BASEBALL'S GRADY EMERSON AND SOCCER'S MADDIE DIMARIA NAMED GATORADE BEST PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
Rhea-AI Summary
Gatorade (NASDAQ:PEP) named baseball standout Grady Emerson and soccer star Maddie DiMaria as its 2025-26 Best Male and Best Female Players of the Year, recognizing them as the nation’s top high school athletes. Former winners Jayson Tatum and Allyson Felix presented the awards live at the 2026 ESPYS in New York City.
According to Gatorade, Emerson, a 6-foot-2 senior shortstop from Fort Worth Christian (TX) and the No. 2 pick in the 2026 MLB Draft, led his team to a state title while batting .508 with 56 RBI and 34 stolen bases. DiMaria, a 5-foot-7 junior from Cor Jesu Academy (MO), led her team to a 25-0 season and state championship with 67 goals and 25 assists, and is a two-time Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year. Both athletes are recognized for athletic performance, academic excellence and extensive community service, underscoring Gatorade’s long-running Player of the Year program and its focus on developing the next generation of athletes.
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News Market Reaction – PEP
In the Jul 16 session, PEP gained 2.98%, reflecting a moderate positive market reaction.
Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.
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Former Gatorade Best Players of the Year Jayson Tatum and Allyson Felix Presented Emerson and DiMaria with the Top Honor in High School Sports at the 2026 ESPYS in
Key Takeaways:
- Gatorade named Grady Emerson (baseball) and Maddie DiMaria (soccer) as the 2025-26 Best Male and Best Female Players of the Year, recognizing them as the nation's top high school athletes.
- The awards were presented live at the 2026 ESPY Awards in
New York City by former winners Jayson Tatum and Allyson Felix. - Emerson, a standout shortstop and #2 MLB Draft pick, and DiMaria, a two-time recipient of the national award, were honored for their athletic achievements, academic excellence, and community impact.
- The announcement capped a multi-day Gatorade Player of the Year Awards experience, underscoring the brand's commitment to elevating the next generation of athletes.
Former Gatorade Best Male and Best Female Players of the Year Jayson Tatum and Allyson Felix presented the honors live on stage at the 2026 ESPY Awards in
Emerson, a standout athlete from Fort Worth Christian High School in
"Gatorade Player of the Year celebrates the nation's most outstanding young athletes who embody excellence both on and off the field," said Jennifer Schmit, Sr. Director, Gatorade Brand Marketing. "This year's winners are no exception – they represent the next generation of leaders who will pave the future of sport. We're proud to recognize their incredible accomplishments and support them as they reach the next level in their careers. Grady and Maddie are more than ready to carry this legacy forward and continue inspiring athletes everywhere to pursue greatness."
The Gatorade Best Players of the Year announcement follows an exclusive, multi-day experience in
This experience serves as a culmination of the Gatorade Player of the Year program, which celebrates and champions student-athletes across the country through opportunities only Gatorade can offer because of its 61-year legacy in sport culture, product superiority and expertise in hydration science, including ongoing support from the Gatorade Sports Science Institute (GSSI) so they can perform and recover at their best.
2025-26 GATORADE BEST PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Grady Emerson: The 6-foot-2 senior shortstop led the Cardinals to the Texas Association of Private & Parochial Schools Division II state championship this season, with a 33-7-1 record. Emerson batted .508 with 56 RBI and eight home runs with 61 runs scored, contributed on the base paths with 34 stolen bases and posted an OPS of 1.549 and an ISO power percentage of .407. Emerson's lone error in 147 total chances at shortstop netted him with a 99.3 fielding percentage.
Below are additional facts about Emerson:
- Emerson is ranked as the nation's No. 1 prospect in his class by Perfect Game and was the No. 2 overall selection in the 2026 MLB Draft.
- He has volunteered at The North Texas Food Bank and Mission Arlington. He has also donated his time by organizing and leading youth baseball training sessions and defensive coaching camps. In association with his parents' company, Always Family Senior Home Care, he delivers home care services throughout the holiday season.
- Emerson has maintained an A average in the classroom.
Maddie DiMaria: The 5-foot-7 junior led the Chargers to a 25-0 record and the Class 4 state championship this past season, scoring 67 goals and passing for 25 assists, while netting a hat trick as Cor Jesu beat St. Teresa's Academy, 5-0, in the state championship game. She is a two-time Gatorade National Girls Soccer Player of the Year, three-time Gatorade Missouri Girls Soccer Player of the Year and two-time United Soccer Coaches All-American selection.
Below are additional facts about DiMaria:
- DiMaria is ranked as the nation's No. 1 recruit in her class by PrepSoccer and TopDrawerSoccer.
- DiMaria has volunteered on behalf of Christian Action Reaching Everyone, the Special Needs Soccer Association, the St. Louis Foodbank and the Arnold Food Pantry. Additionally, DiMaria is a member of her school's Green Team Club, dedicated to raising environmental awareness, and has served as a Cor Jesu Academy Shadow Guide for prospective students. She also donates her time to Cor Jesu Academy youth basketball and soccer camps.
- DiMaria has maintained a 4.24 weighted GPA in the classroom.
To learn more about the Gatorade Player of the Year program, check out past winners or to nominate student athletes, visit playeroftheyear.gatorade.com.
About The Gatorade Portfolio
The Gatorade Portfolio, a division of PepsiCo (NASDAQ: PEP), is a connected performance and wellness ecosystem built to fuel all athletes and exercisers. Bringing together Gatorade, Propel, Evolve and Muscle Milk, the Gatorade Portfolio is the most complete offering in the category today, with a broad range of personalized solutions at every stage of the active person's journey. This integrated system of brands is built on Gatorade's 61-year history of studying athletes and is fueling the future of athletic performance and wellness by delivering solutions across hydration, protein, energy and all-day nutrition to fuel consumers, no matter how or why they sweat. For more information and a full list of product offerings, please visit www.gatorade.com.
About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated nearly
Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with pep+ (PepsiCo Positive). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability and human capital at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com, and follow on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn @PepsiCo.
Contact: GatoradePOYQuestions@Fleishman.com
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SOURCE The Gatorade Company