Stanton is the fourth Gator in program history to earn the prestigious award.
Stanton Named Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year
Wednesday, June 10, 2026 | Softball
CHICAGO – Freshman Caroline Stanton was named the 2025-26 Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, the organization announced on Tuesday.
The Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation's best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community.
Stanton becomes the fourth Gator to earn the prestigious award and joins teammates Keagan Rothrock (2022) and Ava Brown (2023).
The award was presented to her by her travel ball coach Cat Osterman, who also won the award in 2001, and her high school teammates at Buford High School.
The 6-foot right-handed pitcher from Buford, Ga., enrolled a semester early and joined Florida in January, redshirting her freshman year to give her more time to train in Gainesville.
Stanton, who ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 signing class by Softball America, led the Wolves as a two-way player to a 6A State Championship in November, the third state title of her career.
She holds the Buford single-game strikeout record with 20.
She won a gold medal at the 2025 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 World Cup Finals in Oklahoma City this past October. She tossed 17.0 innings for Team USA, recording 10 strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs for a 0.82 ERA, earning the Best Defensive Player award.
Stanton was also named the MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year and was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Georgia.
13 Florida student-athletes have earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors, led by four selections from softball and four from football.
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The Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation's best high school athletes for their excellence in sport, academics and community.
Stanton becomes the fourth Gator to earn the prestigious award and joins teammates Keagan Rothrock (2022) and Ava Brown (2023).
The award was presented to her by her travel ball coach Cat Osterman, who also won the award in 2001, and her high school teammates at Buford High School.
The 6-foot right-handed pitcher from Buford, Ga., enrolled a semester early and joined Florida in January, redshirting her freshman year to give her more time to train in Gainesville.
Stanton, who ranked as the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 signing class by Softball America, led the Wolves as a two-way player to a 6A State Championship in November, the third state title of her career.
She holds the Buford single-game strikeout record with 20.
She won a gold medal at the 2025 World Baseball Softball Confederation U-18 World Cup Finals in Oklahoma City this past October. She tossed 17.0 innings for Team USA, recording 10 strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs for a 0.82 ERA, earning the Best Defensive Player award.
Stanton was also named the MaxPreps Georgia Player of the Year and was the Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Georgia.
13 Florida student-athletes have earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors, led by four selections from softball and four from football.
FOLLOW THE GATORS
FloridaGators.com
Florida Softball on Twitter
Head Coach Tim Walton on Twitter
Florida Softball on Facebook
Players Mentioned
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