YSE File Photo
The Madisonville-North Hopkins Lady Maroons have been missing one of the starters during the opening week of the high school basketball season. Now, don’t worry, it’s not an injury or something else bad, but rather a special opportunity for one of the top Lady Maroon athletes at the school.
Freshman Sadie Kirk has been in Vero Beach, Florida, taking part in USA Softball’s 2025 HPP National Selection Event. The event is a significant, invite-only event for elite youth athletes in USA Softball.
HPP stands for High Performance Program. This event is a crucial part of the program, which serves as a pipeline for selecting players for the U.S. Junior Women’s National Team rosters.
It is a national tryout and evaluation opportunity for top softball athletes who have advanced from regional HPP Identifiers held throughout the year where players showcase their skills in on-field evaluations and scrimmages for the U.S. Junior Women’s National Team Selection Committee.
The ultimate goal for those who participate in the event is to be selected for age-specific Junior Women’s National Team rosters. Over 400 top youth athletes across age groups (including U-13 through U-17) received an invitation to take part.
Last season for the Maroon softball team, Kirk hit .517 with six home runs and 27 RBIs.
In the circle, she was 12-5 with 160 strikeouts.
