Due to the forecast for tomorrow, Monday, May 27, we have decided to move the Softball finals scheduled for tomorrow to Tuesday, May 28, at 4 p.m., Martha Avenue Field 1. 

In its 38th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, Gatorade today announced Stefania Abruscato of Hauppauge High School is the 2022-23 Gatorade New York Softball Player of the Year.

Abruscato is the first Gatorade New York Softball Player of the Year to be chosen from Hauppauge 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 Abruscato as New York’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, Abruscato 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-7 senior catcher batted .655 with nine home runs this past season, leading the Eagles (18-6) to the Class A, Section XI championship game. Abruscato scored 39 runs, drew 29 walks and struck out just once. Ranked as the nation’s No. 13 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball and a member of the USA Softball Under-18 National Team, she swiped 15 bases and drove in 42 runs while posting a .769 on-base percentage and a 1.431 slugging percentage.

Abruscato has volunteered locally at the Hauppauge Youth Organization and as a youth softball coach. She has also donated her time to multiple community service initiatives through her church.

“Stefania is a special ballplayer,” said Marie Racano, head coach of Deer Park High School. “She is physically strong and has a unique sense of the game, well above those she plays with and against.”

Abruscato has maintained a weighted A average in the classroom. She has signed a national letter of intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Missouri 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.

Abruscato joins recent Gatorade New York Softball Players of the Year Atalyia Rijo (2021-22, Corning-Painted Post High School), Shannon Becker (2020-21 & 2019-20, Mahopac High School), and Makenzie Stiles (2018-19, Deposit 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 studentathletes, 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.