The prep softball season is off to an early start this spring, with games starting as soon as Monday. Take a look at the returning talent from last year’s Daily Journal All-Area team.

Ava Lorenzatti, Beecher, sr., P/3B

The Florida State signee and three-time all-stater is one of several stars returning for the defending Class 2A State champions. Last spring, Lorenzatti threw 125 innings, had 214 strikeouts and a 1.51 ERA. She also hit .469 with eight home runs, 20 doubles and 39 RBIs at the top of Beecher’s explosive lineup. The 2024 Daily Journal Player of the Year will look to finish her career with a four-year sweep as the River Valley Conference Player of the Year.

Taylor Norkus, Beecher, sr., P/3B

Norkus is the other half of arguably the best pitching duo in the state, regardless of class. The winning pitcher of record in the Bobcats’ supersectional and state championship victories last spring, Norkus posted an ERA of 0.98 in 121 innings to go with 196 strikeouts and only 18 walks to join Lorenzatti as first-team All-State picks. The Colgate commit is no slouch at the dish either, where she hit .298 and drove in 24.

Rhaya DePaolo, Bishop McNamara, jr., 1B

The Class 2A All-State first-teamer batted .552 and slugged .798 with 52 hits and 51 RBIs, only striking out twice in 109 plate appearances. Those hands translated to the field, where she played an errorless first base. The Fightin’ Irish enter a new era with first-year head coach Jenna Arseneau, but DePaolo is one of a handful of holdovers from last year’s 19-win team.

Lydia Hammond, Bradley-Bourbonnais, sr., P/OF

The Loyola commit and 2025 Daily Journal Player of the Year nearly helped the Boilermakers to their first state trip last year. Hammond will look to knock off what is essentially the only thing left on her high school softball to-do list and guide the Boilers to Peoria this spring. Hammond earned a spot on the Class 4A All-State second team and All-SouthWest Suburban Conference team by going 19-9 with a save in 29 appearances that totaled 188⅓ innings. She broke her own school record with a 1.31 ERA and struck out a school-record 261.

Khloe Picard, Coal City, sr., C

The Coalers won their fourth straight regional in one of Class 2A’s deepest talent pools last spring, and not many were as impactful as Picard. The Purdue Northwest hit .420 with seven homers and 40 RBIs, striking out just seven times. An anchor at the plate and behind it, Picard will look to lead the Coalers to a fourth straight 20-win season in addition to a fifth straight regional as well as repeat as her All-ICE status and improve upon last year’s second-team Class 2A All-State recognition.

Maddie Simms, Gardner-South Wilmington, sr., P/IF

Only state champion Beecher had a better season in the RVC than the Panthers did last year, and nobody was as vital to them as Simms, a Parkland recruit. The All-RVC and Class 1A All-State first-team pick had 219 strikeouts in 139 innings, posting a 2.19 ERA, and also slashed .495/.533/.871 with eight home runs and 40 RBIs in her second straight All-State campaign.

Addison Lucht, Milford/Cissna Park, sr., SS

One of the most decorated athletes to ever come through the area, Lucht will look to end her career with a fourth Class 1A All-State first-team recognition in the sport she’ll play at Northwestern. After winning a volleyball state title and basketball regional crown for Cissna Park, Lucht joins the Milford co-op on the diamond and track and field, where she’s a three-time All-State jumper. In softball, Lucht slashed .570/.760/1.263 with an OPS of 2.023, seven home runs, 45 runs and 39 RBIs in 2025.

Sophie Klawitter, Peotone, sr., P

Despite pitching in one of Class 2A’s most lethal conferences, the Illinois Central Eight, Klawitter has become one of the most fearsome pitchers in any conference or class. She twirled four no-hitters last year, two of those perfect games, highlighted by a 20-strikeout, nine-inning one against Lisle. She finished with a 0.94 ERA and a staggering 329 strikeouts in 158⅔ innings to go along with a .353 average of her own with one more season before she departs to pitch for Louisville.

Molly Southall, Wilmington, sr., OF

Another Atlantic Coastal Conference commit out of the ICE, the North Carolina State-bound Southall and her Wilmington teammates have almost everyone back from last year’s 23-win team. As the standout of a lineup full of them, the lefty She slashed .493/.667/1.141 with nine home runs, 47 RBIs, 48 runs and 34 walks last spring.