AVA BROWN Named 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player Of The Year

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Jun 20, 2023, 16:30 ET

MONTGOMERY, Texas, June 20, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- In its 38^th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Ava Brown of Lake Creek High School in Montgomery, Texas is the 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year. Brown won the prestigious award for her accomplishments on and off the field, joining an impressive group of former Gatorade National Softball Players of the Year who have combined for more than 17 gold medals and five National Championships.

Brown was surprised with the trophy by her family, coaches and teammates at school. Check out a video of the announcement here.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes not just for their excellence on the playing surface, but for their commitment in the classroom and impact in their community. Brown beat out nearly half a million other student-athletes who play softball nationwide, topping the list of state winners in softball who collectively boast an incredible list of accomplishments, including 30 with signed National Letters of Intent to play softball at Division I colleges/universities and 27 with a GPA of 4.0 and above.

"Stats can sometimes be misleading, but in Ava Brown's case, they accurately reflect an amazingly accomplished high school career, especially in 2023," said Brentt Eads, president and executive editor of Extra Innings Softball. "Ava led her team to a second straight Class 5 championship, pitching a one-hitter in both title games, and punching out 15 batters in this year's state final. She averaged 1.7 strikeouts per inning as a senior and never lost a high school game against excellent competition in the Lone Star State. She's a hard-thrower who hits her spots and overpowers hitters while mixing speeds and displaying pin-point control. Also a dangerous hitter, she drove in 65 runs and slugged almost .900 this past season, and she elevates her game as the stakes get higher. She's one of the most productive high school players of the past two decades."

The state's returning Gatorade Player of the Year, the 5-foot-7 senior right-handed pitcher and first baseman led the Lions to a 44-1 record and a second straight Conference 5A state championship this past season. Brown compiled a 27-0 record in the circle with a 0.53 ERA, firing a one-hitter with 15 strikeouts in Lake Creek's 8-0 win over Canyon High in the state final. Ranked as the nation's No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball, Brown struck out 292 batters while walking just 30 in 172 innings. At the plate, the 2022 MaxPreps First Team All-American batted .462 with nine home runs, 17 doubles, 65 RBI and a .888 slugging percentage. She concluded her prep softball career with an 81-0 record and 830 strikeouts in the circle.

Brown has volunteered with her local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a youth softball coach.

Brown has maintained a 3.55 in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Florida this fall.

In addition to excellence on and off the field of play, Gatorade Players of the Year also pay it forward for the next generation. As part of Gatorade's Play it Forward initiative, Brown will receive a grant to give to a 501c3 youth sports charity, which includes Gatorade's social impact partners – Athlete Ally, Laureus USA, Move United, Women's Sports Foundation and Up2Us Sports – supporting Gatorade's ambition to fuel the future of sport.

"We are recognizing Ava as the top high school softball player in the nation because of her dedication to excel as an athlete, a student and a leader within her community," said Gatorade Portfolio president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. "This award is about more than just on the field play, and we look forward to seeing what Ava continues to achieve on and off the field."

Each year, a selection committee evaluates the nation's top talent to choose one state winner from each of the 50 states as well as Washington D.C., in 12 different sports: football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, baseball, softball, boys and girls soccer, and boys and girls track & field. In all, 608 athletes are honored each year. From the pool of state winners, one national winner is selected in each of the 12 sports.

To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.

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SOURCE The Gatorade Company