CHICAGO (June 9, 2025) — In its 40th year of honoring the nation’s most elite High Achool athletes, Gatorade today announced Kaylee Hodges of Matoaca High School is the 2024-25 Gatorade Virginia Softball Player of the Year.

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 the field, in the classroom and in the community.

The award distinguishes Hodges as Virginia's best High School softball player, and she joins an impressive group of alumni that spans CEOs, coaches and star athletes such Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Springs High School, Texas), Rachel Garcia (2014-15 & 2012-13, Highland High School, Calif.), Ava Brown (2022-23, Lake Creek High School, Texas) and Addisen Fisher (2023-24, Bend High School, Oregon).

At the time of her selection, the 5-foot-9 sophomore right-handed pitcher and first baseman had led the Warriors to an 18-3 record and a berth in the Class 5, Region C tournament semifinals. Hodges compiled a 13-3 record in the circle with a 0.07 earned run average and 244 strikeouts in 102 innings pitched through 20 games. She allowed just 22 hits and seven walks, firing six no-hitters, including a perfect game.

Ranked as the nation’s No. 3 pitcher in the Class of 2027 by Extra Inning Softball, she entered the regional postseason round of four with a .500 batting average to go with 20 RBI, 10 doubles and a .810 slugging percentage.

A member of her school’s chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Hodges was the manager for the Matoaca High School football team last fall. She has volunteered locally as a peer tutor and as a youth softball coach.

“Kaylee Hodges is a generational talent,” said Jerry Perkinson, Head Coach of Dinwiddie High School. “She is a fierce competitor and game-changer. In the circle, she comes right at you with tremendous velocity. She also has great command of all her pitches and spins it very well.”

In the classroom, Hodges has maintained a 4.50 weighted GPA. She will begin her junior year of High School this fall.

The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states across 12 different High School sports – football, girls volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, baseball, softball, and boys and girls track & field – and awards one National Player of the Year in each sport.

The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which leverages experts including coaches, scouts, media and others as sources to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.

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 $5.6 million in grants to winners across more than 2,000 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 or follow us on social media on Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade, Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY and X (Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade. ***