Wednesday, June 19, 2013–Carley Hoover, the 6-foot-2 senior right-handed pitcher from D.W. Daniel High School in Cenral, S.C., has been named as this year’s Gatorade National Player of the Year in fastpitch softball.

Hoover led the Lions (24-4) to the Class 3A state championship this spring and was also the state’s returning Gatorade Softball Player of the Year. She posted a 16-4 record in the circle with a 0.15 ERA and 338 strikeouts in 138 innings this past season.

A four-time All-State selection and the Class 3A Player of the Year, Hoover batted .500 with four home runs and 45 runs scored.

Hoover has signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball on scholarship at Stanford University this fall and was surprised with the news by Stanford alum and Beijing Olympics silver medalist Lauren Lappin.

“It felt great to surprise Carley with the news and invite her into one of the most prestigious legacy programs in high school sports,” said Lappin, a former U.S.National Team elite member.

“Gatorade has been on the sidelines fueling athletic performance for years, so to be recognized by a brand that understands the game and truly helps athletes perform is a huge honor for these kids.”

Here’s a nice video and written piece done by GreenvilleOnline.com about Hoover and the award.

Hoover has maintained a 3.84 GPA in the classroom. Also a volleyball standout, she is president of her senior class and has volunteered locally delivering food to the needy and coaching youth softball players.

“I think she’s the next great pitcher at Stanford,” said Derek Allister of OnDeck Softball. “She’s the kid who can get them to the World Series. She throws gas. She’s one of the few kids legitimately in the upper 60s. I think she’s a great kid and she’s tough, too.”

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the court, distinguishes Hoover as the nation’s best high school softball player according to a national advisory panel comprised of sport-specific experts and sports journalists.

Hoover was chosen from nearly 373,000 high school softball players nationwide and is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.