Cony’s White named Miss Maine Softball

AUGUSTA – The winning pitcher of the Class A state championship game was there. So were quite a few players with scholarships to Division I schools and others who helped their teams earn state titles this high school softball season.

But Cony pitcher Monica White was the only one holding the Miss Maine Softball trophy.

White, who led the Rams to the Class A title game but fell short against Biddeford, was named the winner of the state’s top honor for seniors. The Miss Maine honor, which is awarded annually by the Maine Softball Coaches Association, was announced between the A-B and C-D senior all-star games Thursday at Cony Park.

Players of the Year in each classification and region were also named Thursday. White was the East A Player of the Year. Cathy Sirois of Winslow won the award for Class B; Central of Corinth’s Alyssa Libby, who guided the Red Devils to their second straight EM crown earned Class C honors; and Ashley Nemer of Ashland took the Class D award.

White couldn’t resist crediting her teammates with helping her win the individual award.

“I’m really surprised actually, because I wouldn’t be who I am without the people behind me,” she said, her voice choking with emotion. “My catcher, Shannon Radsky, I’ve been playing with her for a long time. It’s going to be difficult not having her next year and same with all the girls I’ve been playing with for a long time.”

White had a disappointing end to her high school career with a loss to Biddeford in the Class A state final. But that shouldn’t cloud the rest of her season, in which she went 18-2 with 16 shutouts and an average of 13 strikeouts per game. She was stellar in the Eastern Maine playoffs, which included a 1-0 semifinal win over Skowhegan in which White fanned 30 in 17 innings. Oh, and she batted .340.

Winning Maine’s top senior softball honor takes some of the sting out of losing in the state final, White said.

“It would have been nice to win states because I think our team was really good,” she said. “We deserved it and we worked so hard this season, and the way we ended was not an example of how we played all season. But this is a good way to end my high school career, definitely.”

White plans to major in pre-med and will also play basketball at Rivier College, a D-III school in Nashua, N.H.

White pitched off and on during Thursday’s all-star game, taking off innings so that Skowhegan’s Mariah Daigle could also pitch. It was a big change from her regular-season marathons.

“After pitching 17 innings and those long stretches, it was kind of different to play nine,” she said. “But it’s good. I had fun.”

The Players of the Year from Western Maine were Jen Dutremble of Class A state champ Biddeford, Hannah Knight of Wells, Michelle Libby of Western Maine Class C runner-up Sacopee Valley of Hiram, and Desiree Brackett of Class D state runner-up Buckfield.

Bonny Eagle of Standish’s Kelly Johnson, who will attend Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts, earned a $500 scholarship from the coaches’ association.