinde | Taylorsville, North Carolina | North Carolina
Adelynn Grayce Siegel | Impact Gold | Shiner, Texas | LSU
Taylor Hampton | Arizona Rising Appel | Gilbert, Arizona | Texas A&M
Violet Mitchell | AZ Storm | Peoria, Arizona | Arizona
Madison Babasa | Sorcerers | Escalon, California | Arizona

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