Male:

HENRY CURRAN, Senior-Baseball

• Edson Hadlock Award winner (SMAA Outstanding Pitcher)

• SMAA All-Star, first-team

• Senior All-Star

• Maine vs. New Hampshire Senior All-Star

Curran was an ace in every sense of the word and he led the Red Riots to their finest season in a generation, leaving opposing hitters shaking their heads in frustration and inspiring his teammates in the process.

Curran, a dominant lefthander, who was also named South Portland’s Fall Male Athlete of the Year after a strong soccer campaign, started pitching in Little League, but it wasn’t until his freshman year that he really focused on his craft. He made the varsity team as a sophomore and had a 3.94 earned run average. As a junior, Curran was brilliant, going 5-1 with a minuscule 0.21 ERA. He was named to the league’s all-star first-team as a result.

Improving on such a campaign seemed impossible, but Curran was even more valuable during a senior season that ranked right up there with those of many of the stellar arms that South Portland has boasted over the years.

On Opening Day, Curran threw a one-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts to beat Thornton Academy. The next time out, Curran beat Westbrook, 7-2, allowing just three hits and fanning six. Curran earned a save with two perfect innings against Deering, blanked Cheverus on one hit while striking out a mindboggling 19 in a 1-0 victory, allowed two earned runs and fanned 12 to beat Windham, scored three runs in a second win over Thornton Academy, then nearly threw a no-hitter against Portland, allowing just one seventh inning single in a 4-0 win (Curran walked one and struck out 14 and also singled, tripled and scored a run). Curran’s final regular season start resulted in a two-hit 1-0 shutout win over Scarborough. He took a loss in relief against Gorham in the finale, but returned to his dominant ways in the playoffs.

Curran allowed just two earned runs as South Portland rallied to beat Biddeford in extra innings in the quarterfinals. After the Red Riots outlasted preseason favorite Marshwood in a semifinal round thriller, Curran got the ball again for the Western A Final against Portland. He shut the Bulldogs out for the first six innings, then survived a scare in the seventh before earning the 2-1 win behind a four-hitter. He struck out eight. Curran wasn’t available to pitch in the state game and South Portland lost a one-run heartbreaker to Bangor, but that result did little to put a damper on one of the most special seasons in the program’s long and rich history.

“I knew we had a good team and I knew we’d go far,” Curran said. “It was nice to get to the state championship game.”

Curran wound up with a 7-1 record, leading the league in ERA (0.64). He also led the league in strikeouts with 74 against just 13 walks. He surrendered seven earned runs total.

“I love the pressure,” Curran said. “When it’s a close game, the pressure doesn’t affect me.”

Curran also made a mark on offense, scoring nine runs and leading the team with 11 stolen bases.

Curran, who also ran track in high school, is playing American Legion ball this summer. He plans to attend and play baseball at the University of Southern Maine next year.

The 2015 baseball team was a great one for fans of the sport. Many of the most indelible memories came from games pitched by Henry Curran, South Portland’s Spring Male Athlete of the Year, who only got better as the spotlight got brighter.

Coach Mike Owens’ comment: “Henry got us to states. He has a sense of calm and gives that to the whole team. If we got ahead with Henry pitching, it put a ton of pressure on the other team. His command was so good. He’s been amazing the last two years. He’s a luxury to learn back on. He’s at least Western Maine’s best pitcher, if not the state’s. He never ceased to amaze me.”

Previous winners:

2014 Duncan Preston (lacrosse)

2013 Duncan Preston (lacrosse)

2012 Brendan Horton (baseball)

2011 Adrian Reid (track)

2010 Adam Burpee (lacrosse)

2009 Ben Linscott (lacrosse)

2008 Will Furbush (baseball)

2007 Eugene Arsenault (lacrosse)

2006 Thomas McCoubrey (track)

2005 Justin Collett (baseball)

2004 Scott Guillerault (baseball)

2003 Anthony Dambrie (track)

2002 Greg Norton (baseball)

Female:

LAURINE GERMAN, Senior-Softball

• SMAA Offensive Player of the Year

• SMAA Defensive Player of the Year

• SMAA All-Star, first-team, shortstop

• Captain

German was a maestro with the glove and was also one of the toughest outs in the state as her all-around excellence this past season served as an ideal punctuation mark to a stellar high school career.

German grew up in South Portland and started playing T-ball with her brothers. She started softball at the age of 10 and it quickly became her favorite sport. She also competed in soccer, diving, indoor track and volleyball in school, but from freshman year on, she was among the state’s best softball players.

German played second base as a freshman and made an immediate splash, earning first-team all-star mention. She hit .460 as a sophomore and was again named all-conference. After Danica Gleason graduated, German moved to shortstop for her junior year and batted .465 with a team high seven doubles, three home runs and 25 runs scored as she again made the all-star first-team. Producing an appropriate encore this season wasn’t expected to be easy, but German came through with flying colors.

While South Portland’s season began inauspiciously with a 25-0 loss to Scarborough, German was the silver lining with a single and a double. She doubled in a loss to Thornton Academy, then in the Red Riots’ first victory, against Noble, had two hits and scored a run. German had three hits, including two triples, and scored twice in a win over Massabesic, singled, doubled, homered, scored twice and drove in two against Deering, singled and doubled and scored twice in a win over McAuley, had four hits, including a double and a triple, against Cheverus, added three hits, including a triple and a home run, versus Windham, had two hits and scored three runs against Westbrook, had two hits and scored three runs against Biddeford, had two hits and scored twice against Portland and had two hits, a run and an RBI against Bonny Eagle. South Portland was upset by Massabesic in the preliminary round of the playoffs, but German scored once.

For the season, German hit .533 with a .594 on base percentage and an .867 slugging percentage. She had 32 hits, including six doubles, four triples, and two home runs. She drove in 10 runs, scored 26 and didn’t strike out once. German was solid in the field as well, making just five errors, good for a .936 fielding percentage.

At season’s end, German earned the rare distinction of being named both the league’s top offensive player and top defensive player.

German has played ASA softball with the Worcester Hawks throughout high school.

“I like to give 100 percent,” German said. “My parents put a lot of effort into me reaching my goal,”

German will achieve her goal of playing softball in college when she goes to the University of Maine next year.

She’ll likely make a quick impact there as well. Laurine German, South Portland’s Spring Female Athlete of the Year, can do a little of everything on the diamond and the Red Riots won’t soon forget her brilliance.

Coach Alexis Garrison’s comment: “Laurine played every inning of every game with intensity and passion. She constantly strived to play better than the day before, always giving every practice and game her all. She truly stepped up this year, always helping those around her. Whenever she was up to bat, I knew I could expect a hit and if she was on base, I knew there was a good chance she was going to score. Whenever she was in the field, there was no doubt in my mind she was going to give it her all to stop anything that came even close to her and she did. She’s an all-around athlete who embraced every challenge that came her way and I believe that’s what truly made her exceptional.”

Previous winners:

2014 Shannon Conley (track)

2013 Danica Gleason (softball)

2012 Erin Bogdanovich (softball)

2011 Alexis Bogdanovich (softball)

2010 Katlin Norton (softball)

2009 Danielle DiBiase (softball)

2008 Julie DiMatteo (softball)

2007 Christina Aceto (softball)

2006 Kristin Kill (softball)

2005 Krystal Shannon (softball)

2004 Lindsay Coit (lacrosse)

2003 Nichole Cousins (softball)

2002 Morgan O’Donnell (softball)

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net. Follow him on Twitter: @foresports.

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