LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Port Chester’s (N.Y.) Tamara Correia, North Penn’s (Pa.) Julia Shearer, Paden City’s (W.Va.) Mckenzie Thomas, Burbank’s (Texas) Sarah Perez and Olympia’s (Wash.) Laila Smith were named 2023 MaxPreps/NFCA National High School Players of the Week. The quintet garnered recognition for games played March 27-April 2.

East Region

Correia went 8-for-11 (.727) at the plate with three doubles, seven RBI and nine runs scored over her first three games of the season. She scored four runs in each of Port Chester’s wins over Mount Vernon. In the season opener, Correia was 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. She followed up two days later, going 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and four RBI. She slugged 1.000 and reached base at a .786 clip.

North Region

Shearer reached base safely in all 11 plate appearances with nine base hits, recorded eight RBI and nine runs scored. She also picked up three complete game wins, including a pair of shutouts with 41 strikeouts over 16 innings of work. Shearer knocked in five runs with a long ball against Central Bucks West and added a double, four runs scored and three RBI versus Owen J. Roberts. In the circle, she blanked both those squads on two hits with 17 and 10 punchouts, respectively. Shearer also surrendered a run on three hits with 14 strikeouts and a walk against Pennridge.

South Region

Thomas batted .818 (9-for-11) with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBI. She scored nine runs, drew three walks, stole five bases and slugged 1.818. In a 14-13 win against Clay-Battelle, Thomas went 4-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and three runs scored. She homered in each of Paden City’s wins  over Trinity Christian, collecting four and six RBI, respectively.

South Central Region

Perez was 7-for-9 (.778) at the plate, recording six extra-base hits, 12 RBI and eight runs scored. She recorded three doubles, a triple and two home runs, contributing to her 2.000 slugging percentage, along with reaching base at an .800 clip. Perez knocked in a season-high eight runs with two doubles a home and three runs scored versus Jefferson. She also hit for the cycle, recording a single, double, triple and round tripper against Edison in which she went 4-for-5 with four RBI and five runs scored.

West Region

Smith was a perfect 10-for-10 at the plate and reached base safely in all 12 plate appearances  leading Olympia to three wins last week. She drove in eight runs, scored five times, registered two doubles, two home runs and slugged 1.800. Smith went 4-for-4 against Bethel and Sumner, recorded a homer and four RBI in the latter matchup. She scored and drove in three runs with a double and long ball versus Bellarmine Prep.

MaxPreps.com, the official high school statistical provider of the NFCA, provides all statistics for the NFCA High School Player of the Week award. To nominate a player for the award, the coach must enter his or her athlete's game stats into MaxPreps.com by Sunday evening to be eligible for that week’s award.

Winners are announced on NFCA.org every Monday during the spring campaign with a player from each of five separate MaxPreps’ high school regions being selected. 

MaxPreps is a free stat tool that is available to high school coaches across the country and is one of the most recognized and respected high school athletics websites on the internet. Coaches who enter their team’s stats on MaxPreps will not only be nominating their players for this award, but they will be getting their team’s information out to thousands of high school sports fans, as well as college coaches across the country.

To obtain a coach’s login, please contact: coachsupport@maxpreps.com or call (800) 329-7324 x1. To enter a team’s stats on the MaxPreps website, please click here.

The NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) is the professional organization for fastpitch softball coaches. Known for its highly-regarded coaches polls and All-America awards, the NFCA also educates and supports softball coaches on a variety of different levels: from podcasts to awards, to in-person events and National Convention. 

Learn more about the NFCA and consider joining our lineup of over 6,700 coaches today! 

MaxPreps/NFCA High School Softball Players of the Week