RUSSELLVILLE HIGH SCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUT NAMED GATORADE® ARKANSAS SOFTBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR CHICAGO (June 5, 2014) — In its 29th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Andrea Kindrick of Russellville High School as its 2013-14 Gatorade Arkansas Softball Player of the Year. Kindrick is the first Gatorade Arkansas Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Russellville 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 Kindrick as Arkansas’s best high school softball player. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award announced in June, Kindrick joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including Alicia Hollowell (2000-01, Fairfield HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Abby Wambach (1997-98, Our Lady of Mercy, N.Y.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.), Angela Tincher (2002-03, James River HS, Va.) and Kenzie Fowler (2006-07, Canyon del Oro HS, Ariz.). The state’s returning Gatorade State Player of the Year, the 5-foot-9 junior right-handed pitcher posted a 21-3 record in the circle along with a 0.30 ERA this past season, leading the Cyclones (21-4-1) to the Class 6A state semifinals. A 2014 MaxPreps Preseason First Team All-American selection, Kindrick recorded seven no-hitters, striking out 296 batters and walking just 18 in 142 innings pitched. At the plate, the two-time Class 6A First Team All-State honoree batted .604 with seven home runs, 32 RBI and a 1.169 slugging percentage. Kindrick has maintained a weighted 4.06 GPA in the classroom. She has volunteered locally with the Salvation Army and as a supervisor for a citywide youth kickball tournament. She has also donated her time assisting victims of the tornado in Vilonia and as a youth softball coach. “Andrea Kindrick is definitely a game-changer,” said Debbie Clark, head coach of Bryant High. “She is dangerous both in the circle and at the plate. I don’t believe we will see many more like her in the game of softball in Arkansas.” Kindrick has made a verbal commitment to play softball on an athletic scholarship at the University of Alabama in the fall of 2015. 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 high school sports leadership team in partnership with USA TODAY High School Sports, 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. Two-time winner Kindrick joins Gatorade Arkansas Softball Players of the Year Peyton Jenkins (2011-12, Bryant High School), Kimmy Beasley (2010-11, Foreman High School), Shelby Jo Fenter (2009-10, West Memphis), Shelby Wise (2008-09 & 2007-08, Nettleton), and Amanda Summerford (2006–07, Fayetteville) among the state’s list of former award winners. To keep up to date on the latest happenings, become a fan of Gatorade Player of the Year on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. 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 gatorade/poy.
Posted on: Thu, 05 Jun 2014 19:16:33 +0000
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