Every year, new softball players step into the spotlight as a new wave of New Jersey stars emerge. About three weeks into the season, several players have come to the forefront. Many of them are freshmen starting off what promises to be brilliant four-year careers. But others are sophomores and even upper classmen who have bided their time waiting for their opportunity. Below take a look at just a few of New Jersey’s breakthrough softball players in 2025. Leah Alexander, Hammonton, Fr. Coming off a 6-19 season, Hammonton needed a spark and Alexander has helped provide one. The freshman is 14-for-25 with 14 runs scored, 11 RBI and six extra-base hits as the Blue Devils are 7-1, having surpassed last year’s win total already. Alexander has posted five doubles. She started her career going 7-for-8 with five runs scored and eight RBI in her first two games and has six runs scored over her last two outings. Kylie Allmendinger, Passaic Valley, Fr. The Hornets haven’t missed a beat under new coach Mo Altchek has them at 6-0 and firmly atop the Big North Independence division. Leading the way for one of Passaic County’s top offenses is Allmendinger, who paces the club with 11 hits and nine RBI and is thid in runs scored with seven. She’s hitting .500 and has two doubles as well. Joselyn Bermudez, Timber Creek, Fr. One of South Jersey’s impressive freshman pitchers, the right-hander has 57 strikeouts in four starts. She began her career with a 20-strikeout, no-hitter and has fanned at least 15 in three of her four starts. Bermudez carries a 1.56 ERA and also has three hits in 10 at-bats. Kaelyn Brown, DePaul, So. Brown made an immediate impact at Morris Catholic last year, homering twice in her first game against St. John Vianney. But, she transferred the DePaul this year and has taken her game to another level. She’s leading the Spartans with 13 hits, 13 RBI and two homers, with six extra-base hits altogether, while also scoring 11 runs, drawing six walks and stealing four bases. She’s hitting .591 and slugging over 1.000. Bella Byk, Lacey, So. Byk, who did not play for Lacey as a freshman, has put together some big games in the circle as a sophomore, striking out at least 10 batters in all three of her starts, fanning 40 in 21 innings overall while allowing just three earned runs. She is also 5-for-17 with four walks at the plate. Kylie Cannaday, Audubon, Jr. With starting pitcher Alaina Copsetta sidelined in the early going, the Green Wave needed someone to step up. Cannaday has filled the role. In 25 innings pitched she has allowed just eight hits and three earned runs while striking out 30. Cannady is also 4-for-15 at the plate with four runs scored and four RBI. In her first two years, Cannady had one hit and one inning pitched. Leah Catto, Ocean City, Fr. Catto leads the South Jersey Group 3 contender with 20 hits. She is hitting .625 as the Red Raiders’ No. 2 hitter and has scored 14 runs. Six of Catto’s hits have gone for extra bases and she has also drawn six walks. Cailyn Centeno, Delsea, Fr. Centeno has been one of the most impressive all-around players in South Jersey, let alone freshman. Offensively she is hitting .750, going 15-for-20 with plenty of run production - scoring 11 runs and knocking in 16. She has nine extra-base hits, including three home runs. Centeno has arguably been more impressive as a pitcher, having not allowed a run in 16 innings while striking out 37. Abby Cianfrocca, Mount St. Dominic, Fr. Cianfrocca has come in and immediately contributed for the state’s No. 6 ranked team. Her sister, Jillian, was an All-State player for Mount last year but it’s the younger Cianfrocca that’s been the spark this year with 15 hits, 13 RBI two homers and eight extra-base hits already and has scored four runs as well. She’s also emerged as the primary pitcher for the Mount with Ava Kelshaw sidelined and has kept the Lions in all of their games this season. Gemma DeJoseph, Delran, Fr. DeJoseph has joined with senior Elaina Faux to give the Bears a 1-2 punch in the order. The freshman is 18-for-35 with 11 runs scored and 19 RBI. Five of her hits have gone for extra bases. Gianna Gomez, Barnegat, So. Gomez is running away with the state strikeout lead, already fanning 125 batters - and it’s just April 15 coming off a freshman year in which she fanned 16 batters in just 8 2/3 innings. Gomez has seven games of double-digit strikeouts, including 21 in an eight-inning shutout over Lacey. She is also hitting .400 with a pair of home runs. Sarah Graber, Somerville, Jr. After tossing 35.1 innings last year and 2.1 innings as a freshman, Graber has become the full-time starter for the Pioneers and has them off to a 6-0 start where she’s been utterly dominant in 40 innings. She’s conceded just 22 hits and 12 walks for a WHIP well below 1.00 and has 72 strikeouts and a .52 ERA in that span as well. She’s struck out 10-plus batters in every game she’s pitched so far with three games where she notched 14 strikeouts as well. Jules Jackson, Paul VI, Fr. Jackson is hitting a ridiculous .810, going 17-for-21 to start her career. She has 13 runs scored and 10 RBI as Paul VI is off to a 6-0 start. Seven of Jackson’s hits have gone for extra bases, including three home runs, and she has stolen seven bases. As teammate Danielle Audet noted, Jackson is “the total package.” Avital Kandel, Dayton, Fr. Kandel has filled the shoes of Angela Gatto and other key contributors admirably for the defending Union County champions and has emerged as one of the county’s top sluggers in the process. She’s 12-for-22 (.545) with three homers and four doubles plus 13 RBI and nine runs scored as she’s recorded a hit in all but one of Dayton’s games so far. Payton Lewis, Rutherford, So. Lewis was the hero of Rutherford’s North 2, Group 2 section title last year but still hit just .167 (10-for-60) as a rookie. This year in 23 at-bats, she already has nine hits and a team-leading 11 RBI as well as six runs scored, two homers, three walks and a stolen base all while hitting .391. She homered in back-to-back games and has three multi-hit games so far this season. Addison Louderback, Notre Dame, So. The Irish have started what was expected to be a rebuilding year with a 5-0 record and part of their continued success is the emergence of players who had been waiting in the wings. Louderback is 8-for-16 with four runs scored, seven RBI, three doubles and three stolen bases. Last year she was 6-for-26 on the season. She has multiple hits in three straight games. Delaney Mason, Oakcrest, Fr. Mason’s 27 stolen bases trail only teammate Trinty Brown in the state this season and her 24 runs score are one shy of the New Jersey lead behind another Falcon, Chrystal Williams. Mason is also 19-for-28 for a .679 average and has drawn 14 walks. Erin Murphy, Morristown, Fr. The Colonials were the surprise of North Jersey last year when they won North 1, Group 4 as a double digit seed and did so with an All-Group 4 pitcher in Callie Volker. And while replacing her isn’t easy, Murphy has stepped in and has 25 strikeouts and 11 walks in 25 innings of work and she ranks first on the team in hits (11), RBI (six) and stolen bases (four). She’s hitting .917 Victoria Poppert, Steinert, Fr. It’s tough to crack a lineup of a two-time defending state champion which brings just about everybody back but Poppert has managed to do just that. She’s shown why, hitting three home runs in 17 at-bats, scoring seven times and knocking in nine. Ava Scuderi, Triton, Fr. Scuderi started her career with back-to-back shutouts. allowing just three hits without a walk and striking out 30 over 16 innings. Offensively she is hitting .333 with four runs and three RBI. Grace Slack, Delaware Valley, So. The Terriers are 5-0 and firmly atop their division and Slack’s marked year-over-year improvement has been a big factor why. After tossing 26.2 innings with a 7.09 ERA last year, Slack has lowered her ERA to one of the best in the Skyland Conference with a 1.09 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 32 innings this year. She’s also 6-for-12 at the plate with five RBI, a homer and four walks. Jocelyn Sosa, South Plainfield, Jr. Sosa hit .265 last year across a full season of work but is well on pace to surpass her totals from last year for a 5-1 South Plainfield squad. She’s 9-for-20 (.450) with 15 RBI and three homers, both of which are tops for the Tigers. Most impressively, she has six multi-RBI games in a row already to open the season, so she’s emerged as one of the most potent run producers in the GMC. Grailyn Weber Pennsville, So. Weber did not play for Pennsville as a freshman but has been one of the Eagles’ better players as a sophomore. She is 14-for-30 with 13 runs scored and 11 RBI with five extra-base hits and four stolen bases, helping Pennsville to a 7-2 start. Jake Aferiat can be reached at jaferiat@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @Jake_Aferiat. Bill Evans can be reached at bevans@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him at @bybillevans. The N.J. High School Sports newsletter is now appearing in mailboxes 5 days a week. Sign up now! Follow us on social: Facebook | Instagram | X (formerly Twitter)