Postseason Position Recap: Pin Hitters
We’re taking another trip through the legendary club season we just saw. First, we covered setters. Pin hitters are in the spotlight now. Like the setters we discussed in the previous installment of this series, the outside hitters I’ve seen…
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Continue ReadingWe’re taking another trip through the legendary club season we just saw. First, we covered setters. Pin hitters are in the spotlight now.
Like the setters we discussed in the previous installment of this series, the outside hitters I’ve seen in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri can compete with anyone in the country. They’ve backed that up with a ton of success at some of the biggest events of the year. This series looks to recap that success and give credit to the athletes who helped make it happen.
On to the hitters!
2023s on the Recruiting Radar
The Midwest has no shortage of pin hitters that ought to be on radars nationwide with the recruitment of 2023s now in full swing. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the outsides that we’ve discussed throughout the club season:
I saw plenty of big moments from the top two hitters in our Iowa rankings. Lily Dykstra Lily Dykstra 6'0" | OH Urbandale | 2023 State #127 Nation IA and Ava Schubert Ava Schubert 6'1" | RS Assumption | 2023 State #153 Nation IA are always major contributors for PowerPlex and Iowa Select, respectively, and they each helped their teams post impressive results against tough competition. I went into more detail about the success of Schubert’s team here.
In another USAV Nationals spotlight that covered Premier Nebraska 16 Gold, I talked about the rise of outside hitters like Stella Adeyemi. She is accompanied on that team by Alanna Bankston and Grace Heaney, both of whom showed their scoring prowess on the national stage. 16 Gold is not the only Nebraska team with dynamic pin-hitting combinations, as Destiny Ndam-Simpson and Samantha Laird have been a persistently powerful pair for Nebraska Elite 16-1 Top Gun.
Moving on to Kansas athletes for a moment, I just got a chance to get my first in-person look at Brooklyn DeLeye Brooklyn DeLeye 6'2" | OH Washburn Rural | 2023 State #30 Nation KS at the Nebraska Dream Team camp in Lincoln. Her size and athleticism stack up so well with other top talents around the nation.
Clearly, this is a loaded region that will get a lot more recruiting attention moving forward. I can’t wait to watch it all unfold.
An Assortment of Stock Risers
This year has brought out a lot of fantastic players that were previously under the radar. Here are some quick-hitters on some of those that we covered this season:
- Another shoutout is in order for Shelby Kimm Shelby Kimm 6'0" | OH Iowa City Liberty | 2023 State IA , whose heavy arm helped lead Iowa Rockets to a stellar placing at Nationals.
- A stock riser who has been on my radar ever since NLQ in Omaha is Betsy Goodenow. This opposite’s explosiveness is nearly unmatched every time she steps out on the court. Her MAVS team will have plenty of eyes on it heading into next year after what they accomplished at Nationals this July.
- I always like to take a moment to reflect on some of the players that I’ve seen at the Prep Dig Showcase event we held in Omaha a while ago. O’Neill’s Wreece Liewer showed some solid skills on the court that day, as did Channatee Robles from Norfolk Catholic. There are a lot of similar small-town talents that are poised to make a big jump in the upcoming high school season.
Extended Watch List
I want to fit in as many names as I can, so here are some more players to check out this fall and beyond. I’m excited to see more live-action reps from these players and continue to add to the watch list in the future.
Haley Wolfe – 6’2 OH/RS – Nebraska Elite 16-1 Top Gun – Class of 2023
Kailey Peters Kailey Peters 5'10" | RS Indianola | 2023 State IA – 5’10 RS – Iowa PowerPlex – Class of 2023
Carlie Cisneros Carlie Cisneros 6'0" | OH Liberty North | 2024 State #7 Nation MO – 6’0 OH – Dynasty 15 Black – Class of 2024
Jillian Huckabey – 5’11 OH – KC Power 15-1 – Class of 2024