2019 MaxPreps National High School Softball Player of the Year: Sydney Supple

By tom mauldin Jun 24, 2019, 5:00pm

Oshkosh North senior went 29-0 in the circle, hit .538, led Spartans to unbeaten state title and No. 5 national finish.

Video: Sydney Supple - National Softball Player of the Year
Oshkosh North senior went 29-0 to lead Spartans to state title and No. 5 ranking.

Few, if any, can match Sydney Supple's softball resume. The Oshkosh North (Oshkosh, Wis.) left-hander's resume reads like a storybook.

She's a four-time MaxPreps All-American, three-time state softball Gatorade Player of the Year honoree, four-time All-State recipient and the state large school Player of the Year. She owns a national club championship with her Beverly Bandits squad and led her school to its first Wisconsin softball title, unbeaten year and Top 5 national rankings.

And now, Supple adds the 2019 MaxPreps National High School Softball Player of the Year to her trophy case.



Headed to Northwestern on a softball and academic scholarship, Supple had a magical senior season for the Spartans. She was 29-0 with a 0.75 ERA with 298 strikeouts and 12 walks in 167 innings. She tossed 15 shutouts — in 13 straight appearances she didn't allow a walk and also threw four no-hitters.

At the plate, Supple hit .538 with 12 home runs, 13 doubles and 49 RBI. She drew 26 base on balls and score 53 runs. She had an RBI in 25 games and scored in 27, knocking a base hit in all but three contests as her on-base percentage was .623 with a 1.140 slugging percentage.

The Spartans were 31-0, finished No. 5 in the MaxPreps rankings and No. 8 in the MaxPreps Computer Rankings, the highest from a Wisconsin team.

"This has been a storybook filled with great moments, highs and lows," said Supple, who was 84-9 in high school. "The ending was perfect. Everything that happened is what makes me the person I am today. I wouldn't change a thing."
Graphic by Ryan Escobar
And for all the accolades on the diamond, the daughter of Syd and Heidi Supple is perhaps equally accomplished in the classroom.

Sydney Supple was the graduation commencement speaker and is headed to Northwestern to study journalism. Additionally, after receiving a $1,000 for winning her first Gatorade honor, she used that as seed money to create a fund-raising drive that surpassed $100,000 in an effort to create a first-class softball park in her hometown.

"Being raised in Oshkosh I knew the struggle it was to find an open quality softball field to practice on, and I was fortunate my father built me my own pitching mound in my back yard but that's not the case for everyone and I wanted to give them the same opportunity I had," Supple said.

Ground has been broken and a first-pitch ceremony is slated for the fall.



"My drive for making this field possible was thinking of all the next generations of ball players coming through Oshkosh," she said. "I wanted to leave a legacy more than just stats and a state title, but a representation that you are capable of doing anything you put your mind to. This field will be free of locks and open to anyone and everyone who is looking to play and dream big."

And now Supple's big dreams shift to Northwestern and the Big 10.

"Northwestern missed the Big 10 by one game this year. The goal is to be part of the first (Big 10) one, then make it to the College World Series and finally to be part of the team that wins it all," said Supple.

Heavily recruited by college powers Oregon and Michigan, Supple said it "was always Northwestern. I visited it 15 times before committing."

Supple, who said she hopes to hit and pitch for the Wildcats, is inspired by UCLA junior Rachel Garcia.

"She shows you can excel as both a position player and a hitter," said Supple.



Prior to this season, North had not reached the state final four, so there's no reason to believe her addition to the Wildcats lineup might be the force that propels them to new heights.

"There are so many people who have sacrificed so much to get me where I am today," said Supple. "The long car rides, the travel, the before and after practice extra workouts. I owe them.

"Winning state was the perfect ending … a storybook ending."

And now it's time to write more chapters.

Past MaxPreps National Softball Player of the Year winners
2018 — Montana Fouts, East Carter (Grayson, Ky.)
2017 — Taylor Dockins, Norco (Calif.)
2016 — Caroline Hedgcock, Downers Grove South (Downers Grove, Ill.)
2015 — Tannon Snow, Chino Hills (Calif.)
2014 — Johanna Grauer, Amador Valley (Pleasanton, Calif.)
2013 — Casey Stangel, Lake City (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho)
2012 — Kenzie Conrad, Keystone (La Grange, Ohio)
2011 — Paige McDuffee, The Woodlands (Texas)
2010 — Kasey Fagan, Dunnellon (Fla.)