In its 33rd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today announced its list of the 2017-18 Softball State Players of the Year.
You can read more on each player by going to the Gatorade state-by-state list of winners.
The Gatorade Player of the Year award was established in 1985 to recognize the nation’s most elite high school student-athletes for their athletic excellence, academic achievement and exemplary character.
Each winner is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award announced in June and every honoree also joins an elite alumni association of past state softball award-winners, including Catherine Osterman (2000-01, Cy Spring High School, Texas), Kelsey Stewart (2009-10, Arkansas City High School, Kan.), Carley Hoover (2012-13 D.W. Daniel High School, S.C.), Jenna Lilley (2012-13, Hoover High School, Ohio), Morgan Zerkle (2012-13 Cabell Midland High School, W. Va.), and Rachel Garcia (2014-15, Highland High School, Calif.).
On Tuesday, the National Player of the Year will be revealed.
Each Gatorade Player of the Year will be also able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program and all state winners receive a $1,000 grant to donate and will have the opportunity to enter for an additional $10,000 spotlight grant by writing a brief essay explaining why their selected organization deserves additional support. 12 spotlight grants – one for each sport – will be announced throughout the year.
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2017-18 Gatorade Softball State Players of the Year
| State | Winner | High School | City | |
| AL | Leanna | Johnson | Brantley HS | Brantley |
| AK | Daisy | Page | East Anchorage HS | Anchorage |
| AZ | Marissa | Schuld | Pinnacle HS | Phoenix |
| AR | Hallie | Wacaser | Bentonville West HS | Centerton |
| CA | Megan | Faraimo | Cathedral Catholic HS | San Diego |
| CO | Ali | Kilponen | Valor Christian HS | Highlands Ranch |
| CT | Becca | Johnson | Seymour HS | Seymour |
| DE | Nicole | Marcon | Caravel Academy | Bear |
| DC | Logan | Robinson | National Cathedral School | Washington |
| FL | Lexi | Kilfoyl | Academy at the Lakes | Land O’Lakes |
| GA | Kelley | Lynch | East Coweta HS | Sharpsburg |
| HI | Mari | Foster | Roosevelt HS | Honolulu |
| ID | Lainey | Lyle | Middleton HS | Middleton |
| IL | Bailey | Dowling | St. Joseph-Ogden HS | St. Joseph |
| IN | Ashley | Prange | New Palestine HS | New Palestine |
| IA | Alexia | Lara | Pleasant Valley HS | Bettendorf |
| KS | Lauren | Mills | Seaman HS | Topeka |
| KY | Montana | Fouts | East Carter HS | Grayson |
| LA | Kennedy | Hebert | Morgan City HS | Morgan City |
| ME | Grace | McGouldrick | Gorham HS | Gorham |
| MD | Campbell | Kline | Severna Park HS | Severna Park |
| MA | Kelly | Nelson | Norton HS | Norton |
| MI | Jenny | Bressler | Plymouth HS | Canton |
| MN | Emily | Hansen | Buffalo HS | Buffalo |
| MS | Aspen | Wesley | Neshoba Central HS | Philadelphia |
| MO | Gabi | Deters | Bowling Green HS | Bowling Green |
| MT | Erin | Hocker | Great Falls HS | Great Falls |
| NE | Courtney | Wallace | Papillion-La Vista HS | Papillion |
| NV | Tatum | Spangler | Coronado HS | Henderson |
| NH | Abby | Rochette | Concord HS | Concord |
| NJ | Victoria | Sebastian | Ramsey HS | Ramsey |
| NM | Kali | Crandall | Artesia HS | Artesia |
| NY | Calista | Phippen | Ichabod Crane HS | Valatie |
| NC | Abby | Settlemyre | Fred T. Foard HS | Newton |
| ND | Jordanne | McNeilly | Dickinson HS | Dickinson |
| OH | Megan | Turner | Champion HS | Warren |
| OK | Olivia | Rains | Pryor HS | Pryor |
| OR | Ariel | Carlson | Marist Catholic HS | Eugene |
| PA | Lexi | Wagner | Seton LaSalle Catholic HS | Mt. Lebanon |
| RI | Ali | Blanchard | Moses Brown School | Providence |
| SC | Karly | Heath | North Augusta HS | North Augusta |
| TN | Ashley | Rogers | Meigs County HS | Decatur |
| TX | Makinzy | Herzog | Ridge Point HS | Missouri City |
| UT | Jordyn | Bate | Spanish Fork HS | Spanish Fork |
| VT | Riley | Magoon | Colchester HS | Colchester |
| VA | Alex | Echazarreta | Madison HS | Vienna |
| WA | Brooke | Nelson | Bonney Lake HS | Bonney Lake |
| WV | Delani | Buckner | Herbert Hoover HS | Elkview |
| WI | Syd | Supple | Oshkosh North HS | Oshkosh |
