Addison Allaire has spent the last three years accumulating accolades for Trenton softball.
Now the junior has received her biggest yet.
Allaire was named the Gatorade Softball Player of the Year for Florida on June 5 as the best in the state – regardless of classification. She committed to Florida softball before her junior season and becomes only the second Gainesville-area player to take home the honor after Katie Chronstier at Gainesville High in 2016 – a fellow Gator.
Allaire continues an impressive run of Gatorade-honored players with UF connections. Katelynn Oxley was the winner for Florida in 2023. Keagan Rothrock won it in Indiana in 2021-23, and Ava Brown in Texas in 2022-23. Rothrock and Brown went back-to-back for the National Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
Furthermore, Caroline Stanton – a Class of 2026 commit who enrolled at UF early – also was named the Georgia POY on Friday.
For Allaire, the honor caps a remarkable 2026 season. She held an 18-3 record with a 0.81 ERA and 295 strikeouts. Each of those are top 20-efforts in the state. At the plate, she hit .449 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs.
She led the Tigers to their third consecutive state championship and was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Rural Player of the Year for the third year in a row. Miss Softball, given by sportswriters around the state, will be announced next week.
In its news release, Gatorade said it honors those who excel in sports, academics and in their community. It mentioned Allaire’s 4.73 GPA at Trenton, and her community involvement with the Future Farmers of America and as a private pitching coach.
Chris Chronister, Katie’s father and Gainesville High softball coach, said in the release that Allaire holds everything needed to be successful in the circle: great speed, great spin and great control. The Tigers and Hurricanes split their two matchups this season.
“She’s an excellent hitter with great power as well. Trenton has an excellent team, but Addison is clearly the focal point,” Chronister said.
The winner is chosen 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 winners in each sport.”
The National Player of the Year will be announced at a future date.
Noah Ram covers Florida Gators athletics and Gainesville-area high school sports for The Gainesville Sun, GatorSports.com and the USA TODAY Network. Contact him at nram@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Noah_ram1 and on Instagram @Ramreporter.
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida softball commit Addison Allaire named state Gatorade Player of the Year
Reporting by Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun / The Gainesville Sun
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Noah Ram, Gainesville Sun | USA TODAY Network
