Florida Signee Ava Brown Named Gatorade National Player of the Year

University of Florida incoming freshman Ava Brown was named the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year. The senior pitcher/first baseman from Lake Creek High School in Montgomery, Texas, was surprised with the trophy on Tuesday by her friends, coaches and teammates at school.

The Gatorade Player of the Year award recognizes athletes for their excellence on the playing field, their commitment in the classroom and their impact in their community. Previous Gatorade National Softball Players of the Year have combined for more than 17 gold medals and five national championships.

Brown beat out nearly half-a-million other players nationwide. She was among a group of state winners that included 30 who have signed to play with NCAA Division I programs and 27 who have a GPA of 4.0 and above. 

Brown, the two-time Texas Gatorade Player of the Year, led the Lake Creek to a 44-1 record and a second straight Conference 5A state championship this past season. The 5-foot-7 right-hander compiled a 27-0 record in the circle with a 0.53 ERA, 292 strikeouts and only 30 walks in 172 innings. At the plate, Brown batted .462 with nine home runs, 17 doubles, 65 RBI and a .888 slugging percentage.

She threw a one-hitter with 15 strikeouts in Lake Creek’s 8-0 win over Canyon High in the state final, and concluded her prep career with an 81-0 record and 830 strikeouts in the circle.

As part of Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, Brown will receive a grant to give to a 501(c)3 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.

It’s the second straight year a Florida commit has earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors. Incoming freshman pitcher Keagan Rothrock was selected last year as a junior at Roncalli High in Indianapolis.

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.

GATORADE STATE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR