Vote now for the Week 6 Longplex Athlete of the Week in Softball

Weather was almost the story of the week, but for the most part Mother Nature took a big swing and miss and plenty of terrific softball was played throughout Rhode Island.

With so many games, finding nominees for the Week 6 Longplex Softball Player of the Week wasn’t difficult. Cutting that list down to five proved to be a challenge and picking a winner won’t be easy. The good news for us is we leave the big decision to you, the reader, to cast your vote and tell us who should earn the honor of the Week 6 Longplex Player of the Week.

There’s only one way to vote for Week 6 Longplex Softball Player of the Week and that’s by reading about the nominees below, then casting your vote in the ballot at the bottom of the page. We do not take email submissions.

You can vote as many times as you’d like between now and when the poll closes Friday. The winner will be announced in next week’s Player of the Week poll.

Emma Martin, St. Raphael softball, April 9, 2026

Who was the Week 5 Athlete of the Week?

St. Raphael is picking up steam in the second half of the season and fans recognized the effort of Emma Martin, who earned the title of Longplex Week 5 Softball Player of the Week.

Martin drew over 57 percent of the total vote, running away with the contest from the start. Portsmouth’s Mia Ruggieri had a terrific showing, garnering nearly 25 percent of the vote, but it was still nowhere near Martin’s total.

Congratulations to Martin and the St. Raphael faithful!

Longplex Athlete of the Week logo.

What does the Longplex Athlete of the Week receive?

The prize for Longplex Athlete of the Week is simple – a big bucket of internet clout.

The award is designed to be an interactive way for the state’s most passionate softball communities to show support for their local stars. We want schools, teams and players to create social media campaigns to drive interest and show how much their community cares about the sport and its players.

When a player wins, the community does as well – and that shows us which parts of the state are truly passionate about high school softball.

How does a player get nominated?

The first step is easy – shine on the field and do everything possible to help your team win. It’s not about just one big game during the week either, it’s about consistent performances in every game you play.

The second step is having coaches report results to the Providence Journal. Reporting softball is easy, especially with the majority of the state using the GameChanger app. We need the coach of the home team to forward the GameChanger report – box score and recap – to the Journal at PJSports@ProvidenceJournal.com by 8 p.m. on the day of games.

If a program does not have game changer, we will need the home team coach to email the following information – final score and score by innings; three star hitters from the winning team and one or two star players from the losing team; pitching stats, if someone throws a good game; and any pertinent information we can use to write a recap.

That information can also be sent to PJSports@ProvidenceJournal.com

All this information will be used in our daily High School Scoreboard, where we write about all the games played that day.

So now that you have all the information on the award, check out this week’s nominees and cast your vote for the Longplex Softball Player of the Week award.

Week 6 Nominees for Longplex Athlete of the Week for Softball

Frankie Arnold, Westerly

The Bulldogs went 1-1 last week, but there’s no denying Arnold’s brilliance in the circle. Arnold was dynamic in a 2-1 loss to St. Raphael, allowing four hits and two runs with nine strikeouts in her seven innings of work on top of driving in the long Westerly run. She was even better Saturday against North Kingstown, giving up seven hits and two runs with 11 strikeouts while finishing with two RBI in the 5-2 win over the Skippers.

Maya Etheridge, Barrington softball

Maya Etheridge, Barrington

All Etheridge did last week was turn softballs square. She went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI in a 6-4 win over Kent County, then hit another homer and had two RBI in an 11-11 tie with East Greenwich. She continued to rake up against Portsmouth, going 4-for-7 with seven RBI and three runs in the 17-7 win and closed her week out with another homer in a 12-0 win over Scituate.

May 5, 2026 Chariho vs. La Salle Girls Softball. Winning pitcher Adrianna Jeannenot celebrates her home run as she rounds third base

Adriana Jeannenot, Chariho

There isn’t a more impactful player in the state and Jeannenot keeps proving it every week. The Chargers’ ace bullied La Salle in the circle and at the plate in a 15-5 win, then followed it with four perfect innings in an emergency relief appearance against Moses Brown while driving in four runs. Up against Pilgrim Friday, Jeannenot threw a two-hitter, striking out nine, and drove in one run in the 3-1 victory.

Ella McKenney, Ponaganset Softball

Ella McKenney, Ponaganset

Thanks to McKenney Chieftains got their biggest win of the season and look ready to make a late-season push. Ponaganset took a 7-6 loss to Division I Moses Brown, where McKenney helped out with two RBI. Against D-II leader Johnston, McKenney showed up in a big way, going 2-for-3 with one double, two RBI and two runs in the 5-3 victory.

Izzy Sousa, St. Raphael

Whether it was with her bat or her arm, Sousa’s presence was felt this week. She gave up four hits and two runs with 13 strikeouts and went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs in a 12-2 win over Moses Brown in the Saints’ first game of the week. Sousa played a little shortstop against Bay View and mashed, going 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs. The junior closed the week with a gem, giving up three hits while striking out nine in a 2-1 win over Westerly.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Vote for 2026 Providence Journal Week 6 Softball Player of the Week