Oxford Hills’ Kyeria Morse delivers a pitch May 3 against Edward Little at the Gouin Athletic Complex in South Paris. Morse had a standout sophomore season as a pitcher and a hitter, and has been selected as the Sun Journal Softball Player of the Year. Brewster Burns photo

Kyeria Morse’s sophomore season started a little slower, at least for her, than anticipated.

She still was able to follow a phenomenal freshman campaign with a stellar second season, and was at her most brilliant in the biggest games of the season.

“The last two games of the season, against Skowhegan and Cheverus, she commanded the mound,” Oxford Hills coach Cindy Goddard said.

Morse propelled the Vikings to their second consecutive state championship game by pitching a no-hitter against Skowhegan in the Class A North final. She then had a strong outing and kept Oxford Hills within striking distance in a 3-1 loss to Cheverus in the Class A title game.

“She’s one of those kids, when the pressure’s on, I think she likes it more,” Goddard said. “It’s like the more of a challenge it is, the more fun it is for her.”

Morse’s excellence on the mound and at the plate this season make her the 2024 Sun Journal Softball Player of the Year.

She finished the year with 150 strikeouts and went 12-3 with an earned run average of 1.46 this season. At the plate, she led the Vikings in on-base percentage (.552), home runs (three) and RBIs (29), and her .464 batting average ranked second on the team.

After the season, she was named KVAC Class A First Team for the second year in a row.

“Morse is definitely one of the better players (I’ve coached), just all-around — like not only can she do that on the mound, but her throw is incredible, like a gun,” Goddard said. “Being the power hitter that she is, she’s probably one of our best bunts (too). She’s not afraid to put the bunt down.”

‘THIS IS MY SPORT’

Softball is Morse’s only sport, and she dedicates hours to it year-round. Her father even built a softball field in her backyard in Norway, which has allowed her even more time to hone her skills.

“Ever since I was 5, I started playing on minors,” Morse said. “They gave me a shot and I just started to love it, and I was like, ‘This is my sport and I want to play it.’ So I’ve put hard work into it.”

She also has played a lot of travel softball, including for the Mountaineers, who are coached by her mom.

So Morse began her high school career in 2023 ready to contribute. And she has. She’s been Oxford Hills’ top pitcher both of her seasons and has been instrumental to the team winning regional titles and reaching the state championship games both years.

Helping Morse’s acclimation to the Vikings and to high school softball was having her older sister, Kaydence Morse, the 2022 and 2023 Sun Journal Softball Player of the Year, when Kyeria was a freshman.

Oxford Hills’ pitcher Kyeria Morse delivers a pitch during a Class A North quarterfinal against Brewer in Paris on June 6. Brewster Burns photo

She also has the help of other strong pitchers on the team — Goddard said Cameron Mayhan and Maddy Miller “could probably pitch for pretty much any other varsity team.”

Kyeria Morse said the three talk to one another, make sure they’re ready to throw and can help troubleshoot when one is having an off day.

“You have to be there for your people. Like they might seem like they had a good time and stuff, but you also still got to talk that little pep talk,” Morse said. “You don’t know what that does for people, just a little talk and be like, ‘You got this.’ Like, it just raises the bar for them.”

Outside of softball, Morse is an avid deer hunter and doesn’t mind any part of the process — including gutting. She also shows and sells her family’s cows at the Fryeburg and Oxford County fairs.

“I’m going to Oxford Fair this year with my steer,” Morse said. “I went last year, and I stay there all week. I showed him a couple of times and then there’s the judges there that show off your cow, like, how good you set it up.”

Otherwise, she’ll be spending a lot of time working on her pitching and her hitting. Morse said she wants to help Oxford Hills return to the state title game, and win. She also has a goal of playing softball in college.

“Everyone says, ‘You’re blessed, you’re blessed,’” Morse said, “but they don’t see all the hours I put into softball. I mean, my dad built a softball field in my backyard, and I hit about every night.”