Chantelle Bouchard, Biddeford junior, catcher: Bouchard swept the SMAA awards this year, earning honors as defensive player of the year, offensive player of the year and player of the year. She helped the Tigers to the Class A state title game by hitting a team-high .513 with six home runs, 36 RBI and 20 runs. She had a .976 fielding percentage.
Jaycie Christopher, Skowhegan junior, shortstop: A smooth fielder, Christopher was a big reason the River Hawks won the Class A state title. Batting second in the lineup, she led the team in hits, batting .602 with 10 doubles, one home run, 32 runs, 22 RBI and 21 stolen bases. Christopher has verbally committed to play basketball at Boston University.
Taylor Coombs, Bangor sophomore, center field/shortstop: Coombs was one of the big reasons the Rams advanced to the Class A North finals this year. Batting second, she hit .459 with five doubles, six triples and two home runs, scoring 28 runs and driving in 17. She had 19 stolen bases and was versatile enough to fill in at shortstop for three games.
Anna Cornell, Cape Elizabeth senior, pitcher: The Varsity Maine Player of the Year, Cornell was a dominant pitcher and hitter for the Class B state champion Capers. She went 16-0 with a 0.57 ERA and 152 strikeouts in 86 innings. At the plate she batted a team-high .571 with two home runs and 31 RBI. She will pitch next at Ithaca College.
Charlotte Donovan, Biddeford sophomore, pitcher: One of the fiercest competitors in the SMAA, Donovan was a big reason the Tigers reached the Class A state title game. As a pitcher she went 17-4 with a 2.17 ERA and 151 strikeouts in 132 1/3 innings. At the plate, she batted .500 with six home runs, 38 runs, 32 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
Morgan Fusco, Fryeburg Academy senior, catcher: A three-time unanimous selection as a Western Maine Conference all-star, Fusco helped the Raiders earn the No. 1 seed in Class B South and advance to the regional finals. Fusco batted .620 with seven home runs, 26 RBI and 13 stolen bases. She will next play at Colby College.
Brooke Gerry, Windham freshman, pitcher: Gerry burst onto the scene as the pitcher of the year in the SMAA and it’s easy to see why. The left-hander went 14-3 for the Eagles, who advanced to the regional semifinals, striking out 206 batters in 108 2/3 innings with a 1.55 ERA. At the plate she hit .561 with one home run, a team-high 38 runs and 24 RBI.
Hannah Gosselin, Biddeford junior, second base: One of the outstanding defensive players in the SMAA, Gosselin also came through in clutch situations for the Tigers with key hits. For the season, she batted .429 with 21 RBI and 21 runs. She committed only four errors and had a fielding percentage of .953.
Brooke Martin, Messalonskee senior, catcher: Martin was one of the toughest outs and hardest hitters in the KVAC this season, where she was the Central region player of the year. Martin batted .529 with 10 home runs, six doubles, 34 RBI and 29 runs. She struck out only twice. She will next play at NCAA Division II Caldwell University.
Brooke McKenney, Madison junior, pitcher: McKenney led the Bulldogs to the Class C South title game with her pitching and hitting. She went 19-2 with a 0.52 ERA and an astounding 287 strikeouts in 134 2/3 innings pitched. Teams batted .115 against her. At the plate, she hit .527 with two home runs, 30 runs and 29 RBI.
Abby Miner, Thornton Academy senior, pitcher/first base: A Varsity Maine All-State selection in 2019, this spring Miner helped the Golden Trojans to the Class A South semifinals. She batted .632 with nine home runs and 41 RBI and had an on-base percentage of .716. As a pitcher she went 9-3 with a 2.71 ERA. She will play next at the University of New England.
Cam Neal, Hampden Academy junior, center field: Hitting third in the lineup, Neal batted .528 with seven home runs, 19 RBI and 23 runs. She was an exceptional fielder who covered a lot of ground, making only one error on the season. Neal also threw out two runners at home plate.
Caitlin Noiles, Westbrook junior, pitcher/center field: Noiles was a key reason why the Blazes had their best season in years. Despite missing two weeks with an ankle injury, she won six games as a pitcher and struck out 127 batters in 79 innings. She batted .558 with five home runs, 23 RBI and 22 runs.
Julia Torre, Cape Elizabeth senior, shortstop: Torre had many big hits for the Class B state champion Capers. She batted .485 with 38 runs, 31 RBI, one home run and three stolen bases – and struck out just once all season. In the field, Torre made only one error. She will play volleyball at Trinity College.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Kristen Duross, Cape Elizabeth
Hired in 2020, Duross didn’t get a chance to coach until this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Even then, she never met her players in person until the first preseason practice. She assessed their talents and put together a lineup that was dangerous from the top to the bottom. The Capers were aggressive and continually put pressure on their opponents. “She brought a lot of new energy to our program,” said senior pitcher Anna Cornell. “I think that elevated our level of play.”
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