Swinging for more, Utah All-State softball event returns to Ogden with 9 local stars
In fourth year at 4th Street Ball Park, D1Prospect's 'All-State Softball Invitational' focused on raising recruiting numbers
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- Syracuse High’s Paizlee Prathan slides into third base during the Utah All-State Softball Invitational on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 4th Street Ball Park in Ogden.
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- Layton High’s Ryleigh Newey scoops up a deep ball during the Utah All-State Softball Invitational on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 4th Street Ball Park in Ogden.
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- Morgan High’s Callie Toone pushes toward third base during the Utah All-State Softball Invitational on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 4th Street Ball Park in Ogden.
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- Syracuse High’s Paizlee Prathan connects with a fair ball during the Utah All-State Softball Invitational on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 4th Street Ball Park in Ogden.
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- A view of the outfield during the Utah All-State Softball Invitational on Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at 4th Street Ball Park in Ogden.
OGDEN — Anymore, high school softball is a year-round sport.
Especially out west, California and Texas are churning out college softball players at wild rates. In 2024, those two states saw 2,000-plus players sign with active Division I rosters, according to data provided by MaxPreps.
Meanwhile, Utah, producing just 40 players that year, edged out neighboring Nevada by three players; Idaho produced 16 players, Montana finished with five and eastern neighbor Wyoming didn’t list a single player on a Division I roster.
The Utah All-State Softball Invitational, returning to Ogden’s 4th Street Ball Park on Wednesday for its fourth-ever event, hosted roughly 100 players from across the Beehive State in an effort to give the state a bump in the college recruiting sphere.
“It’s just a stepping stone of what we’re trying to build in Utah,” Ashley Manusos, the director of college programs for event organizer D1Prospects, told the Standard-Examiner.
Manusos, a former high school ballplayer herself, is passionate about softball, to say the least. Growing up in Chicago, she didn’t have opportunities to play in front of college coaches. She moved to Washington to continue the work of growing her favorite game.
The Illinois native’s latest endeavor as the college programs coordinator for D1Prospects, a high school softball event promoter operating across the Mountain West, continues that mission by promoting Utah’s softball talent, Manusos said.
This year’s event grabbed the top 20 prep athletes in various categories across UHSAA’s six classifications, and assembled eight rosters of 12 or 13 players for a 12-game round-robin at Ogden’s 4th Street complex.
“We just want to make sure kids are represented for their hard work throughout the high school season,” Manusos said. “It’s cool for teams from 1A through 6A to come together, learn from different coaches and each other and represent Utah softball.”
Unlike the Utah All-Star Baseball Games, organized by Ogden City Recreation and held locally since 1944, Ogden’s softball counterpart is just three years old. The All-State softball concept grew from a small tournament to an all-day showcase loaded with stars.
Nine players drawn from Box Elder, Clearfield, Farmington, Fremont, Layton and Morgan participated in this year’s game, down from 13 Northern Utahns at last year’s event.
Paizlee Prathan watched her older sister, former Syracuse standout and All-Area honoree Jazmine Prathan, participate in last year’s All-State event and received an invite of her own this spring. The younger Prathan led the Titans in hitting (.594 BA), slugging (1.021), on-base percentage (.636), stolen bases (41), runs scored (52), hits (57), and triples (12) as a sophomore during a 15-12 overall finish to the 2026 campaign.
“It’s pretty cool to keep that standard in the family,” Prathan said. “This is just so fun because I get to meet so many new girls that I don’t regularly get to know or hang out with. … No stats are being tracked, and it’s a relief because stats are very important for keeping me in line and stuff, so it’s about making the day all about having fun.”
When the prep season turns off, Prathan competes for the Utah Avalanche Fastpitch Softball Club, a competitive traveling team based in Northern Utah.
Avalanche jerseys were a regular sight on Wednesday, but Prathan and her fellow All-Star teammate, Eryn Hamblin, kept Syracuse in mind as they took the field. Together, Hamblin and Prathan boasted two of the best batting averages, combining for .541 at the plate this season, while Hamblin tied freshman Sophia Knight with a team-high 34 RBI.
“It’s an opportunity to represent (Syracuse) and just show Utah girls can do it, too,” Prathan said.
Likewise, Ryleigh Newey of Layton is looking ahead to a “summer full of softball.”
Newey, too, made her All-Stte debut as the lone Layton Lancer representing her school after posting a career-high 21 hits, 19 RBIs, 13 runs, seven doubles, and three home runs as a junior. Wednesday’s game is an opportunity for upcoming seniors, like Newey, to prep for those conversations about softball and the future ahead of them as they chase down potential scholarships.
“It’s a great opportunity to work on the skills of meeting new people and being able to mesh right away with them,” Newey said.
With its latest event, the D1Prospects organizers are digging their heels into Utah this summer with seven Utah events planned through the end of July. More information for high school and fastpitch softball events can be found at d1-prospects.org.
Connect with prep sports reporter Conner Becker via email at cbecker@standard.net, X @ctbecker and Instagram @standardexaminersports.
