Lincoln's Madison Evans wins inaugural Gatorade softball player of the year honor in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS — Sioux Falls Lincoln’s Madison Evans became the inaugural winner of the South Dakota Gatorade softball player of the year award, which was announced on Friday.

Evans, a senior right-handed pitcher, blitzed through the competition throughout the season, which included a 22-0 undefeated record for the Patriots and a second consecutive Class AA championship.

Evans had a 19-0 record in the circle, with an 0.87 earned-run average and a 0.67 WHIP, striking out 217 batters in 97 innings of work. She allowed only four hits and one run with 44 strikeouts in three state tournament games. At the plate, the 5-foot-5 Evans batted. .605 with five home runs, 39 RBIs and 31 runs scored, posing an OPS of 1.775.

“Madison Evans is one of the most dominant softball players in South Dakota history,” Jefferson coach Ed Whiting said. “Her command and ability to paint the plate make her untouchable at times. She can locate multiple pitches, but asserts her dominance with a riseball that seems to defy the laws of physics. Although she is known for her supremacy in the circle, she’s also an outstanding hitter.”

Evans will play college softball at the University of South Dakota. Off the field, she’s member of the National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta national mathematics honor society. Evans has volunteered locally on behalf of the Sioux Falls Marathon, the Special Olympics and as a youth softball mentor and instructor.

It was the first time Gatorade has awarded a softball player of the year in South Dakota, as the state recently completed its second season of sanctioned softball.

Marcus Traxler is the assistant editor and sports editor for the Mitchell Republic. A past winner of the state’s Outstanding Young Journalist award and the 2023 South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year, he’s worked for the newspaper since 2014 and covers a wide variety of topics. A Minnesota native, Traxler can be reached at mtraxler@mitchellrepublic.com.