Hermon High School junior catcher Hailey Perry, who helped lead the Hawks to an undefeated regular season and the top seed in Class B North, has verbally committed to attend the University of Maine.
Perry, who will be on a partial scholarship, hit .604 during the regular season and led the Hawks in RBIs with 37. She was also tied for the team lead in homers with four.
She struck out just four times in 68 plate appearances.
“I’m pretty pumped,” said the 16-year-old Perry.
Perry admitted that she had originally wanted to go to college out of state.
“But I found a school that had the program I wanted [engineering], I get to play a sport I want to play, I get to play for coaches I want to be around and I get to stay close to home. It’s awesome,” said Perry. “My parents will be able to watch me play.”
She said she is excited to join a program under coach Mike Coutts that won the America East championship and earned an NCAA tournament appearance this past spring. And she observed that the team had good chemistry.
She credited her youth league coach, Aaron Oakes, and former UMaine baseball standout Nick Caiazzo, her coach with the Portland-based Maine Thunder, for playing pivotal roles in her development.
“Aaron Oakes got me into softball and Nick Caiazzo has been a great coach who has helped me grow as a player. He has taught me a lot about the mental part of the game,” Perry said.
Perry has played for the Thunder for several years, commuting to Portland on Sundays and playing in tournaments across the east coast during the summer.
“She is definitely the best catcher in our league,” said Old Town coach Jenn Plourde. “She can throw from her knees. As a hitter, she’s scary. She has quick hands and moves her entire body through the ball. She is such a good hitter.”
Foxcroft Academy coach Scott Anderson said Perry is the “best catcher we faced this year” and added that she is a tough out at the plate.
Perry said she didn’t become a full-time catcher until her sophomore year at Hermon. She played a variety of positions as a freshman and currently plays different positions for the Thunder.
“I want to focus on my catching. That’s the position I want to play. But I also want to continue to play other positions because being a utility player will give me more opportunities to play,” she said.
She will also look to improve as a hitter and said playing for the Thunder gives her the opportunity to face a lot of quality pitchers from other states.