Olivia Albert, Old Town senior, pitcher/shortstop: The Penobscot Valley Conference Class B player of the year and pitcher of the year, Albert had an outstanding season for the Coyotes. She was 8-3 with a 1.02 ERA and 159 strikeouts in 96 innings. She also hit .645 with 14 doubles, five home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs. She stole 13 bases. Albert will next play at Keene State.

Sydney Ames, Skowhegan senior, pitcher: The KVAC Class A player of the year, Ames helped Skowhegan reach the Class A state championship game. She went 18-1 with a 1.59 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 119 innings. As the lead-off hitter, she batted .439 with 33 runs and 11 RBI. She will next play at Husson University.

Courtney Brochu, Scarborough senior, second base: A flawless fielder, Brochu swung a big bat as the clean-up hitter for the Class A state champs. She batted .478 with 24 RBI, 14 runs and one home run – a grand slam in the state championship game. Her fielding percentage was .985. She will next play at Stonehill College.

Bella Dickinson, Scarborough junior, pitcher/shortstop: Our softball Player of the Year, Dickinson led the Red Storm to their third consecutive Class A state championship. She was 14-0 with a 1.04 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 94 innings. As the lead-off hitter, she batted .463 with 36 RBI and 37 runs, hitting six home runs. She has committed to play at Southern New Hampshire University.

Kenzie Dore, Brewer junior, shortstop: A repeat All-State selection, Dore helped the Witches to their second consecutive Class B state title. She batted .507 with six home runs – including a three-run shot in the state game – with 32 runs and 32 RBI. She committed only four errors on the season and was the KVAC Class B player of the year.

Olivia Howe, Thornton Academy senior, pitcher/utility: The Miss Maine Softball winner, Howe helped the Trojans reach the Class A South title game. As a pitcher, she won 11 games and her only losses were to Scarborough. She batted .655 with 32 RBI and did not strike out all season. She will next play at St. Joseph’s College.

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Chloe Jones, Oceanside senior, pitcher: A repeat All-State selection, Jones finished an outstanding career for the Mariners by going 13-3 with a 1.21 ERA and 201 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. She finished with 687 career strikeouts and will next pitch at Division II American International College. Jones batted .314 this year.

Raegan Kelly, Noble junior, pitcher: A repeat All-State selection, Kelly carried the Knights to the Class A South semifinals. She went 15-3 with a 1.87 ERA and 115 strikeouts in 115 innings. She also batted .507 with eight doubles, two home runs, 18 RBI and 23 runs.

Leine McKechnie, Penobscot Valley junior, pitcher: In helping the Howlers win their second Class D state title in three years, McKechnie went 19-1 with a 1.21 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 116 innings. She has a school-record 714 career strikeouts. She also hit .625 with 12 doubles, three home runs, 44 RBI and 45 runs. She has verbally committed to play at Southern New Hampshire University.

Abby Miner, Thornton Academy sophomore, first base: The only thing that slowed Miner this year was a late-season ankle sprain. She batted .569 with eight home runs and 36 RBI. When she pitched, the lefty was unbeaten with a 6-0 record and one save.

Abby Orso, York junior, pitcher: Orso led the Wildcats to the Class B state championship game. The Gatorade Maine Player of the Year had a 16-3 record with a 1.05 ERA and 200 strikeouts. She batted .600 with 12 home runs, 26 RBI and 41 runs scored. She stole 16 bases and was intentionally walked 15 times. Orso was the Western Maine Conference Class B player of the year.

Grace Rende, South Portland senior, center fielder: Rende switched to the outfield as a junior and became one of the best in the SMAA, earning first-team honors two years in a row. This year, she batted .468 with seven doubles, three triples and one home run, scoring 16 runs and knocking in 12 as the Riots leadoff batter. She will next play at Molloy University, a Division II school in New York.

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Grace Tutt, Massabesic senior, pitcher/shortstop: The SMAA player of the year and defensive player of the year, Tutt helped the Mustangs reach the Class A South quarterfinals. She batted .633 with three home runs, 19 RBI and 27 runs scored. She also had seven doubles and four triples. As a pitcher, she was 4-1. She’ll next play at the University of New England.

Chloe Wilcox, Windham junior, catcher: The SMAA’s offensive player of the year, Wilcox batted .604 with 13 home runs, 32 RBI and 30 runs. She had 17 extra-base hits, walked 18 times and did not strike out in 53 at-bats. Extremely versatile, she was a first-team all-SMAA selection at first base as a sophomore and also played one game at shortstop this year.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Skip Estes, Brewer: The Witches had a blip at the end of the regular season, losing two of their final five games. After the second loss, Estes brought his team together and told the players they needed to keep calm and refocus on what they were doing. And they did. Brewer recovered and won its second consecutive Class B state championship.

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