Incoming LSU Tigers Softball Freshmen Set to Play in Prestigious All-American Game

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Jul 26, 2025 8:00 AM ET

IRVINE, Calif. – Gradie Appling and Rylie Johnson, a pair of incoming LSU softball freshmen, will participate in the 2025 Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) All-American Game at 9 p.m. CT on Saturday, July 26, at Deanna Manning Stadium in Irvine, Calif. The game will air on ESPNU.

The PGF All-American Game has been played since 2016 and features 44 of the nation’s top seniors, as well as 44 of the best sophomores and juniors.

Appling and Johnson, who are part of LSU’s 2025 signing class, will participate in the most prestigious softball high school All-American game in the U. S., as teammates on the East Team.

Appling is a utility player and four-year letterwinner at Tattnall Square Academy, where she helped lead her team to a 2024 Georgia Independent School Association State Championship Title.

Appling is a four-time All-State selection and a two-time Region Player of the Year. She played club for Team North Carolina.

A Tiger duo in Gradie Appling and Rylie Johnson will play in the PGF High School All-American game at 9 pm CT on Saturday, July 26, on ESPNU in Irvine, California!#GeauxTigers pic.twitter.com/AqnPcPdVHH
— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) July 25, 2025

Johnson is an outfielder and three-time conference champion at Fredericksburg Christian High School.

Johnson was named a First Team High School All-American in 2023 by Extra Inning Softball and MaxPreps and was the 2023 Virginia Christian Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Johnson played club for Virginia Unity, where she is a five-time champion, including helping her team win the Atlanta Legacy, Colorado Sparkler, and Triple Crown National Championships in 2023.