Sterritt Named 2025-26 Gatorade Arkansas Softball Player of the Year
CHICAGO – Arkansas Softball incoming freshman Skylar Sterritt has been named the 2025-26 Gatorade Arkansas Softball Player of the Year, the organization announced Friday morning.
The Gatorade Player of the Year is the top honor in high school sports, celebrating the nation’s best high school athletes for their success on the field, in the classroom, and in the community.
The award distinguishes Sterritt as the best high school softball player in Arkansas. She joins an impressive group of alumni nationally that spans CEOs, coaches, and star athletes such as Cat Osterman (2000-01, Cypress Springs High School, Texas) and Rachel Garcia (2014-15 & 2012-13, Highland High School, Calif.).
The 5-foot-11 senior led the Yellowjackets (20-3) to the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament this past season. Sterritt swiped 54 bases, including six steals of home, to finish her prep career with a state-record 205 stolen bases, breaking the previous record of 187. A Class 5A All-Star, she also batted .613 with 54 runs scored along with 26 RBI, posting a .680 on-base percentage.
In the classroom, Steritt maintained a 4.14 weighted GPA. A member of the National Honor Society, she has volunteered locally, performing various tasks at nursing homes and at her church’s vacation Bible school. She has also donated her time as a youth gymnastics and volleyball coach. “Skylar is one of the best players I’ve seen in 41 years of coaching in Arkansas,” said Roger Rico, head coach at Arkansas High School in Texarkana, Texas. “You don’t get her out; she only gets herself out. She’s also a born leader.”
As a junior, Sterritt registered a .518 batting average, .571 on-base percentage, 1.133 slugging percentage and 1.714 OPS while tallying 43 hits, including eight triples, nine home runs, 43 RBI, 52 runs scored and 65 stolen bases. She batted .558 with 43 hits, 10 home runs, 27 RBI, 51 runs scored and 46 stolen bases as a sophomore, helping lead Sheridan to a 29-2 record and state championship as a sophomore in 2024. As a freshman in 2023, Sterritt hit .473 with 44 hits, including six home runs, 21 RBI, 44 runs scored and 40 stolen bases
Sterritt’s selection marks the fifth consecutive year a Razorback signee has received the honor. Sterritt joins Lillie-Faye McWhorter (Arkansas, 2025), Cam Harrison (Texas, 2024), Payton Burnham (Oregon, 2023), Nikki McGaffin (Colorado, 2022), and Atalyia Rijo (New York, 2022) as Razorback signees to earn the honor in the previous five years. It marked the 22nd time since the program’s inception in 1997 that a Razorback has garnered the award in their respective state.
Each year, the Gatorade Player of the Year program recognizes top athletes in each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia across 12 sports. One national winner is named in each sport. Winners are selected by the Gatorade Player of the Year Selection Committee, which includes coaches, scouts, and media representatives.
In addition to the individual honor, every Gatorade Player of the Year receives a grant to donate to a social impact partner, as part of Gatorade’s mission to remove barriers in youth sports. To date, the program has donated over $5.6 million to more than 2,000 organizations nationwide.
Arkansas finished the 2026 season with a 47-13 record and 15-9 mark in SEC play while making its first trip in program history to the Women’s College World Series. The 2026 Arkansas squad’s 47 victories were the second-most in program history, while the Razorbacks’ 26 run-rule wins were a program record. At Bogle Park, Arkansas posted a 29-3 record, which marked the second-most wins and second-best winning percentage since the stadium opened in 2009, trailing only 31 wins in 2022 and a .931 winning percentage during a 27-2 campaign in 2018.
For schedule updates and other news, go to ArkansasRazorbacks.com, or follow @RazorbackSB on X, Instagram and Facebook.
