STANDISH — Alexis Bogdanovich collected one more honor Monday night to finish off a stellar softball career at South Portland High.
Bogdanovich, the talented pitcher/center fielder, was presented the Miss Maine Softball award, given to the state’s outstanding senior player, before the annual underclass all-star game at St. Joseph’s College.
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It gave her a clean sweep of the top individual honors: Gatorade Player of the Year, Maine Sunday Telegram Most Valuable Player and now Miss Maine Softball.
“It’s definitely an accomplishment,” said Bogdanovich, who helped South Portland advance to the Western Class A championship game this year. “I’ve worked really hard and it feels good to get something out of it.”
Bogdanovich was a dominant pitcher over her career, going 41-6 in four years. This year she was 12-1, the lone loss a 1-0 decision to Scarborough in the regional final. She struck out 139 batters in 88 innings and had an ERA of .259. She also batted .571.
Telstar’s Kayla Merrill, who led the Rebels to back-to-back Class C state champions, was the runner-up in the voting done by the Maine Softball Coaches Association.
The other finalists were Mt. Ararat’s Miranda Riendeau-Card and Lawrence’s Jess Poulin.
“Alexis is a great kid,” said Tom Griffin, coach of rival Scarborough. “She’s very competitive. This (award) was well-deserved.
“I think the big thing is that she’s been so consistent the last three or four years. You knew you weren’t going to get much off her. She was just very focused, didn’t make a lot of mistakes. She always showed a lot of poise and a lot of character. She is an absolute great athlete. My hat’s off to her.”
In her last two seasons, Bogdanovich went 26-2, both losses to Scarborough. She struck out 279 batters in 185 innings.
Bogdanovich also received a $500 scholarship from the association, as did Riendeau-Card, who will next play at Trinity College.
“It helps a lot,” she said. “I had no clue that I was getting it but I feel pretty good knowing that my hard work, in school and out of school, with softball, paid off.”
Bogdanovich will play at St. Anselm, a Division II college in Manchester, N.H., next. She is currently pitching for the Southern Maine Flame, which includes many of her high school rivals.
“It’s good to keep playing,” she said. “It takes my mind off what happened this season.”
The Riots won the 2010 state championship and were undefeated in the regular season. They won two playoff games then were beaten by Scarborough.
“It would have been a big accomplishment by my team if we won,” she said. “But this is a nice individual award.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at: mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
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