As the preseason progressed, Messalonskee High School softball coach Leo Bouchard knew he had a good team. A deep run in the Eastern Class A playoffs was possible.
“I knew in my heart of hearts we were a top two or four team,” Bouchard said. “I thought we could be finish first or second in the Heals. To be honest, I thought I was pushing them.”
It turns out, Bouchard pushed the Eagles with the just right amount of force. Messalonskee peaked when it hit the postseason, and the success culminated with a 1-0 win over previously undefeated Scarborough in the Class A state championship game.
“I knew we’d be good, but win states? I wouldn’t have gone that far,” Bouchard said.
For coaching the Messalonskee softball team to its first state championship since 2005, Leo Bouchard is the Morning Sentinel Softball Coach of the Year.
“I’ve been around Coach Bouchard for four years. He’s an awesome guy,” Kristy Prelgovisk, Messalonskee’s senior center fielder, said. “He lets us do our thing. He lets Taylor (Easler, Messalonskee’s catcher) call pitches.”
The Eagles had just two seniors, Prelgovisk and second baseman MollyAn Killingbeck, but the lack of varsity experience didn’t worry Bouchard.
“When they were JV’s, they throttled everybody. I knew what I was getting,” Bouchard said.
The biggest reason Bouchard was confident the Eagles could have a great season was, the team was smart. Messalonskee’s roster was chock full of honor roll students, Bouchard said.
“I’ve had good athletes, but with this group, softball comes first, and it shows,” Bouchard said. “They’re all smart, smart kids, and it shows on the field. They’re thinking ahead five, six moves. It’s fun to watch them play defense.”
In no game was Messalonskee’s softball IQ and game situational awareness on display more than in the Eastern Class A championship game against Bangor. The Eagles threw three Bangor runners out on third base, two by Easler behind the plate and one by second baseman MollyAn Killingbeck after covering first base on a sacrifice bunt. The three out were critical plays in an eight-inning, 3-2 Messalonskee come from behind win.
“(Bouchard) always reminds us to be smart,” Prelgovisk said.
Bouchard said he only made one big lineup change in the regular season, and it worked perfectly. Approximately five games into the season, Bouchard moved shortstop Maddie Chrest to the leadoff spot, and pitcher Kirsten Pelletier moved from leadoff to seventh in the order. Chrest became a sparkplug at the top of Messalonskee’s lineup, and Pelletier, without the pressure that comes from hitting leadoff, became one of the dominant pitchers in the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference.
Messalonskee will return eight starters in 2016, a good base with which to defend its title. When Bouchard thinks about the 2015 team, he’ll think about how it embraced its lofty goals, and won and lost graciously.
“This team took our goals to heart. They measured themselves against their goals,” Bouchard said. “They played the game with respect. These girls have followed that to the letter.”
Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242
Twitter: @TLazarczykMTM
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