Players to watch for 2024 high school softball season in South Jersey

Play ball!

The 2024 scholastic softball season is almost ready for its first pitch.

Here are some of the best players who will be taking the diamond in South Jersey this season.

Players to Watch

Pitchers

Sophia Bordi, Haddon Heights, junior. A two-time state champion, a two-time Courier-Post Pitcher of the Year and an Oklahoma commit. One of the top players in the country, Bordi’s game is only getting better.

Hannah Derbyshire, Cinnaminson, junior. A pivotal two-way player for the Pirates, who won 21 times last spring. With a ERA south of 1.30 and 185 strikeouts in fewer than 135 innings, Derbyshire was the ace who pitched Cinnaminson into the sectional final where it lost a 1-0 decision to Haddon Heights. At the plate, she posted 27 hits, including 14 for extra-bases, en route to a .338 batting average and 29 RBIs.

Madison Dollard, Egg Harbor Township, senior. The fireballer struck out 236 batters over 149 frames last season for the Eagles. The strikeout artist has posted 487 career Ks in fewer than 338 innings.

Ava Fisher, St. Joseph, senior. One of the hardest throwers in the region, Fisher punched out 267 batters in 158 innings of work, powering the Wildcats to their first-ever state championship. She fired a three-hitter with 14 strikeouts in the state final. Fisher is a difference maker in the batter’s box too. She homered 10 times last spring, raising her career total to 16.

Mikaya Fontana, Northern Burlington, junior. Reliable and extremely consistent in the circle, Fontana mixes her pitches extremely well to keep hitters guessing. The result is an average of a strikeout an inning over 300 career frames. She can also swing the stick, collecting 24 knocks and 14 RBIs last spring.

Isabella Kwashek, West Deptford, senior. After two stellar seasons, Kwashek took an even bigger jump last spring. She struck out 219 batters in fewer than 170 innings pitched. At the plate, Kwashek produced 35 hits for a .455 batting average with 33 RBIs.

Violet Marta, Moorestown, senior. A four-year starter for the Quakers, Marta rung up 221 strikeouts over 142 frames last spring. A threat at the plate too, she batted .394 with seven homers and 29 RBIs.

Jessica Mooney, Ocean City, sophomore. It was quite a first impression for Mooney, who was a dominating two-way player in her rookie season. She struck out 194 batters in fewer than 112 innings while helping her own cause with a .435 batting average, 37 hits and 21 RBIs.

Catchers

Kaci Benton, Bordentown, senior. A four-year starter for one of the state's perennial powerhouses, Benton has produced 79 career hits, including 11 homers. She's looking to close our her scholastic career with a bang.

Payton Colbert, Egg Harbor Township, senior. Quick and nimble behind the dish, Colbert possesses a strong arm too. She batted over .430 for the second straight season and boasts 95 career hits, 78 of which have come in the last two seasons combined.

Vanessa Meyers, Lenape, senior. Aside from her work behind the dish, Meyers was a game changer at the plate too. She hit .476 with 40 knocks, including six homers. She scored 31 times and drove in 30 runs.

Infielders

Emily Bobo, Audubon, senior. A productive source of thunder in the Green Wave lineup, Bobo enjoyed a breakout season last spring with a .417 batting average that included 35 hits, 23 runs scored and 25 RBIs. Will also see time in the circle for Audubon.

Laylah Collins, Buena, junior. An electric player in the field and at the plate, Collins continued to strengthen her game last spring when she batted .448 with 29 runs scored, 22 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. She also possesses plenty of pop with seven career homers.

Morgan Harrell-Alvarez, Vineland, senior. A terror at the plate, Harrell-Alvarez batted over .500 for the second time in three seasons last spring, collecting 40 hits and 15 walks along the way. She enters the season with 80 career knocks.

Madison Konopka, Shawnee, senior. A four-year starter and lightning rod in the Shawnee lineup, Konopka batted .500 with 43 hits and 14 walks. She will reach the 100-career hit total with her next knock. A terror on the base paths, Konopka swiped 24 bags last spring, raising her season total to 42.

Julia Miller, Moorestown, senior. The sparkplug atop the Quakers’ lineup, Miller produced a breakout season last spring with a .493 batting average, 34 hits, 30 runs scored and 29 stolen bases.

Samantha Wakeley, Eastern, junior. One of the top hitters in the region, Wakeley batted .538 with 42 hits and 23 RBIs. She slugged close to .800 thanks to 13 extra-base hits.

Hannah Weismer, Kingsway, junior. A hitting machine, Weismer knocked opposing pitchers around en route to a .407 average with 17 extra-base hits, including seven homers. As powerful as her swing, Weismer is smooth around the hot corner.

Outfielders

Brooke Cavanaugh, Washington Township, senior. This hitting machine delivered a .566 batting average with 43 knocks and 38 runs scored. Plenty of pop in her bat, she homered four times last spring.

Alaina Dorsey, St. Joseph, sophomore. Dorsey established herself as a productive table setter with 35 hits and 27 runs scored for the state champion Wildcats last season. Along with batting .427, she also swiped 15 bases.

Gracie Granate, Haddon Heights, senior. A four-year starter for the two-time defending state champion Garnets, Granate enters the season with 82 career hits. She added power to her game last spring with four home runs.

Lisey St. Jean, Paul VI, senior. One of the Garden State’s best hitters, St. Jean takes a .626 career average into her final scholastic season. She collected a whopping 56 hits and 14 walks last spring.

Emma Speyerer, Audubon, sophomore. The speedster swiped 33 bases and scored 27 runs in her rookie season for the Green Wave. One of the best young hitters in the region, Speyerer collected 38 knocks en route to a .427 batting average.

Katie Vuong, Lenape, junior. Vuong delivered one of the best breakout seasons in 2023 with 38 hits and 42 runs scored. She produced plenty of power with 19 extra-base hits, including 12 two-baggers and four triples.

Tom McGurk is a regional sports reporter for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 30 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.