2025 softball recruits.

[OU_Tom]

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THE FINAL PITCH: SOPHIA BORDI

Uncommitted 2025 RHP Sophia Bordi recently talked to Dugout Chatter about OC Batbusters-Stith, Haddon Heights High, winning an 18U Alliance national championship, throwing a no-hitter in the AFCS national championship series, Athletics Mercado, playing an competing against older players, future college and Sept. 1, sports occupation, chemistry, Kobe Bryant, “The Hate U Give,” Drake, “Criminal Minds,” “Purple Hearts” and baking.

THE FINAL PITCH Q&A


Sophia Bordi of Haddon Heights High. Photo courtesy of Sophia Bordi.
Name: Sophia Bordi

Hometown: Merchantville, NJ

High School: Haddon Heights High

Club Team: OC Batbusters 18U-Stith

Graduation Year: 2025

Height: 5-foot-8

Position: RHP

Nickname: Bordi (just my last name). It first started in first-year 10U. My coach would just call me Bordi and it caught on fast and soon everyone would say it.

Twitter/Instagram: @bordisophia/@Sophia.bordi

Honors: Alliance National Championship Most Oustanding Player; Gatorade State Player of the Year in New Jersey; 1st Team All-State; All-South Jersey Pitcher of the Year; and NJ.com Female Athlete of the Year finalist.

Travel Ball Fall Stats: Pitching — 59 IP, 92 Ks, 2.37 ERA; Batting — .385 AVG, 6 HRs, 24 RBIs.

Travel Ball Summer Stats: Pitching — 64 IP, 67 Ks, 1.52 ERA; Batting — .333 AVG, 12 HRs, 34 RBIs.

High School Stats: Pitching — 121 IP, 274 Ks, 0.40 ERA, 4 perfect games; Hitting — .333 AVG, 10 HRs.

Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? I play for the Batbusters, a strong organization out of Orange County. I first found this team after I played against them in the Clearwater tournament and I was super impressed and knew that was the type of team I wanted to play for. I then was able to join the team the following fall season and knew it was the right place.


Tell us about your high school team and how you did? I’ve gotten very lucky these past years in high school ball getting to play for a great coach and having a great team to play with. We all have a strong bond and the same end goals. This past year as a team we accomplished a lot. We also won our second state title in a row and I was able to help out by throwing four perfect games in the playoffs!

Can you talk about OC Batbusters-Stith’s run to the Alliance national title? Our run to the title was definitely one to remember!! We had a lot of games leading up to the series where the energy was unmatched! There were also times where some girls came up in big moments like Izzy Mertes, Kai Minor and Ella Parker. The championship series games we got challenged with a tough Aces’ team with a strong pitcher. Although we faced some challenges, we made adjustments and came out on top!

Can you give us some insights about your no-hitter in the AFCS national championship series? Did you know you had a no-hitter? Are you superstitious? I’m proud of how I threw that game! I was able to use my pitches to throw the batters off and strike them out or just force a pop up or groundball. Up until around the 6th inning I had no clue I was throwing a no-hitter until someone had mentioned it and although I was excited, I couldn’t let that get in the way and I had to finish strong. My superstition is every time I play I wear an evoshield shirt under my jersey. I have been doing it every game since 12U.

The rest of interview is here

https://dugoutchatter.net/2023/08/15/th ... lectables/

[OUBeliever56A]

https://www.si.com/college/oklahoma/sof ... tball-star

[OU_Tom]

Commit #2 for 2025

[OU_Tom]

Commit #3 for 2025

[OU_Tom]

[OU_Tom]

[OU_Tom]

EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: LEXI MCDANIEL

MIF Lexi McDaniel, #5 in the 2025 Extra Elite 100, recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Aces Fastpitch Club, HitTrax and Blast Motion, Alliance Nationals, Scenic City, many tough opponents, future college, pre-med, pre-law or business, Tom Brady, “The Lion King,” “All American” and juggling.

EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A


Lexi McDaniel of Aces Fastpitch Club.
Name: Lexi McDaniel

Hometown: St. Joseph, MO

High School: St. Joseph Christian High

Club Team: Aces Fastpitch Club 18U National

Graduation Year: 2025

Height: 5-foot-8

Position: SS/2B

Nickname: Flex

Twitter: @LexiMcDaniel2

Honors: #5 in the 2025 Extra Elite 100; #2 MIF in the Class of 2025; All-Summer Team by Extra Inning Softball (2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022); and High Honor Roll Freshman and Sophomore.

Travel Ball Stats: Summer — .464 AVG, 248 plate appearances, .548 OBP and 20 HRs; Fall —.508 AVG, 70 plate appearances, .557 OBP, 1.000 SLG, 29 RBIs and 7 HRs.

Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? My travel organization (Aces Fastpitch) is an amazing organization. I was 11 (years old) when I first started on the 14U team. Throughout all six years, the organization helped shape me into the player and person I am today. I have played for both Ryan (Taylor) and Taylor (Taylor) and have enjoyed every moment. My teammates and Aces alumni are extremely great players and I learn from them every day. I have made great friendships with the people on my team and love being around them. The Aces display a very welcoming, caring and competitive organization and I couldn’t be more grateful to be a part of it.

Do you have any suggestions for training methods or apps and why? Ryan Taylor has been my hitting coach for a long time. He focuses on many aspects of my swings and can break it down thoroughly. He uses many reliable sources that help me improve. The Aces practices are very detailed. Our alumni consistently state their college practices are very similar to the Aces.

My top suggestion for hitting training apps would be HitTrax. I really enjoy using this when I hit because it is very visual and realistic in my hitting. It gives a multitude of different stats and opportunities to improve my game. Hittrax also gives me a visual of where my ball may have gone, along with exit velocity, swing path, replay of my swing and much more.

I also have used Blast Motion and benefited from that. The three main focus points are plane, connection and rotation. This training device gives feedback on my swing pattern and what areas I could improve on.

Can you tell us about your experience at Alliance Nationals this past summer? Alliance Nationals is always the best time. When my team arrived, we went to the opening day players’ experience, where we were treated very well. I had the opportunity to participate in the Home Run Derby and truly enjoyed every second of it. I was able to play one game at Alliance, but then became notified that I had lost my grandmother, therefore I was unable to finish the tournament. My coaches and teammates were very supportive during this difficult time and finished the tournament well.

What was your favorite fall tournament/event and why? My favorite fall tournament was the Scenic City Top 25 in Dalton, GA. This was our team trip where we all traveled together that weekend. We collectively played well and made it to the semifinals. The tournament was also filled with good competition, which was fun.

Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? The Aces are a part of the Alliance, which is filled with many good teams. Also, Ryan and Tayor always put us in tournaments that will better prepare us and better improve, so we play many tough opponents, making it hard to pick just one.

What are you looking for in a future college? The things that I am looking for in a college is student-athlete support, player development and chance to be in the postseason. I would like to attend a place that makes me a better player and person. I would love to attend a college that has top notch facilities. Lastly, I would enjoy a college with a strong softball fan support. It would be super neat to consistently play in front of a full crowd.

What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? I am interested in a few different occupations. I am still trying to decipher exactly what I would like to do, but as of right now I am interested in pre-med, pre-law or business. All of these majors can lead to many opportunities.

Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero is Tom Brady. I have always watched him and admire his desire for the game. He is a super competitive person who pushes to be the greatest version of himself that he can be. His grit and determination leads him to be a great player, which I desire to be.

What’s the best hype song and why? The best hype song is “In the Jungle the Mighty Jungle” from “The Lion King.” Although this does not sound like a hype song, my team always listens to this before our games. We have a special dance that we do to this song, along with singing every word.

What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? My favorite TV show to binge watch is “All American.” It tells the story of a young athlete’s life from his own perspective.

Do you have a secret talent/skill? My secret talent is that I can surprisingly juggle well.

[OU_Tom]

[OU_Tom]

[cclift38]

https://www.youtube.com/live/LNY1npIrx4 ... tqC_7eaF_E

Kendall Wells interview.

[OU_Tom]

[1KCSoonerFan]

I am over the moon with these recruits in the 2025 Class! Each of them bring a variety of offensive and defensive skills that will only sharpen in the forge of Sooner culture and coaching into the future.

This group can fill that important center part of the field for defense all on their own:

Pitcher: Bordi
Catcher: Wells
2nd Base: Parker or McDaniel
SS: McDaniel or Parker
CF: Minor
* Parker is ranked as a Top Ten MIF player - much higher than her pitching rank; though ranked in the #20's for pitching is not shabby at all!

And all of them can hit, run, steal, and score with speed. (Not sure about Bordi's speed tbh...but she can rake.)

I remember when I started following OUSB in earnest around 2018/19. I've loved reading about and researching each class since. I would get a rush seeing the rare-air talent the team was bringing in on a regular basis. Several recruits always seemed to be ranked #1-5 at their position, if not #1 overall. All had Championship pedigrees.

This 2025 Class is elite. The rankings will reflect that fact. The Sooners are set up for the future in a very good way!

Rankings aren't everything, and the manner in which the rankings are created may be arbitrary or even self-serving. I get that. I think high rankings reflect something very positive about a player, and that there is a consensus among those who follow the sport professionally who agree. Stats, trophies, accolades/awards speak plainly.

These ladies have all of the above.

OUSB is in a sweet spot between recruiting and the portal...and OUSB is elite in both areas.

Just amazing!

[cclift38]

[cclift38]

[TropicalSooner]

Nice Article from EIS--really good read:

https://extrainningsoftball.com/oklahom ... kai-minor/

[OUBeliever56A]

With the commitments [Edit: not signings] of Sophia Bordi, Kendall Wells, Allyssa Parker, Lexi McDoniel and Kai Minor, the Oklahoma Sooners are pulling the cream off of the proverbial milk bucket. these players will sign their NLI in November of 2024 when they are Seniors. Here are the rankings I have logged for these players in 2022 and 2023.

In 2023 here were the rankings for EIS and SA:

McDaniel = 4th Player to commit to the Sooners: #1 Player and MIF by EIS - #14 Player, #3 MIF by SA
Bordi = 1st Player to commit to the Sooners: #3 Player, #1 Pitcher by EIS - #3 Pitcher/Player by SA
Wells = 2nd Player to commit to the Sooners: #4 Player, #1 C/3B by EIS - #12 Player, #2 C/3B by SA
Minor = 5th Player to commit to the Sooners: #9 Player, #2 OF by EIS - #23 Player, #5 OF by SA
A Parker = 3rd Player to commit to the Sooners: #23 Player, #8 Pitcher/#4 MIF by EIS - #25 Player, #5 MIF/#9 Pitcher by SA

In 2022 here were the rankings for EIS and SA (Remember there are ties for most rankings by EIS in 2022.):

Wells = Top 9 Player, #3 C/3B by EIS - #16 Player, #2 C/3B by SA
Minor = Top 14 Player, #4 OF by EIS - #13 Player, #3 OF by SA
Bordi = Top 19 Player, #8 Pitcher by EIS - #8 Player, #6 Pitcher by SA
McDaniel = Top 19 Player, #3 MIF by EIS - #14 Player, #2 MIF by SA
A Parker = Top 34 Player, #11 Pitcher, #5 MIF by EIS - Not in the Top 25 which is all that SA ranked in 2025.

Boomer Sooner!