Here are 24 freshmen making an impact on their Rockford-area high school softball team

There always seems to be a freshman or two that rises to the occasion and steps up in varsity softball action around the Rockford area — sometimes even more than one or two.

Well, this year, there is a lot more than one or two. In fact, there are a couple of teams around that are relying heavily on freshmen.

And while there are most likely even more out there, we've built up a list of 24 freshmen that are definitely already making an impact with their team. In some cases, their team would not be nearly as good as it is without them.

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"It's kind of insane how many freshmen we have up, but they deserve to be here," Rochelle head coach Deanna Jacobs said. "But they're all kind of learning as a group, and we're just getting better and better and better as we go."

Rochelle, which was 4-6 headed into a three-games-in-three-days stretch starting Wednesday, has started as many as six freshmen this season. And the Hubs are not alone. Hononegah and Stillman Valley, each one of the favorites in the NIC-10 and Big Northern Conference, respectively, start three freshmen at a time, and all six are off to solid starts to their careers.

North Boone and Winnebago, two more BNC powers that could nab the title this year, have two freshmen each that play a ton.

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"When you have weapons like that," North Boone head coach Tim Fleming said, "you have to play them."

So let's take a look at the two dozen star freshmen already on the rise in the Rockford area softball scene, starting with the teams that have the most:

Dylan Etes, Rochelle 2B, OF

Etes played in all of Rochelle's first 10 games this year, and she has started to show some flashes. She's "super fast," according to Coach Jacobs, and her defense in the middle of the field has come up big for the Hubs already this year.

Emma Heller, Rochelle P, OF

This is one of Rochelle's top pitchers, who also plays first base and outfield, and she smacked a double in the first week of the season, and has added a couple of RBIs last week as she gets warmed up.

Jacklynn Lira, Rochelle IF

Lira plays third and second for the Hubs' infield, and she's one of those hard workers that never stops working on her craft, according to Jacobs.

Phelisity Lopez, Rochelle OF, C

Lopez has played a bunch of outfield and some catcher for the Hubs, and she's scored four runs for Rochelle so far, and will be setting the table for awhile.

Briel Metzger, Rochelle 1B, OF

Metzger started in the outfield, but she's been so solid at first base that she's been spending more and more time there. She's another freshman who has played in every game so far.

Camryn Metzger, Rochelle utility

This Metzger, Briel's cousin, is what Jacobs called "the golden retriever of softball: if you hit a ball, she'll go get it anywhere on the field." She's all over the place, and has been strong in centerfield already.

Irelyn O'Brian, Hononegah P, OF

O'Brien is in the rotation in the circle, and she is giving Hononegah head coach Dennis McKinney quality at-bats on a consistent basis as well. In fact, all three of Hononegah's standout freshmen are.

"We're as young as you can be, and we've really needed these freshmen to step up for us. And they have," McKinney said. "And we're going to need them to continue to get better and continue having an impact, too."

Kaelyn Kelly, Hononegah middle IF

Kelly has played a lot of shortstop and second base this season, and she quickly proved she had the glove to be on varsity. Her bat has come around already this season as well.

Mackenzie Haas, Hononegah utility

Haas can start or come in off the bench, which she has done multiple times successfully as a freshman. All three of the Hononegah freshmen are having an impact early on.

Mackenzi Shere, Stillman Valley P

Shere has played a bunch at both JV and varsity in the first half of this season, but she clearly knows what she's doing. She struck out 36 of the first 47 batters she faced at the lower level, and is transitioning well to varsity already for the Cardinals.

"We've been fortunate to have some young talent come up through the ranks," Stillman Valley head coach Shawn Byers said. "And this year, we have even a little bit more than usual. Our team chemistry has been strong though, and they've all fit in nicely."

Mylee Hulstedt, Stillman Valley C

Hulstedt is not starting at catcher, but that's only because of a talented junior in Brooklyn Lee. Hulstedt has caught on the back end of doubleheaders, though, and she has even been a pinch-hit option at the varsity level.

Sydney Musial, Stillman Valley SS

This Cardinal freshman took over the starting nod at shortstop midway through the first half of the season, and she will be there for a long time. She is alledgedly the great granddaughter of the late-great Stan Musial.

Marlee Alderman, North Boone 1B

Alderman, former North Boone QB Chandler Alderman's little sister, was hitting .302 to start this week with 12 runs score and seven RBIs. She's also stepped right in and has been a standout at first base after All-Stater Kamryn Spohr graduated.

Hayden Staver, North Boone OF

Staver has started every game this season for North Boone, which kicked off this week at 10-2 and 4-0 in the BNC. She was hitting .387 with nine RBIs and four doubles while hitting from the top of the order for the Vikings.

"She hits at the top of the order, either one or two, for us, but she has a lot of pop, too," North Boone head coach Tim Fleming said. "She does it all."

Grace Corl, Winnebago SS

Corl can play short or second base, and she has a lot this season already. She was batting .450 to start the week and has started almost every game so far. She just hit her first home run over the fence ever on Monday as Winnebago rose to 5-5 with a 12-0 win over Byron.

Vanessa Warkentien, Winnebago IF, OF

Warkentien has played most of Winnebago's games either at rightfield or second base and she was hitting .357 after Monday's game.

Ava Morris, Belvidere North P

Morris was thrust into the No. 1 pitchers' role after the Blue Thunder's former ace, junior Alexa Norgard, tore her ACL during the basketball season and is out for the season. Morris has been sharp in the circle, and was also hitting .600 after the team's first 11 games.

Addison Smith, Jefferson P

Another freshman pitcher stepping up at the varsity level this year is Smith, and she helped spark the J-Hawks to a 4-4 record through the first half of the season. Smith, who had 11 strikeouts in the first game she pitched in for Jefferson, was hitting .348 with five RBIs at the start of this week.

Maddy Kiley, Boylan 2B, CF

Kiley has been starting for the Titans all season, and she has been a constant at second base and centerfield. She leads the team in hits, RBIs and stolen bases and was hitting .364 with seven RBIs and eight stolen bases to kickstart this week.

"Maddy is speedy, she can turn outs into base hits, and she is smart on the bases," Boylan head coach Melissa Hybarger said. " and leads the team in hits, RBIs, stolen bases. She is versatile and able to play both infield and outfield depending on the lineup.

Kyleigh Kamholtz, Belvidere P

Kamholtz has taken over the top spot in the circle for the Bucs, and she is showing promise, despite the fact that Belvidere was winless around the midway point of the season.

A.J. Howarth, Dakota P

This freshman at Dakota has been a workhorse in the circle and she has been solid at middle infield when there as well. Dakota was 7-0 headed into this week, with two of those wins kicking off NUIC play, and Howarth was hitting just over .300 from the No. 2 spot.

Brooke Halverson, Oregon P

This Oregon freshman has been on a tear, and recently struck out 18 in nine innings of work in a doubleheader split with Lena-Winslow. She has appeared in 11 games for the Hawks and is 2-1 with three saves, has an ERA of 3.29 and has struck out 41 batters.

Sydney Schwartz, Auburn utility

Schwartz is working her way into the Auburn lineup these days, and she hasn't gotten a ton of work in yet. But Auburn head coach Jessica Palos sounds anxious to see what she's got.

"We're very excited about having her in our program," Palos said of Schultz. "She has a lot of drive, energy, and is incredibly coachable."

Jaidra Poe, Byron SS

While Byron is struggling on the softball diamond, with just one win in the first half of the season, Poe has been a bright spot and has taken over at shortstop, as just a freshman.

"She's very talented on defense and at the plate," Byron head coach Brad Miller said, "and there is just a ton of potential there."

Jay Taft is a Rockford Register Star sports reporter. Email him at jtaft@rrstar.com and follow him on Twitter at @JayTaft. Sign up for the Rockford High School newsletter at rrstar.com. Jay has covered a wide variety of sports, from the Chicago Bears to youth sports, since the turn of the century at the Register Star, and for over 30 years altogether.

This article originally appeared on Rockford Register Star: 24 Rockford-area softball stars who are already making an impact