SOUTH PORTLAND – Mainers are often characterized as being very stoic. If you ever wanted to see that trait personified, all you had to do was watch Alexis Bogdanovich pitch for South Portland High.
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“Nothing ever rattled her,” said Red Riots Coach Ralph Aceto. “She never changed her expression.”
Bogdanovich always looked the same in the pitching circle: peering in at catcher Katlin Norton, concentrating so hard she had a furrowed brow.
Bogdanovich learned at a young age it was not good to display emotions in the pitching circle.
Strike out a batter, act like you’ve done it before. Give up a home run, ask for the ball and get ready to throw again.
“I knew, when college coaches are coming to look at you, they want someone who can stay strong and be tough,” said Bogdanovich. “I can’t show the other team they’ve gotten to me. Once you show that, you’ve already lost the game.”
Bogdanovich didn’t lose many games. Her career record was 41-6. Over her final two seasons, she lost only twice, both times to Scarborough, including a 1-0 decision in the Western Class A final last spring.
That was a difficult one for Bogdanovich to handle — “It was my last season, my last game,” she said — but it did nothing to take away from the season she had. Bogdanovich led the Riots to the No.1 ranking in Western Class A by being a dominant pitcher and hitter.
Because of that, she is also the Maine Sunday Telegram softball MVP.
Bogdanovich was 12-1 this season with an ERA under 0.30. She struck out 139 batters in 88 innings. She also hit .571 with two home runs and 23 RBI.
Nothing Bogdanovich did surprised Aceto, who coached her the last three seasons.
“I knew what I had when I took the job,” said Aceto. “She was one of the better pitchers then and I knew she would eventually develop into one of the premier pitchers.
“It was all her work ethic. She pitches year-round, except for one month that she takes off. And anybody who spends that much time on their craft is bound to get that much better.”
Bogdanovich played varsity soccer for four years. She played basketball until her sophomore year, then gave it up because, well, it wasn’t softball.
“I like softball because I like the excitement of being the pitcher,” she said. “I like being a big part of every game.
“But softball was always the most fun sport for me and I loved the coaches I had. That made it a lot more fun.”
As Bogdanovich developed into a standout, she became a leader for the Riots.
Friends like Norton noticed the change, especially this year. Norton said Bogdanovich matured into a leader, that she didn’t let anything bother her anymore.
Aceto put it another way.
“She was never very vocal, but it was just the way she carried herself,” he said. “Just looking at her, you knew she was a leader. And when she did speak, when she had something to say, it was followed by silence by everyone else, including me.
“Because when she spoke, you knew it was something important.”
Staff Writer Mike Lowe can be contacted at 791-6422 or at:
mlowe@pressherald.com
Twitter: MikeLowePPH
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