Jen Jones, a right-handed pitcher-outfielder for Sanford High School, has been named the 2014-15 Gatorade Maine Softball Player of the Year.
The award recognizes outstanding athletic excellence and high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character on and off the field.
Jones, a 5-foot-8 junior, has led the Spartans to a 13-2 record and a berth in the Class A state tournament that begins Tuesday. She posted a 13-2 record with a 1.43 ERA and 198 strikeouts in 107 innings through 15 games and has struck out at least 10 batters in every game she has pitched this spring.
A first team All-State selection, Jones also has batted .470 with 25 RBIs and a .720 slugging percentage.
Jones has maintained a 90.5 average in the classroom. She has volunteered locally on behalf of the Nasson Community Center and as a youth soccer and volleyball coach.
“Jen Jones is a great leader of her team on and off the field,” Sanford High head coach Mike Bailey said in a news release. “Her softball skills speak for themselves through her stats. She also takes five classes a day out of a four-class-per-day schedule by coming in early to school to further her education. She is an all-around great example of a high school student-athlete.”
Jones, the first softball recipient from Sanford, joins past Maine winners Alyssa Williamson (2013-14, Scarborough), Sonja Morse (2012-13), Julia Geaumont (2011-12, Thornton Academy), Alexis Bogdanovich (2010-11, South Portland), Sam Bedore (2009-10, Bangor), Hannah Hill (2008-09, 2007-08, Fryeburg Academy), and Kelsey Griffin (2006–07, Scarborough).