Chantelle Bouchard, Biddeford senior, catcher: As versatile a player as there was in the SMAA, Bouchard swept the conference’s Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year awards. She batted .507 with 15 extra-base hits, including four home runs, drove in 33 runs, and didn’t make an error behind the plate. Her long three-run homer in the Class A final iced the championship for the Tigers. She will play next for St. Joseph’s College.
Jaycie Christopher, Skowhegan senior, shortstop: The state’s top female athlete for the 2021-22 school year, Christopher was named Miss Maine Softball after batting .529 with 32 runs, 24 RBI and 14 extra-base hits while leading the River Hawks to the A North final. Christopher, a smooth fielder with a strong arm, finished with a .909 fielding percentage. The Miss Maine Basketball winner will play basketball at Boston University.
Mia Coots, Nokomis sophomore, pitcher: The right-hander was often overpowering en route to being named KVAC B Player of the Year. She guided the Warriors to a 15-2 record, striking out 224 hitters in 114 innings and compiling a 0.43 ERA and .097 batting average against. She struck out 20 in a perfect game against Hermon, and finished the regular season with 75 straight innings without an earned run.
Charlotte Donovan, Biddeford junior, pitcher: The Varsity Maine Player of the Year, Donovan was a spark plug at the top of the lineup, batting .500 and scoring 33 runs, and an ace in the circle, finishing with a 0.89 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 110 innings. She was at her best in the biggest games, and led the Tigers to the Class A title with 14 strikeouts and a home run against Messalonskee.
Brooke Gerry, Windham sophomore, pitcher: The Gatorade Player of the Year, Gerry was fantastic while guiding the Eagles to the top seed in Class A South. The lefty went 16-3 with a 0.82 ERA, struck out 225 in 111 innings, and added a .541 average and .632 on-base percentage from the leadoff spot. She pitched six straight shutouts to end the regular season, and then three more in the playoffs.
Ella Hosford, Bucksport junior, pitcher/second base: The PVC Class C Player of the Year, also an All-State soccer player, was a terrific hitter and pitcher for the Bucks. She batted .549 with a .653 on-base percentage, and scored 24 runs while stealing 17 bases. In the circle, she went 16-2 while striking out 183 in 117 innings and compiling a 0.78 ERA.
Jaydn Kimball, Windham sophomore, catcher/first base: After missing four games recovering from hip surgery, Kimball became the most feared bat in the Eagles’ lineup. She batted .500 with 24 RBI and 10 extra-base hits, five of which were home runs, and she finished with a 1.085 slugging percentage. She helped send the Eagles to the Class A South final with a home run and five RBI in the semifinal against Scarborough.
McKayla Kortes, York sophomore, third base/pitcher: Whether playing the hot corner or in the circle, Kortes seemed to hit everything hard for the Wildcats this season. The WMC Player of the Year batted .583 with 35 runs and 31 RBI and swatted six home runs. When pitching, she was 9-1 with a 1.47 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 66 innings.
Ana Lang, Searsport junior, pitcher: With Lang in the circle, the Vikings were Class D championship material. The PVC D Pitcher and Player of the Year went 13-5 with a 0.71 ERA, and struck out 312 batters in 128 innings. She also batted .526, and in addition to striking out 13, she singled home the winning run in the eighth inning of a 1-0 victory over St. Dominic in the Class D final.
Brooke McKenney, Madison senior, pitcher: The repeat MVC Player of the Year, McKenney, an All-State pick as a junior, returned with an even more dominant senior season. She went 19-2 with a 0.38 ERA and 246 strikeouts in 127 innings, while batters hit only .113 against her. Offensively, she batted .554 with a .615 on-base percentage and 27 RBI. The owner of a 0.48 career ERA, McKenney will head to Kennebec Valley Community College.
Julia Pike, Kennebunk freshman, pitcher: The rookie jumped on the scene and quickly established herself as one of the SMAA’s top pitchers, helping the Rams improve from eight wins to 15. She compiled a 1.32 ERA in the regular season, and struck out 169 batters in 85 innings. She proved adept with the bat as well, batting .408, hitting four home runs and swiping 10 bases in the regular season.
Kelsey Sullivan, Brunswick senior, catcher: Sullivan was one of the state’s top sluggers, hitting 10 home runs with a 1.173 slugging percentage and batting .553 while scoring 30 runs and driving in 30. She was arguably just as good behind the plate, allowing no passed balls and throwing out seven of nine attempted base stealers. She will be playing at Colby College next season.
AJ Swett, Scarborough senior, outfield: The best defensive outfielder in the SMAA, Swett patrolled center field for the Red Storm and was the top vote-getter for all-conference outfield. She batted out of Scarborough’s leadoff spot and hit .462 during the regular season with a .525 on-base percentage, eight extra-base hits and 29 runs scored.
Morgan Wills, Messalonskee junior, pitcher/outfielder: With Wills in the circle, the Eagles made a surprise playoff run and won the Class A North championship despite a losing record. The KVAC A first-team selection had a 2.45 ERA and 222 strikeouts in 103 innings in the regular season, and went 4-0 with a 0.56 ERA in four regional playoff games, allowing only three hits while striking out 56 in 25 innings.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Eddie Pike, Kennebunk: Despite having freshmen make up half his lineup, Pike guided the young Rams to a 15-3 record and the Class A South semifinals, one year after the team went 8-9. Under its third-year coach, Kennebunk won 13 of 14 games before falling in a tight battle to eventual state champion Biddeford.
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