IOWA CITY, IA – Perfect Game Softball Iowa City Scouting Showcase #1, August 26 – 27, 2023. Fifty-One teams, across three age division’s, opened up the fall season with five, 90-minute games to allow their players the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of attending college coaches. Some of the weekends top performances are recapped below.
14u Division
Kinley Voges (2028 Le Claire, IA) lead the 14u division with 11 hits, playing for X-Plosion Grey ’10. Utilizing a solid lower half, and an aggressive tilt to set an attack angle that lends itself to getting the ball in the air, Voges had an incredible 6 doubles on the weekend, knocking in 7 and scoring 5 runs while also swiping 5 bases. Putting the ball in play, Voges did not record a strikeout and finished the weekend hitting at a .688 clip. This young lady will definitely be one to watch over the next few years as she matures and continues to develop as a player.
Ella Wheatly (2028 Runnells, IA) demonstrated the ability to hit for power and average for her Iowa Aries Se team. Starting with a slightly narrow stance, with little pre-pitch movement, Wheatly utilizes her stride to get separation and move to the ball. With good use of her lower half, and working her hands inside the ball, Wheatly can hit the ball to all fields with power. Hitting .643 for the weekend, Wheatly collected 9 hits that included 3 doubles and 2 bombs, while knocking in 7 and scoring 8 runs.
Iowa Aries Se teammate, Riya Schilling (2027 Altoona, IA), also showed the ability to put the ball in play. Schilling sets up in a slight crouch and keeps everything compact. She is quick to get the barrel to the ball and utilizes the pop generated by her lower half to drive the ball gap to gap. Schilling picked up 8 hits, that included 4 doubles and a home run, while collecting 8 rbi’s and scoring 7 times. Finishing the showcase with a .667 batting average, Schilling did not record a strikeout on the weekend.
Ella Rubel (2028 Bettendorf, IA) showed advanced skills at the plate, fully understanding her role as a lead-off hitter for X-Plosion Grey ’10, finishing the showcase with a .778 OBP. Rubel collected 10 hits, with two doubles and a triple, while knocking in four. Rubel worked the count, making pitchers work, and picked up four free passes while not recording a strikeout, and finished with a .714 batting average for her effort. Rubel will be a fun follow as she matures and gains strength over the next several years. With continued work and development, this young lady will have the opportunity to play, and excel at the next level.
Kylie Phillips (2028 Des Moines, IA), playing for Iowa Blitz-Kassmeyer, showed the ability to hit the ball hard. Starting from a slightly open stance, Phillips utilizes a low leg kick to get weight transferred to the back side, then a stride for timing and to get separation before engaging the hips and torso in the swing. Phillips picked up seven hits with a double and two homeruns, scoring 3 times. Impressively, getting hits in key situations, Phillips was able to collect 10 rbi’s on the weekend while finishing with a .636 BA. As Phillips develops as a player over the next few years, trusting her ability and developing patience at the plate, I would expect her power numbers to increase.
Macyn Bischoff (2028 Bettendorf, IA) was a young arm that showed a lot of promise in the circle for X-Plosion Grey ’10. The RHP, utilizing a repeatable delivery, was the workhorse for her team, pitching 15.1 innings. Topping out at 56 mph, Bischoff used a five-pitch mix of fastball, change-up, curve, screw and rise to collect an impressive 31 punchouts. Showing the ability to hit spots, change speeds and throw all her pitches for strikes, Bischoff was around the plate all weekend, giving up 3 earned runs to finish with a 1.40 ERA, with an impressive 0.98 WHIP. With added maturity, strength and development of her craft, this young lady would project to increase velocity, which will also increase spin rates to allow her movement pitches to develop sharper late break.
Lily Black (2027 Polk City, IA) appears taller in the circle than her 5-foot 9 inch reported height. With long levers and good use of her legs in the drive phase, RHP Black can be intimidating in the circle. Sitting at 58 mph, slightly slower than when I previously seen her, Black now has a five-pitch mix, having added a curve in with her fastball, change-up, rise and drop. In her 10 innings of work, Black recorded 12 strikeouts, only gave up two hits, and was constantly around the plate, only allowing one free pass. Black showed a very nice rise, that had several good hitters not able to catch up with it as it ran through the top of the zone. Finishing with a .70 ERA and an outstanding 0.30 WHIP, this young lady will pitch at the next level with continued work and progression.
To say that Iowa Aries CE is long on pitching is an understatement as they had three pitchers in the top 5 of the Top Performers list. First off is Sophia Schlader (2028 Urbandale, IA), who you will hear about for the next several years. Schlader, one of the youngest arms in the showcase, and one of the top players in her age group in the United States, topped out at 64 mph and brought a four-pitch bag of fastball, change-up, rise and drop into the circle. Working six innings, she struck out 13, allowed one hit, gave up one base on balls and did not allow an earned run, finishing with a 0.33 WHIP, while showcasing a rise that was unhittable. Schlader also takes care of business at the plate. Utilizing a slightly wide set-up, she coils before stride, and utilizes the stride for timing and to get separation. You will not find many young ladies that can generate the torque she does, from the ground up, in the swing phase. Schlader finished with six hits that included two doubles, and scored 7 runs.
Alexa Guyer (2027 Indianola, IA) is the second pitcher on this list from Iowa Aries CE. The LHP Guyer, armed with fastball, change-up, rise and drop topped out 60 mph. In her 9.2 innings of work, Guyer sat down 14 batters via strikeout. Not having a curve, Guyer did showcase a fastball that at times had up to a foot of glove side run. This pitch would slide up onto the hands and jam right-handed hitters, and move onto the plate of left-handers that assume the ball was staying outside. With this movement, there were also some control problems that led to several walks. As this young pitcher matures, and continues to work on her craft, she will gain better control through maturity, strength and developing a repeatable delivery. Don’t sleep on this young lady, good things to follow.
Finally, Karter Price (2027 Altoona, IA) finds that on a team full of quality pitchers, there are not enough innings to go around, so when you get your chance, you need to impress, and the RHP did just that. Armed with a fastball, change-up, rise and drop, Price worked four innings and sat down 8 batters via strikeout, while not allowing a hit, a walk, or a run. Although small framed, Price utilizes her lower half very well in the push phase, and when coupled with a good delivery motion and arm swing, she is able to create a top velocity of 57 mph. With added strength and continued work on her craft, Price will be in the 60-mph club in no time, but with her current success, maybe 60 mph isn’t necessary.
16u Division
Marie Young (2026 Donnellson, IA) had herself a nice opening weekend for the fall season. Playing for Southeast IA Allstars, 16U Red, the RHH Young picked up nine hits that included two doubles and scored 6 runs. Getting those hits at the right time led to her collecting an impressive 12 rbi’s. Staying compact, Young starts parallel in the box, gets the weight to the back hip and utilizes a short stride to get separation. Working her hands inside the ball should allow Young to hit the ball to all fields. For the weekend, Young hit at a .643 clip and lead the showcase with her nine hits.
Madelyn Ott (2026 Ankeny, IA) is an athletic R/R 3B for Iowa Nationals 16u. Starting in a slight crouch with weight slightly on the back side, Ott utilizes a small stride to get separation at launch. In the swing phase, Ott generates bat speed and torque with a solid lower half and torso turn which helped her collect 8 hits, that included two doubles and two triples. Ott knocked in six, scored 10 runs and swiped 3 bases while hitting .571 on the weekend. Defensively, Ott shows good pre-pitch set-up, good hands and an arm that will play at the next level.
Avyanna Lindsey (2025 Iowa City, IA), playing for Southeast IA Allstars, 16U Red, showed the ability to get on base and did so with an OBP of .846. Lindsey collected five hits, drew three walks, and put the ball in play, utilizing her speed to force defenses into hurried, bad throws. Lindsey sets up in a slightly open stance, coils to get separation and weight to the back hip before the swing phase. She does a good job of staying in her legs and of her five hits, one was a homerun. She knocked in four, swiped two bases, did not record a strikeout and impressively scored 10 runs, while hitting .714 for the weekend.
Mackynna Sims (2026 Newton, IA) is not one to get cheated on a swing. The R/R OF/UTIL player for Iowa Nationals 16U picked up six hits, with three being doubles. She knocked in eight, scored five runs, swiped a couple of bases and did not record a strikeout on the weekend. When getting her pitch, Sims does not miss many barrels. With the development of some patience at the plate, while maintaining her aggressive swing, Sims will have the opportunity to continue playing at the next level. And with the defensive skill she displayed, the opportunity to help her team at different positions will benefit the transition as she progresses through age division play, into college.
Amanda Odland (2025 St. Michael, MN) is a R/R OF for MASH 16U Maroon. Odland, working from a solid set-up, showed the ability to drive the ball when going after her pitch. Keeping her hands working inside the ball, allows her to spray the ball from foul line to foul line. Odland picked up seven hits on the weekend that included a double and two bombs, knocking in seven and scoring four runs.
Kori Lincicum (2026 Ankeny, IA) is a P/MIF for Iowa Nationals 16u. In the circle, the right-hander comes at hitters with a fastball, change-up, curve and two-seamer, showcasing a top velocity of 63 mph. Lincicum showed the ability to pitch to spots with her fastball, and get hitters to chase her rise out of the zone. In her 13 innings of work, she sat down 28 batters via strikeout. Lincicum gave up 4 hits, did not allow a run, and finished with a 0.77 WHIP. In her final outing of the showcase, Lincicum dominated with a five inning, 12 strikeout, no-hitter. Defensively, Lincicum displayed good pre-pitch movement, good feet and hands, and the arm strength to make all the throws necessary at SS. At the plate, Lincicum collected six hits, while showing good running speed in collecting three doubles and scoring seven runs. A true two-way player, this young lady showcased some above average tools that will allow her to play at the next level.
Taryn Fredrickson (2025 Creston, IA) is a RHP for Southeast IA Allstars, 16U Red. Fredrickson displayed a smooth repeatable delivery, with consistent arm swing, in her 9.1 innings of work. Utilizing a 5-pitch mix of fastball, curve, rise, screw, and change-up, Fredrickson, who had a top velocity of 57 mph, showed that you can be successful with pitch location and movement. Hitting spots, changing speed and being able to throw all her pitches for strikes also aided Fredrickson in picking up 16 strikeouts and not allowing a run, finishing with a 0.75 WHIP. At the plate, Fredrickson had some success, picking up six hits that included a double and a triple, and scored six runs.
Lily Nibaur (2027 Iowa City, IA), pitching for Thunder purple, worked 12.1 innings in the circle, armed with a fastball, curve, screw, drop, change-up and drop-curve. The RHP collected 18 strikeouts and had a top velocity of 57 mph. Nibaur, at this stage, appears to be a pitch to contact style pitcher, working the ball down in the zone to get batters to beat the pitch into the ground, allowing her defense to make plays behind her. As this young lady matures over the next few years, gaining strength and more confidence in her pitching, I would expect velocity to increase, spin rates to increase, and her delivery and arm swing will become second nature and very consistent. This young lady, if she continues to work on her craft will be a good follow for her year class.
Morgan Hosch (2025 Epworth, IA), a RHP for Dubuque County Fastpitch, has a 5-pitch mix that includes a curve, drop, rise, change-up and screw, and a top velocity of 61 mph. Hosch was in the circle for 9 innings, collected 6 strikeouts and gave up 3 earned runs on Day 1. Although not an overly impressive stat line, what it doesn’t show is the three innings she worked against arguably one of the most hitter stacked teams assembled in recent years, Iowa Nationals 16U. Hosch entered the game in the 4th inning, and proceeded to go to work, not allowing a hit over the next three innings, striking out 2, with the only runners reaching base on an error and a walk. If this young lady can find that type of performance consistently, she will have many options when deciding where to play at the next level.
Lauren Sandholm (2027 Ankeny, IA) continues to impress with her work in the circle. Sandholm, pitching for Iowa Nationals 16u, got one start on the weekend, and made the most of it. Displaying the same smooth delivery and arm swing that has become the norm, Sandholm worked five innings, struck out 5, gave up 3 hits, and only allowed one earned run. Keeping batters off balance with a fastball, change-up, rise and drop, Sandholm beats up the strike zone, working it side to side and top to bottom and showed a top velocity of 63 mph. This young lady has several years to develop her craft, as she matures, gains strength and fine tunes her pitching. I have enjoyed watching her develop over the past two years, from winning MV-Pitcher awards to winning a State Softball Championship this past summer, and I look forward to following her on her journey to the next level.
- Dave Durbala
18u division was a tough one this past weekend. The tournament showcased many of the states top softball players, many committed and many still waiting to make their choice. There were many college coaches in attendance as well and the weather was perfect.
Pearson Hall (2025 West Liberty, IA) of SE Iowa All Stars Miller had a phenomenal weekend at the plate. The left-handed hitter hit .778 this weekend which included three homeruns, a triple and three doubles. Her pure athleticism also helps her in the field as well as on the bases as she can leg out doubles and turns them into triples with her speed. In the field she is a plus middle infielder with great range and a strong arm. At the plate She has no problem showing her lefty power and drives balls into the gap effortlessly. Hall finished the weekend with 18 RBIs. Hall will be one to continue to watch this fall and a great pick up for any college looking for a strong hitting, middle infielder.
Braylon Conlon (2025 Toddville, IA) of SE Iowa All Stars Miller boasted 18 strike outs through 10 innings pitched. The hard throwing lefty uses her tall frame to generate speed and movement, working consistently in the 61-63mph range. What is most impressive about Conlon is her ability to keep batters off balance by mixing in her variety pitches and throwing all equally well. Working in five different pitches including fastball, drop, rise, curve and change, her go to pitch is her curveball which comes in right at the right-handed batters making it tough to hit. Conlon has an extreme upside as she continues to add speed.
Sydney Skarich (2024 Davenport, IA) of SE Iowa All Stars Gold/Miller finished the weekend hitting .824 with a tournament tying 14 hits with six of those being extra base hits. Skarich is a left-handed slapper that has the ability to swing away or slap into the gaps. To go along with this, she is quick and a threat to any catcher on the bases. Skarich scored a tournament high 18 times.
Nyah Hulbert (2025 Norwalk, IA) of Iowa Gold Prospects- Baker showed up both offensively and defensively this weekend. In the box, the left-handed hitting Hulbert possesses an aggressive wide stance and uses her legs well generating a ton of power. Her speed and aggressiveness on the bases are also two great traits to note. In the outfield she runs down balls in the gap and made several diving plays. This player definitely has the skills and abilities to play at the next level.
Katelyn Klever (2025 Polk City, IA) of Iowa Gold Prospects- Klever was one of the more dominating pitchers on the weekend. Working with a six-pitch arsenal that includes fastball, curve, change up, screw, rise, and drop curve, Klever executes all of these with ease. Klevers go to pitches are her drop curve which is consistently in the 56-58mph range and her change up. The change up can be thrown at any time in the count with confidence and speed sits in the upper 30s. Klever finished the weekend allowing only one earned run through 17 innings pitched.
Campbell German (2024 Cumming, IA) of Alliance Select- Benge was once again at the top of the pitching leaderboard. The hard throwing right hander has a variety of pitches, all of which she executes extremely well. Her screwball and rise ball were on constant display as she stunned several batters with both. Coming in with a fastball that is consistently in the low 60s, German keeps batters off balance mixing in a change that she throws with extreme confidence. She finished the weekend with 29 strike outs in 15 innings pitched and did not allow a single earned run.
The Lady Expos had several girls in the Top Performers Lists. Ava Hahn (2025 Galena, IL) had a great showing at the plate boasting 10 hits and 12 RBIs. Her teammate Julia Roth (2026 Dubuque, IA) also performed well at the plate with 11 hits which included four doubles and nine RBIs. Roth is a powerful hitter and shows off her hitting ability by utilizing both sides of the field. Chandler Houselog (2024 Dubuque, IA) of Lady Expos Blue, a right-handed power hitter that is no easy out at the plate. Houselog boasted eight hits which included two homeruns.
Emily Koranda (2025 Marion, IA) of NE Gold 319 Berning a strong right-handed pitcher, shows confidence in her large arsenal of pitches which includes, Fastball, drop, rise, curve, and changeup. Her most impressive pitches are her change up and rise-ball, both of which resulted in several swings and misses. Koranda finished the weekend with 17 strikeouts in 13 innings pitched and did not allow and single earned run.
Madison Kluever (2025 Charlotte, IA) of the Se Iowa All Stars Gold/Miller had herself a weekend at the plate and in the circle. Kluever batted .688 which included 3 homeruns in ONE GAME all of which cleared the fence with ease. In the circle Kluever has a variety of pitches including a Change up, curve, screw, rise and fastball and utilizes all of them well working both horizontally and vertically in the zone. Kluever finished the weekend with 10 strikeouts through eight innings pitched.
- Ashley Mears