The 2028 Recruiting Floodgates Just Opened
Sept. 1 unleashed 133 verbals in one week, Team USA lands in OKC to chase a World Cup Finals berth, Extra Inning Softball opens 2028 rankings with a verified-stats rule, and USA Softball gets a nine-year Fieldhouse partner.
Pro ball is on break and college ball is still in practice mode, so this week the biggest scoreboard in softball was a commit spreadsheet.
Lead Off
Tuesday, Sept. 1, was the first day college coaches could contact Class of 2028 prospects, and the juniors didn't make them wait. Peyton Ushery, the Georgia outfielder who was No. 2 in last year's Line Drive Media 2028 HOT 100, committed to Georgia that afternoon after the Bulldogs made her "the very first call at 2 p.m." Then the weekend hit: Joley Bennett, Louisiana's top 2028 prospect, picked LSU on Sunday; catcher Ryann Harris chose Florida; lefty Addison Ellis went to Clemson; and Tennessee, South Carolina and Texas A&M all reeled in Top-30 talent, per Softball America. By Sunday night Line Drive Media had logged 133 new verbals across all classes in one week and more than 60 committed 2028s, up from roughly 20 before the calendar flipped.
Why it matters: Line Drive says it's more early commits than it can remember for any class, which means the 2028 board is getting set in September of junior year. If you have a 2028 in the house, the phone is either ringing now or it isn't; the next two Sunday master-list updates will tell you where the market is. Line Drive Media →
By the Numbers
60+ — Class of 2028 players with a verbal commitment as of Sunday, triple the roughly 20 who had committed before the Sept. 1 contact date opened five days earlier. Source · Line Drive Media
Scoreboard
Last 7 days — the commit board
| Verbal | Note |
|---|---|
| Peyton Ushery → Georgia (OF, Athletics Gold) | First major D1 verbal of Sept. 1; No. 2 in last year's LDM HOT 100 |
| Joley Bennett → LSU (IF, Top-5 HOT 100) | Louisiana's top 2028 prospect stays in the Bayou State |
| Ryann Harris → Florida (C) | One of the class's top catchers; announced Sunday |
| Addison Ellis → Clemson (LHP, Top Gun 18 National) | Tigers grab a lefty arm on day three |
| Phoenix Scott → North Carolina (OF, Unity) | Announced Thursday; Tar Heels' first splash of the cycle |
This week — 5 to watch
| When | What | Watch |
|---|---|---|
| Sat Sep 12 | USA vs Mexico, World Cup Group C opener, Devon Park, 7 PM CT | GameTime |
| Sun Sep 13 | USA doubleheader: Brazil (1 PM CT), Netherlands (7 PM CT) | GameTime |
| Mon Sep 14 | USA vs New Zealand, 7 PM CT | GameTime |
| Tue Sep 15 | USA vs China, 7 PM CT; round robin ends | GameTime |
| Wed Sep 16 | Group C playoff round; two Finals berths to Australia on the line | GameTime |
World Cup qualifying week in OKC. Every game also streams on the All Women's Sports Network.
Hot Corner
1. Team USA lands in OKC with a World Cup Finals ticket at stake
The U.S. Women's National Team arrived in Oklahoma City Monday for a six-day camp ahead of the WBSC Women's Softball World Cup Group C event, Sept. 12–16 at Devon Park. World No. 2 USA faces the Netherlands, Mexico, China, Brazil and New Zealand in a five-game round robin; the top two after Wednesday's playoff round reach the 2027 Finals in Redcliffe, Australia. Patty Gasso's staff also brought eight practice players, including Jadelyn Allchin, Sydney Romero and Sami Williams. USA Softball →
2. Extra Inning Softball opens 2028 rankings with star ratings and a verified-stats rule
The other 2028 clock started over the weekend: Extra Inning Softball opened nominations for its Class of 2028 National Rankings, with the window running through Oct. 5 and the lists rolling out daily from Sept. 21 (regions) through the Extra Elite 100 on Sept. 30. Two changes matter for families: every ranked player now gets a 5-star rating alongside her number, and nominators must attach GameChanger or AGL screenshots so the committee can verify the stats. EIS also debuted MyEIS360, a free shareable athlete profile for members. Extra Inning Softball →
3. Choctaw Nation signs nine-year deal to name USA Softball's new Fieldhouse
USA Softball announced Wednesday a nine-year partnership that makes the Choctaw Nation an official partner and puts its name on the Choctaw Nation Fieldhouse, the governing body's new indoor training facility in Oklahoma City. The building gives the national teams a year-round home through the LA28 cycle; the deal also includes two years of youth clinics. Construction timelines are still to come. USA Softball →
4. AUSL offseason: Kelly Maxwell is a pro pitcher and a second-year vet student
With the All-Star Cup wrapped, the league's feed turned to life after the last out. An MLB.com feature republished by the AUSL Thursday follows Portland Cascade lefty Kelly Maxwell, the 2024 WCWS Most Outstanding Player, who just finished her first year of veterinary school at LSU while pitching for the Cascade and Team USA. During exam weeks the field gives way to the gym; the post-softball goal is a small-animal clinic in Oklahoma or Texas. AUSL / MLB.com →
5. Coaching carousel: a big-league hitting coach lands at Syracuse
Syracuse hired longtime professional baseball hitting coach Corey Hart as an assistant Friday. Elsewhere on the carousel, former Utah All-American and AUSL pitcher Mariah Lopez joined Salt Lake Community College's staff Monday, Alexis Pupillo landed at Elon, Brooke Yanez at Chattanooga, and Liz Malarski departed South Dakota. D1Softball →
From the Dugout
Podcast pick: Everything Fastpitch (Ep. 436, Sept. 2) — "Conditioning, Strength Training, Controversies, Celebrations in Youth Sports and An Organization Does Not Guarantee Success." Tory Acheson and Don McKinlay talk with strength coach Mike Kelly about assessment-first, softball-specific training, then close with a pointed tip about big-name travel orgs. Takeaway: Jumping to a national-brand club won't fix a team's problems if the coaching doesn't improve; evaluate the coach in the dugout, not the logo on the jersey. Listen →
Clip of the week: @hittingforpower (Coach Jordan Stouffer) — a three-direction stride drill: lay down a tape line, then stride linear, open and closed with a bat in hand and land in the same launch position every time. Boring on purpose, and the fastest way to learn whether a hitter controls her lower half.
Play of the Week
Sami Williams goes full extension and still gets the out at first
The AUSL's Hitter of the Year closed her summer with a glove. During the All-Star Cup in Rosemont, Williams laid out flat on a hard-hit ball, popped up and fired to first in time, and the league tagged it a Gatorade Top Play. The AUSL posted the clip Sept. 1; 3,000-plus likes later, it's still making the rounds.
Source: @theauslofficial · Watch the full clip →
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