Arkansas softball signees Macie Dever Boaz and Katie King have been recognized as the top high school players in their respective states ahead of the 2026 season by MaxPreps, according to an announcement made Thursday.
This is the third straight year that Arkansas has had a signee included on this list. Last year, King’s teammate Ava Hodo from Orange Beach, Alabama, received the preseason honor for her state, while Ava Carter from Greene County Tech High School was selected for Arkansas in 2024. Dever Boaz currently attends Hernando High School in Mississippi, and King is at Orange Beach High School in Alabama.
Dever Boaz holds the No. 1 ranking among catchers in the Extra Innings Softball Extra Elite 100 for the class of 2026. Over her high school career, she has achieved a .534 batting average with 32 home runs, 98 RBIs, 101 stolen bases, and 103 runs scored. She has been named all-state and all-district three times. In her junior year in 2025, she was a finalist for both Mississippi State Softball Player of the Year and Memphis Area Player of the Year, also earning District MVP honors after hitting .521 with 49 hits—10 doubles, seven triples, eight home runs—38 RBIs and scoring 53 runs. That season she helped Hernando reach a 33-4 record and finish as state runner-up; her eight home runs set a new single-season record for Hernando. Earlier in her career at Northpoint Christian School, she hit .590 with 15 homers and stole 40 bases as a sophomore in 2024. Her mother, Carie Dever Boaz, was a three-time All-American at Fresno State from 1988 to 1990 before becoming Arkansas Softball’s first head coach in 1997. Carie led the Razorbacks to two NCAA appearances over eight seasons and was named SEC Coach of the Year in 1999.
Katie King is rated as a four-star recruit by Softball America. She began playing varsity softball at Wayne Christian School in Goldsboro, North Carolina from seventh grade through freshman year before transferring to Orange Beach High School in Alabama in 2024. King led Orange Beach to consecutive state championships and earned all-state recognition in both years since joining. In addition to being named MaxPreps Alabama Player of the Year and earning MaxPreps All-America honors in 2025, she posted a .586 batting average with 85 hits (22 doubles, eight home runs), scored 77 runs and stole 27 bases that season while maintaining a .627 on-base percentage. As a sophomore she batted .482 with notable extra-base hits and contributed significantly to team scoring.
Arkansas will begin its milestone thirtieth season—and eleventh under head coach Courtney Deifel—at the Kickin’ Chicken Classic held February 6-8 in Conway, South Carolina. The Razorbacks open against Virginia at 9:00 a.m., followed by Akron at 11:30 a.m., on February 6. The team finished last season with a record of 44-14 which marked their eighth consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and fourth NCAA Super Regional appearance under Deifel’s leadership.
For more information about schedules or updates regarding Arkansas softball visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com or follow @RazorbackSB on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram or Facebook.
