Mekae Hyde and Kayla Merrill enjoyed outstanding springs. Summer hasn’t gotten off to a bad start, either.

Hyde, of Lewiston High School, and Merrill, of Telstar Regional High School, have been recognized among the best in their respective sports with the announcement of finalists for Mr. Maine Baseball and Miss Maine Softball on Tuesday.

Hyde, a four-year starter at Lewiston, was named the Player of the Year in the KVAC South this year.

He hit .438 with 3 HR, 23 RBI and 18 runs scored during the regular season for Lewiston. One of the outstanding defensive catchers in the state, he led the Blue Devils to the best record in Class A, 15-1, and their first KVAC championship.

He scored the winning run in the bottom of the seventh of the Eastern Class A championship game against Bangor, giving the Blue Devils their first berth in a state title game since 1950.

Cheverus defeated Lewiston, 9-1, last Saturday for the state championship.

Hyde plans to attend Bates College and continue his baseball career there.

The other finalists are Sam Balzano of Deering, Kyle Bishop of Waterville, Scott Heath of Westbrook, Matt McDowell of Falmouth and Brandon Reilly of Lincoln Academy.

The Mr. Maine Baseball Award, also known as the John Winkin Award, will be presented Friday during the Maine Senior All-Star Game in Orono.

Merrill finished her career with a 50-2 record, back-to-back Class C championships and three straight regional titles.

Merrill has been a four-year starter for the Rebels and was an all-conference pick four straight years.

She was the Player of the Year in the MVC the last two years. She went 19-1 with a 0.16 ERA this season while striking out 179. She only walked 10 in 129 innings. Merrill also was one of Telstar’s top hitters with a .426 average, 15 RBI and 31 runs.

Overall, Merrill struck out 462 and walked 36 in 352 career innings. She had a career ERA of 0.45. She batted .407 and drove in 51 runs and scored 90 in 241 at-bats.

She’ll attend Husson next year to study nursing.

The Miss Maine Softball Award will be presented Thursday at Cony High School during the Senior All-Star Games.

Staff writer Kevin Mills contributed to this report.