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Oshkosh North pitcher, Syd Supple named Gatorade Player of the Year

06/06/2017, 8:45am CDT
By Press Release from Gatorade

CHICAGO (June 5, 2017) — In its 32nd year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, today announced Syd Supple of Oshkosh North High School as its 2016-17 Gatorade Wisconsin Softball Player of the Year.  Supple is the first Gatorade Wisconsin Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Oshkosh North 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 Supple as Wisconsin’s best high school softball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award announced in June, Supple 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-10 sophomore left-handed pitcher and first baseman had led the Spartans to a 23-4 record at the time of her selection. Supple posted a 14-3 mark in the circle with a 1.02 earned run average and 181 strikeouts in 117 innings pitched through 27 games. She was 13-0 with a 0.25 ERA against in-state opponents, averaging nearly two strikeouts per inning. At the plate, Supple owned a .533 batting average with 12 doubles, five home runs, 44 runs scored and an .870 slugging percentage.   

A blogger for FloSoftball.com, Supple has volunteered locally with special-needs students at Oshkosh North High and as a youth softball coach. “Syd is a once-in-a-lifetime player to coach,” said Cindy Suess, head coach of Oshkosh North High. “Syd is the best softball player Wisconsin has ever seen. Her focus and maturity level are far beyond her years. Syd is always locked in and focuses on the task at hand.”   

Supple has maintained a 3.43 GPA in the classroom. She has made a verbal commitment to play softball on scholarship at Northwestern University beginning in the fall of 2019.

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.  The selection process is administered by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which work with top sport-specific experts and a media advisory board of accomplished, veteran prep sports journalists to determine the state winners in each sport.

Supple joins recent Gatorade Wisconsin Softball Players of the Year Kayla Konwent (2015-16 & 2014-15, Westosha Central High School), Abby Klopp (2013-14, Baldwin-Woodville High School), Nicole Newman (2012-13, La Follette High School), Kristen Wood (2011-12, Wilmot Union High School), Lauren Danner (2010-11, Kaukauna High School), McKinzie Freimuth (2009-10, Kaukauna High School), Claudia Harke (2008-09, Kimberly High School), Alyssa Roberts (2007–08, Bradford High School), and Stephanie Schmikla (2006-07, McFarland High School) among the state’s list of former award winners.

As a Gatorade Player of the Year, Syd will be able to select a national or local youth sports organization to receive a grant as part of the Gatorade Play It Forward program. Every Gatorade Player of the Year state winner receives 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.

To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow the conversation on Twitter #GatoradePOY. For more on the Gatorade Player of the Year program, including nomination information, a complete list of past winners and the announcement of the Gatorade National Player of the Year, visit www.gatorade.com/poy.

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