Who will be the Providence Journal Softball Player of the Week? Vote now to decide

Which softball player was on their game last week?

There were plenty to choose from, making the job of narrowing the list to five as difficult as any. Luckily for us, we don’t have to pick a winner – because we leave that up to you.

Below you can check out the five nominees and make sure you scroll to the poll at the bottom to vote for who you think should be this week’s Providence Journal. Readers can vote as many times as they want – so refresh and vote as many times as you’d like. The poll will be open until Thursday night and we’ll announce the winner on Friday.

So how does one get nominated for player of the week?

It starts with the home team coach reporting scores. Players on teams whose coach does not report home games will not be considered for the week.

Coaches can email final scores and stats – or forward their postgame GameChanger reports – over to the Providence Journal by 10 p.m. the day of games. Not 10:15 p.m. Not 6 a.m. the following day.

From there, we compile the best of the best performances and cut the list down to five. Below are this week’s nominees – and we’ll leave the rest to you.

What does the Providence Journal Player of the Week receive?

Clout. The award is meant to be an interactive way for the state’s softball community to get involved with coverage and the sport. If you want to win, we encourage players, parents, coaches and schools to create social media campaigns to get friends, family, classmates and whoever else to vote, vote and vote some more.

And you can start right now.

Chloe Barber, Ponaganset

The Chieftains’ senior got it done in the circle and in the batters’ box last week. Against West Warwick Barber threw a gem, giving up just two hits while striking out 11 in Ponaganset’s 2-0 win. She followed the performance by going 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI in the Chieftains’ win over Middletown.

Genna D’Amato, Pilgrim

It was a big week for the Patriots and D’Amato came up big in all three of their wins. The second baseman went 2-for-3 with two runs in a 7-1 win over Cranston West, then went 2-for-3 with one run and two RBI in a 3-1 win over previously undefeated Coventry. D’Amato capped her week by going 1-for-2 with two runs in a blowout win over St. Raphael.

Makenna Heon, LNP

The Wildcats had a huge week, picking up two wins and nearly grabbing a third thanks to Heon’s plan. She started her week with a home run in a 4-3 loss to undefeated Westerly and kept swinging a hot bat in a 5-2 win over Johnston, going 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Heon finished the week off going 2-for-4 with two RBI and scoring a run in a 7-2 win over Scituate.

Sage Soares, Coventry

Soares was masterful in the circle last week. In a pitchers’ duel with Moses Brown’s Anna Costello, Soares threw a two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts in a 1-0 win over the Quakers. Soares was equally impressive against Pilgrim, striking out 11 and giving up two unearned runs, taking a hard-luck loss in the 3-1 defeat.

Sophia Valentini, Westerly

The Bulldogs’ senior did it all last week and helped keep the team undefeated. Valentini did her job in the circle in a 4-3 win over LNP, striking out eight and giving up two unearned runs. She also helped her cause at the plate, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Two days later against BNS, Valentini picked up another win in the circle and went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a run.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence Journal Rhode Island High School Softball Player of the Week