UCLA Commit Addisen Fisher Wins Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year Award
In its 39th year of honoring the nation’s most elite high school athletes for excellence on and off the field of play, Gatorade today announced Addisen Fisher of Bend High School in Bend, Ore. is the 2023-24 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year.
Fisher joins 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. Fisher was selected from more than half a million other student-athletes who play high school softball nationwide.
Fisher was surprised with the trophy on the softball field at her school surrounded by her family, coaches and teammates. Afterwards, she received a surprise video call from Olympic silver medalist, University of California Los Angeles alumna and 2014-15 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year Rachel Garcia.
Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on and off the playing surface. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of softball alumni that includes 2-time Olympic medalist Cat Osterman, gold-medal winning Olympian Amanda Freed and 2022-23 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year Ava Brown.
“With such a talented pool of competition, being selected as the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year is a testament to Addisen’s hard work and achievements on and off the field,” said Gatorade president and general manager Michael Del Pozzo. “Addisen’s commitment to excellence in all facets of life is inspiring, and we’re excited to see what’s next for her.”
FISHER IS THE NO.1 RATED PITCHER IN SOFTBALL AMERICA’S 2024 RANKINGS
Gatorade Players of the Year are not only the best of the best in their respective sports, but they’re also leaders in the classroom and in their communities. Fisher has served as a Deschutes National Forest wildland fire prevention volunteer, donated her time on behalf of the Red Cross and has served as an instructor with Bend North Little League. Fisher has maintained a 4.13 weighted GPA in the classroom and has signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball on scholarship at UCLA this fall.
“Addisen is a next-level pitcher,” said Tara Henry, General Manager at Softball America. “She has all the tools to be successful: elite spin, velocity and the ability to change speeds. She is crafty and deceptive and will surely be fun to watch as a Bruin at UCLA.”
As part of Gatorade’s commitment to breaking down barriers in sport, every Player of the Year also receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner. To date, the Gatorade Player of the Year program has provided more than $4.9 million in grants to winners across more than 1,900 organizations.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
