Gabriel repeats as Ohio Player of the Year

For the second year in a row, Poland Seminary High School junior Erin Gabriel has been chosen by the Gatorade Company as its Ohio Softball Player of the Year.

Gabriel is the first player ever in the state of Ohio to receive this prestigious award for a second consecutive season. 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.

The junior right-handed pitcher led the Bulldogs (25-2) to their first Division II state title, posting a 16-1 record and a 0.70 ERA along with 233 strikeouts in 110 innings pitched.

At the plate, she owned a .571 batting average and a 1.051 slugging percentage along with eight home runs and 45 RBI.

Gabriel has verbally committed to play softball on a scholarship at the University of Tennessee beginning in the fall of 2012.

She is also a member of the USA Junior National Team which will compete in South Africa this upcoming December.

Gabriel has maintained a 4.0 GPA and is ranked first in her class. She is a member of her school’s French Club and Science Club, and has volunteered locally on behalf of the National Honor Society and the Mahoning County Board of Developmental Disabilities.