2016 American Family Insurance Preseason ALL-USA Softball Team

USA TODAY High School Sports is unveiling the American Family Insurance ALL-USA Preseason Softball Team for 2015-16. Players were selected based on high school performance, level of competition and strength of schedule.

The team has five pitchers, two catchers, six infielders, three outfielders and four utility players. There are also five honorable mention selections.

California boasts seven of the 25 selections, led by utility player Madilyn Nickles from Merced (Calif.) – the only prep player to make the 2015 Junior National Team. Other states with multiple selections include New Jersey, Alabama and Pennsylvania.

Note that more than a half-dozen states, including Georgia, Missouri and Oklahoma play high school softball in the fall. These players who’ve already finished their 2015-16 seasons won’t be recognized on this list, but will be included in the year-end ALL-USA Softball Team in June.

Click the photo gallery below to see the 20 players selected.

Position: P School: Pioneer (San Jose) Year: Junior College: UCLA Noteworthy: Azevedo allowed just a single earned run in 177 innings of work as a sophomore, posting a 0.04 ERA and 256 strikeouts. Unfortunately that one run came in the CIF Central Coast Section championship game in a 1-0 loss that dealt Azevedo her only defeat of the season. The UCLA pledge has two seasons to try to avenge that heartbreaker. Photo: Marissa Ramirez

Position: P/1B School: St. Mary’s Catholic Central (Monroe, Mich.) Year: Junior College: Michigan Noteworthy: Beaubien was phenomenal as a sophomore, firing 10 no-hitters and fanning 456 batters to go with a 0.31 ERA en route of a 33-3 final record. She didn’t allow a run in seven postseason games en route to the Division 3 Michigan state title, and she provided all the offense her team would need with a two-run home run in the championship game. Photo: Hockey Weekly Action Photos

Position: P School: Crown Point (Ind.) Year: Senior College: Oregon Noteworthy: Elish’s total of 197 strikeouts as a junior seems paltry until you realize she only pitched 107 innings while splitting time with Alexis Holloway, a superstar in the class of 2018. Elish, meanwhile, is rated the nation’s No. 1 recruit in the Class of 2016 by FloSoftball.com and is the marquee name on Oregon’s top-ranked recruiting class. Photo: Dawn Elish

Position: P School: Mount St. Dominic Academy (Caldwell, N.J.) Year: Junior College: South Carolina Noteworthy: Oh posted a 27-2 record, a 0.25 ERA and 310 strikeouts in 170 innings last spring, leading the Lions to the New Jersey Non-Public A, North semifinals. She notched 20 shutouts and held opponents to a .090 batting average to earn NFCA first-team All-American honors. Photo: Mount St. Dominic Academy

Position: P School: Curry (Jasper, Ala.) Year: Senior College: Auburn Noteworthy: Swindle pitched 285 of 292.2 possible innings for the Yellowjackets in 2015, and she made the most of them by going 43-5 and leading Curry to the Alabama Class 4A state crown. Swindle tallied 327 strikeouts while posting an ERA of 0.22 and holding opponents to a .111 batting average Photo: Trina Swindle

Position: C School: St. Thomas More (Lafayette, La.) Year: Senior College: Alabama Noteworthy: Hemphill blasted nine home runs as a junior while posting an on-base percentage of .758 thanks to 49 walks in 25 games. It’s no wonder pitchers wanted to stay away from Hemphill after she slugged 16 home runs as a sophomore. The Crimson Tide pledge is rated the No. 3 senior in the nation by FloSoftball.com Photo: Geralyn Angelle Thomassee, Spittin Image Photography

Position: C School: Westosha Central (Salem, Wisc.) Year: Senior College: Wisconsin Noteworthy: Konwent set single-season state records for home runs (21) and walks (48) last season to lead Westosha to the Wisconsin Division 1 state crown. She hit .627 and reached base at a .767 clip while knocking in 46 runs to snag the Coaches Association Player of the Year award for a second consecutive season. Photo: George Ciotti, Ciotti Photography

Position: SS School: Ceres (Calif.) Year: Senior College: Washington Noteworthy: Bates was great her first two years at Ceres, collecting 43 hits each season and scoring at least 33 runs per campaign. But she kicked it up a notch last spring, hitting a career-best .518 thanks to an improved hit total of 59. Bates also posted career bests in runs (51), doubles (14) and triples (7). Perhaps most impressive of all, Bates has struck out just 10 times in 329 career plate appearances. Photo: Dale Butler, Ceres Courier

Position: SS School: Orange Lutheran (Orange, Calif.) Year: Senior College: South Carolina Noteworthy: Boesel turned it on in the power department last spring, setting career highs in home runs (8), doubles (13) and RBI (37). A model of consistency throughout her career, Boesel has been an All-Orange County selection the past three years. Photo: Tom Daggett

Position: SS School: Elmore County (Eclectic, Ala.) Year: Senior College: Alabama Noteworthy: Brown has collected back-to-back All-State nods thanks to a combined 120 hits and 111 runs scored as a sophomore and junior. A regional champ in the 100 and 200 meters, Brown has used her speed on the base paths to swipe 140 career bases. Photo: Cory Diaz, The Wetumpka Herald

Position: 1B School: Shasta (Redding, Calif.) Year: Senior College: Oregon Noteworthy: Camuso set a CIF Northern Region record with 16 home runs last season. She also led the region with a .604 average and 61 RBIs. The big hitter earned NFCA first-team All-American honors for her efforts. Photo: Dennis Cahill