CHICAGO (May 30, 2019) — In its 34th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company today announced Bailey Misken of West Springfield High School as its 2018-19 Gatorade Virginia Softball Player of the Year. Misken is the first Gatorade Virginia Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from West Springfield High School.
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Misken as Virginia’s best high school softball player.
Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award to be announced in June, Misken 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.).
The 5-foot-7 senior right-handed pitcher led the Spartans to a 22-1 record and a berth in the Class 6, Region C tournament semifinals at the time of her selection. Misken owned a 22-1 record with a 0.35 ERA through 23 games, fanning 214 batters and issuing just 12 walks in 139.2 innings pitched.
In addition, the 2019 Patriot District Player recorded 11 shutouts, including four no-hitters and a perfect game entering the regional final four, carrying a batting average of .462 with four home runs, 17 runs scored and a .708 slugging percentage.
Misken has volunteered locally at an assisted living facility, and has donated her time as a youth baseball coach and a youth softball umpire.
“To say Bailey is stellar in the circle would be an understatement,” said Bruce Basher, head coach of Lake Braddock High. “She keeps opposing hitters off-balance with an array of pitches, including one of the best change-ups I have seen. She’s also one of the top hitters in our district.”
Misken has maintained a 3.93 GPA in the classroom and has made a verbal commitment to attend Colgate University (New York), where she will play softball, beginning this fall.
The Gatorade Player of the Year program annually recognizes one winner in the District of Columbia and each of the 50 states that sanction high school 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. From the 12 national winners, one male and one female athlete are each named Gatorade High School Athlete of the Year. In all, 607 athletes are honored each year.
Misken joins recent Gatorade Virginia Softball Players of the Year Alex Echazarreta (2017-18, Madison High School), Kathryn Sandercock (2016-17, Bishop O'Connell High School), Sydney Nester (2015-16, Carroll County High School), Maddy Morris (2014-15, Kecoughtan High School) and Ashley Flesch (2013-14, Lake Braddock High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.
As a part of Gatorade’s cause marketing platform “Play it Forward,” Misken also has the opportunity to award a $1,000 grant to a local or national youth sports organization of her choosing. She is also eligible to submit an essay to win one of twelve $10,000 spotlight grants for the organization of choice, which will be announced throughout the year.
Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships, and many have also turned into pillars in their communities, becoming coaches, business owners and educators.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student-athletes, visitwww.Gatorade.com/POY, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GatoradePOY or follow us on Twitter a twww.twitter.com/Gatorade.
