Tag: Ava Brown

Florida softball run ruled by No. 1 Texas at Women’s College World Series

Things started bad for Florida softball on Saturday and only got worse as the night went on. The Gators get another game in Oklahoma City, though.

The top-seeded Texas Longhorns dominated No. 4 Florida, 10-0, in a Women’s College World Series winner’s bracket game Saturday night.

Texas homered three times, scoring five runs in the first and fourth innings. Gators starter [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] lasted just 14 pitches before getting the hook. Whatever film the Longhorns watched had them ready for everything she threw, leading to Rothrock’s eighth loss of the season.

[autotag]Ava Brown[/autotag] kept the Longhorns off the board in the second and third, but things got ugly in the fourth. Mackenzie Wooten failed to record in relief of Brown before Olivia Miller got out of the inning.

Texas starter Mac Morgan had a chance at a shortened no-hitter, but Friday night’s hero, Katie Kistler, notched Florida’s only hit of the day in the top of the fifth. Morgan answered by inducing a ground ball for a double play.

Florida now played No. 14 Alabama on Sunday for a chance to play Oklahoma. the Gators would need to win twice against the Sooners to earn a spot in the College World Series Finals, but it’s one game at a time at this point in the year.

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Florida softball routs South Alabama, advance to NCAA Super Regionals

The Gators have won six straight postseason games and 11 straight overall heading into the Super Regionals.

Florida softball punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals on Sunday with a 9-1 victory in five innings over the South Alabama Jaguars inside Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. It was the second-straight five-inning 9-1 win over USA for the Gators in as many days, following a 6-0 win over the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Friday.

[autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] had three RBI — including a two-run homer in the first inning. The rest of UF’s offensive production came in the third inning when the team combined for seven runs to all but seal the deal.

[autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag], who dominated in the regional’s first two victories, took the start in the circle and tossed two shutout innings before giving way to [autotag]Ava Brown[/autotag] with a 9-0 lead to start the third. Brown did cough up a run but otherwise turned in a dominant performance over three frames.

The victory was UF’s 11th straight overall and six straight in postseason play going back to the Southeastern Conference Tournament. The latter ties the Gators for their sixth-longest streak of the sort in program history.

“Congratulations to South Alabama and obviously the great games they had last night, yesterday and their season,” UF head coach Tim Walton offered in his postgame talk.

“Olivia Lackie obviously had a really, really outstanding career. And thanks to our fans, the fans did a great job coming out supporting us, and now we need you guys again next weekend. So whatever day — Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, whatever it works out to be — looking forward to getting out here and being loud and getting us to the College World Series.”

The Gators next face the Baylor Bears in the NCAA Super Regional held on Florida’s home field in Gainesville. The three-game series starts on Friday, May 24 with first pitch slated for noon ET.

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Florida softball moves on to SEC Tournament semifinal round

The Gators will play the winner of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies matchup later next.

Florida’s softball program advanced to the Southeastern Conference Tournament Semifinals on Friday afternoon with a victory over the Georgia Bulldogs at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Alabama.

The second-seeded Gators (44-12) prevailed, 9-4, quarterfinals over the seventh-seeded ‘Dawgs (39-16) to keep their SEC title hopes alive. The two teams erupted for a combined six home runs, with three coming from three UF’s [autotag]Skylar Wallace[/autotag], [autotag]Jocelyn Erickson[/autotag] and [autotag]Emily Wilkie[/autotag].

SEC Freshman of the Year winner, pitcher [autotag]Keagan Rothrock[/autotag] (24-6), took the ball in the circle to start for Florida and held UGA scoreless for 5 1/3 innings. Back-to-back hits with one out tied the game 2-2, but the Gators came storming back in the next innings.

The Orange and Blue grabbed a 6-2 lead after the fifth inning on a rally that began with a hit-by-pitch and a walk. Wallace drove in her third run of the game with a drive off the left-field wall for an RBI single on a full count, followed by Erickson’s 12th home run of the season over the right-field wall that scored three more for the Gators.

The Bulldogs bounced back to cut into the lead with back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the sixth. But those would be the last runs they could muster.

Florida extended its lead to 9-4 with a three-run frame in the bottom of the sixth inning, and from there as they say, that is all she wrote. Georgia attempted to rally and loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh, but reliever [autotag]Ava Brown[/autotag] settled in and retired the heart of the UGA lineup in order for her second save of the spring.

Florida will play the winner of the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies following the conclusion of the LSU Tigers and Missouri Tigers semifinal game on ESPN2 later on Friday.

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Florida softball commit earns Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year award

Florida softball commit Ava Brown was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year on Tuesday night.

Florida softball commit [autotag]Ava Brown[/autotag], who went undefeated as a pitcher during her prep career, was named the 2022-23 Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year on Tuesday night. Brown is the second softball athlete ever to take home the honor in the award’s 20-year history.

The Gatorade Player of the Year Awards celebrates the next generation of great athletes for their incredible accomplishments on and off the playing field, according to the official press release. Each year, Gatorade brings together its 12 National Players of the Year, the best of the best in high school sports, to recognize their accomplishments and celebrate their bright futures alongside professional athletes and industry tastemakers.

Texas’ returning Gatorade Player of the Year Brown led the Lake Creek Lions to a 44-1 record and second straight Conference 5A state championship this past season, ranked the nation’s No. 3 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball. 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.

Below are additional facts about Brown:

  • Struck out 292 batters while walking just 30 in 172 innings;
  • Concluded her prep softball career with a 81-0 record and 830 strikeouts in the circle;
  • Volunteered with her local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and as a youth softball coach;
  • Brown has maintained a 3.55 GPA in the classroom;
  • Signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Florida this fall.

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Max Clark, Ava Brown win Gatorade Best Player of the Year honors

Clark and Brown both had a ton of competition for their respective honors.

It’s been a pretty good week for Max Clark. In addition to being picked No. 3 overall in the 2023 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers, he’s been named the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year.

He’s coming off a remarkable 2022-23 season, hitting .646 with six home runs, 33 RBI and scoring 45 runs. And his glove work was equally strong, committing only two errors all year.

Off the field, Clark’s effort in the classroom (3.97 GPA) and in his community highlight the type of positive strides that have become synonymous with Gatorade nominees.

On the other side, Lake Creek (Texas) softball star and Florida commit Ava Brown won the Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year.

Brown went 27-0 as a starting pitcher and posted a 0.53 ERA in 2023, closing out her career with an 81-0 record and 830 strikeouts. And she was just as impressive with a bat in her hand, hitting .462 with nine home runs, 17 doubles, 65 RBI and a .888 slugging percentage.

She is the second softball athlete to take home the honor in the award’s 20-year history, and like Clark, her resume off the diamond—from a 3.55 GPA to volunteering with the local chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes—weighed heavily on the honor.

Both Clark and Brown beat out hundreds of thousands of other high school players to win the Baseball and Softball Gatorade awards, and they also had to contend with the other Gatorade Player of the Year winners from different sports nationwide. That list included:

  • Juju Watkins, National Girls Basketball Player of the Year
  • Kennedy Fuller, National Girls Soccer Player of the Year
  • Daniel Simmons, National Boys Cross Country Player of the Year
  • Irene Riggs, National Girls Cross Country Player of the Year
  • Angelina Napoleon, National Girls Track and Field Player of the Year
  • Issam Asinga, National Boys Track and Field Player of the Year
  • Ransford Gyan, National Boys Soccer Player of the Year
  • Harper Murray, National Girls Volleyball Player of the Year
  • Cam Boozer, National Boys Basketball Player of the Year

All 12 nominees headed to Los Angeles for the culmination of a three-day journey that included a trip to the ESPYs as well as a a visit to the First Break Academy, a community tennis program that looks to impact Los Angeles youth.

“Each year, we’re thrilled to bring the 12 Gatorade National Players of the Year to Los Angeles for a truly special, one-of-a-kind experience to celebrate their amazing accomplishments on and off the field,” said Gatorade Portfolio president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo in a statement provided to USA TODAY HSS. “The star-studded event is a glimpse into their undoubtably successful careers and futures as they join previous winners of the prestigious Gatorade Player of the Year award.”

To top it all off, former Gatorade award winners joined the talented athletes:

  • Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics forward and 2015-16 Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year
  • Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Olympic champion, world-record holder and 2016-17 & 2015-16 Gatorade Best Female Player of the Year
  • Sam Mewis, Kansas City Current midfielder and two-time Massachusetts Girls Soccer Player of the Year (2010-2011 & 2009-10)
  • Nneka Ogwumike, Los Angeles Sparks forward and 2007-08 Gatorade National Player of the Year
  • D.K. Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
  • April Ross, Three-time Olympic medalist and 1999-00 Gatorade National Girls Volleyball Player of the Year

Congratulations to all the nominees, and to the winners Max and Ava.

Photos from the night:

Taking home this award is a huge moment in my career. The list of past winners speaks for itself; there are so many legends who have achieved great things on and off the field, so I’m honored to have my name next to theirs. – Max Clark

Winning the Gatorade Best Player of the Year award is so special because it’s a testament to not only my work on the field, but also what I’ve done in the classroom and in my community. Seeing my name on the trophy alongside a list of so many legends means everything to me. – Ava Brown

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Ransford Gyan named 2022-23 Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year

Gyan scored 20 goals and added 14 assists.

St. Benedict’s (NJ) junior middle fielder Ransford Gyan has been named the Gatorade National Boys Soccer Player of the Year for the 2022-23 season.

Gyan scored 20 goals total (including in 16 of his team’s 17 games) and added 14 assists, helping lead the Gray Bees to a 17-0 record and a Non-Public Prep A state championship.

J.R. Eskilson at PrepSoccer.com calls Gyan a brilliant attacker:

“With a dynamic burst and an unreal ability to keep the ball glued to his feet even while surrounded by defenders, he proved nearly uncontainable in leading his team to a perfect season. His humility enabled him to take his game to another level as a junior. A brilliant attacking talent, he’s already staked a claim as one of the most dangerous offensive players in high school soccer in recent memory.”

Off the field, Gyan has volunteered at a local food pantry and worked as a camp counselor and youth soccer coach while earning a 3.64 GPA.

Heading into his senior year, Prep Soccer has Gyan ranked as the No. 12 national prospect in the class of 2024.

Ransford, who is from Ghana, has not seen his family in over a year while competing in the U.S. He was surprised with the news while on a Zoom call with his mother, and his teammates and coaches showed up with the trophy at school.

Watch the full video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/LyWiqiCsM1g?feature=share

More Gatorade Player of the Year winners

Ava Brown wins Gatorade Softball Player of the Year

Max Clark wins Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year

Ava Brown wins 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year

As a pitcher, Brown went 27-0 this past season and posted a ludicrous 0.53 earned run average.

The winner of the 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award is Ava Brown from Lake Creek High School (Texas). Brown was presented with the trophy in a surprise ceremony at her school with friends, family and teammates present.

After Brown led her team to a second-consecutive Conference 5A state championship, Gatorade says she won the honor over half a million other softball players across the nation.

“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.”

As a pitcher, Brown went 27-0 this past season and posted a ludicrous 0.53 earned run average. She also struck out 292 hitters and gave up just 30 walks. Brown also plays first base and does wonders at the plate. In 2022 she hit .462 with nine home runs, 65 RBI and an a .888 slugging percentage. Through her entire high school career, Brown never lost a start as a pitcher, going 81-0 and totaling 830 strikeouts.

In the classroom, Brown posted a 3.55 GPA and she volunteers as a youth softball coach and works with the local Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Extra Inning Softball has Brown ranked third in the 2023 class. She has signed her letter of intent for the Florida Gators.

Watch the full surprise video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/OeeW1Olgg6c?feature=share

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