West Jefferson’s Brooke Mannon named Gatorade Ohio Softball Player of the Year
In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade Friday announced Brooke Mannon of West Jefferson High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade Ohio Softball Player of the Year.
Mannon is the first Gatorade Ohio Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from West Jefferson 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 Mannon as Ohio’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, Mannon joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Jordyn Bahl (2020-21, Papillion-La Vista High School, Neb.), Megan Faraimo (2017-18, Cathedral Catholic High School, Calif.), Rachel Garcia (2014-15, Highland High School, Calif.) and Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Springs High School, Texas).
The 5-foot-11 senior right-handed pitcher compiled a 19-1 record with a 0.30 earned run average in the circle this past season, leading the Roughriders (19-2) to the Division III regional semifinals. Mannon struck out 259 batters while allowing just 28 hits and 13 walks in 116.2 innings pitched.
Ranked as the nation’s No. 17 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball, she posted a .569 batting average with five home runs, 35 runs scored and a 1.052 slugging percentage.
The vice president of both the West Jefferson High School student council and National Honor Society, Mannon has volunteered locally as a middle school tutor and as a youth softball coach.
“Brooke commands the mound,” said Emily Lindsey, head coach of North Union High School. “She calls her own game and you can tell she is a competitor. She’s a team player. She leads by example; very supportive to her teammates, and you can just feel the love she has for the game.”
Mannon has maintained a 4.0 GPA in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Arizona 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.
Mannon joins recent Gatorade Ohio Softball Players of the Year KK Mathis (2021-22, Lakota West High School), Madi Ogden (2020-21, Williamsburg High School), Allison Smith (2019-20, Champion High School) and Hope Straight (2018-19, Mount Vernon High School), among the state’s list of former award winners.
Being a Gatorade Player of the Year means paying it forward for the next generation. Through Gatorade’s Play it Forward initiative, every Player of the Year receives a grant to give to one of Gatorade’s social impact partners, supporting Gatorade’s ambition to fuel the future of sport. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
For nearly 40 years, Gatorade has honored high school athletes at the top of their game as teammates, supporting their communities and achieving academic success. From CEOs and coaches to star athletes and community leaders, Gatorade Player of the Year winners showcase the power of sport.
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 Facebook at facebook.com/GatoradePOY, Instagram at instagram.com/Gatorade and Twitter at twitter.com/Gatorade.