ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT-ATHLETE NAMED GATORADE CALIFORNIA SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR

(June 7, 2024) — In its 39th year of honoring the nation's most elite high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Kate Munnerlyn of St. Francis High School is the 2023-24 Gatorade California Softball Player of the Year. Munnerlyn is the first Gatorade California Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from St. Francis High School.

The award, which celebrates the nation's top high school athletes for excellence on the field, in the classroom and in the community, distinguishes Munnerlyn as California's best high school softball player. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport, touting an all-star group of alumni that includes Amanda Freed (1997-98, Pacifica High School, Calif.), Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Springs High School, Texas), Rachel Garcia (2014-15 & 2012-13, Highland High School, Calif.) and Ava Brown (2022-23 & 2021-22, Lake Creek High School, Texas).

The 5-foot-7 senior left-handed pitcher led the Lancers to a 28-1 record and the Central Coast Section Open Division Tournament championship this past season. Munnerlyn posted a 15-0 mark in the circle with a 0.52 earned run average, striking out 183 batters while allowing just 41 hits in 107.1 innings pitched. Ranked as the nation's No. 28 recruit in the Class of 2024 by Extra Inning Softball, she hit .356 with six home runs and 35 RBI.

Munnerlyn has volunteered locally at Martha's Kitchen preparing food for the homeless and she has donated her time at the Order of Malta, assembling hygiene kits for people in need. "Kate is clearly the best player on the best team in the state," said Randy Frey, head coach of Los Gatos High School. "She has command of all her pitches. She can throw it by you, but if you gear up for the heat, she mixes in an unbelievable change-up that she can throw for a strike whenever she wants to."

Munnerlyn has maintained a 3.60 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at Texas A&M University 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.

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. Munnerlyn joins recent Gatorade California Softball Players of the Year Ryan Maddox (2022-23, Clovis North High School), Micaela Kastor (2021-22, Oaks Christian School), Sydney Somerndike (2020-21, Villa Park High School) and Tiare Jennings (2019-20, St. Anthony High School), among the state's list of former award winners.

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 studentathletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com or follow us on social media on Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and X(Twitter) at x.com/Gatorade.