Lincoln-Way Central’s Bella Dimitrijevic repeats as Illinois Gatorade Softball Player of the Year

For the second consecutive year, the Illinois Gatorade Softball Player of the Year is a pitcher from Lincoln-Way Central. The same pitcher as last year, to be exact.

Senior Bella Dimitrijevic, a Florida State commit, was named Gatorade POY for the second time Tuesday. She made the announcement on X, which was also shared by the FSU softball account.

“It’s an incredible honor to win this award twice,” Dimitrijevic said. “It shows that all of the hard work I’ve put in is paying off, and it means a lot to hit one of my biggest goals. I’m extremely grateful for the support from my teammates and coaches every step of the way.”

The award was more than earned. Dimitrijevic went 23-1 this season with a 0.47 ERA and 349 strikeouts in 164⅔ innings. She averaged 14.5 Ks a game, allowing just 55 hits, 11 earned runs and 29 walks.

While she’ll solely focus on pitching in college, her bat was also quite impressive this year. She finished her final year at the prep level with a batting average of .318 with a team-leading 39 RBIs and seven home runs.

Dimitijevic played on the varsity team for all four years, taking over primary starting pitching duties as a sophomore. She finishes her career with a 0.71 ERA, a record of 69-5, 1,120 strikeouts compared with 189 hits and 54 earned runs allowed. At the plate, she concludes her illustrious career with a .373 batting average, 115 RBIs and 23 home runs.

Now, she heads to Tallahassee to join the Seminoles. FSU went 49-12 this season, including 18-3 in ACC play, finishing runner-up in the conference before advancing to the NCAA super-regionals. In the past 11 years, the Seminoles have made five Women’s College World Series appearances, finishing as national runners-up in 2021 and 2023 while winning the championship in 2018.