Hermon High School has had one of the state’s premier softball programs for a long time.
During a span beginning with the 2009 season through the spring of 2019, the Hawks posted a regular season record of 154-22. That is a remarkable winning percentage of .875.
They won three Class B North championships and two state titles during that time.
The Hawks are in the hunt for another title this season as they sit atop the Class B North standings with their 13-1 record.
The Hawks are currently on a 10-game winning streak including noteworthy victories over Class A North contenders Brewer and Bangor.
“This is a really good group,” said head coach Steph Biberstein. “There is a phenomenal culture. The kids are focused and they support each other.”
There is no shortage of talent on this Hermon team.
They have six regulars hitting over .400.
Senior third baseman Addy Waning is leading the way, hitting .548 with 16 runs batted in and 14 runs scored.
Junior first baseman-pitcher Mikelle Verrill is hitting.467 with 18 RBIs, senior pitcher-shortstop Braelyn Wilcox is at .444 with 12 RBIs and 15 runs scored. The other hawks hitting .400 or better are senior second baseman Olivia Johnston (.432, 10 RBIs), junior center fielder Kenzie Gallant (.429, 11 RBIs) and senior catcher Molly Simcox (.410).
The other three regulars have also been productive.
Senior left fielder-third baseman Sophie Peterson is hitting .312, sophomore right fielder-shortstop-pitcher Rebecca Balmas is hitting .286 with 12 RBIs and a grand slam and senior outfielder Katie Fowler is at .279 with eight RBIs.
“It’s a tough lineup and the best part is everyone has contributed, one through nine,” said Biberstein. She noted that even though Fowler has the lowest average, she has done an outstanding job in the leadoff spot but has hit into bad luck with a lot of hard-hit balls going right at the fielders. Fowler has only struck out four times in 43 at-bats, Biberstein pointed out.
Simcox hits in the second spot behind Fowler followed by Waning, Verrill, Wilcox, Balmas, Peterson, Gallant and Johnston.
Freshman Leah Walker has been the team’s courtesy runner/pinch-runner and has scored a team-high 19 runs.
Senior Taylor Sherrard and sophomores Hannah Waning and MK Tracy are capable outfielders.
Elena Walker, a sophomore, has been sidelined due to injury but did get an at-bat in a victory over Nokomis of Newport.
The Hawks have averaged 9.1 runs per game.
Biberstein considers herself blessed when it comes to pitching.
Softball coaches would be happy to have one ace and an adequate No. 2 pitcher.
Biberstein has the luxury of having four quality pitchers led by the right-left combination of Wilcox and Verrill. Fowler, who was the ace of the staff as a freshman, and Balmas are also very capable hurlers.
Wilcox has an 0.70 earned-run average and is coming off a three-hit, 15-strikeout gem in the triumph over Bangor. She has struck out 49 in 30 innings. Verrill has a 1.58 ERA and 47 strikeouts in 31 innings; Balmas has a 2.33 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 12 innings and Fowler has an 0.88 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 16 innings.
“I am very lucky to have four very talented pitchers,” acknowledged Biberstein who pointed out that they are all different.
“Wilcox has great off-speed pitches, a nice curve and screwball,” the coach said. “Verrill hits her spots well and does as little more with her rise and drops; Balmas throws really hard and the movement on Fowler’s pitches is crazy. She has real good movement on them.”
Hermon has given up only 32 runs in its 14 games, an average of 2.3 per game.
Biberstein said her team is solid defensively and most of her players can play several positions which has been beneficial.
“I’m confident in all the players at whatever position they’re playing,” said Biberstein.
Biberstein is in her second stint as the Hermon coach.
She coached them from 2003-13 and led them to a state championship in 2010. It was their first state title since 1977.
She took over as the head coach again in 2022 and, in her first season, piloted her Hawks to three playoff wins and a berth in the B North final after going 8-8 during the regular season. Winslow beat the Hawks in the final 3-0 that year.
The Hawks were 13-3 during the regular season in 2023 and reached the regional final but were beaten by Nokomis of Newport 6-2.
Hermon went 10-6 during the regular season a year ago and lost to eventual state champ Nokomkis 2-0 in the semifinals.
Hermon, whose only loss this season was to a very good Old Town team 8-5 on April 29, concludes the regular season by hosting John Bapst of Bangor on Saturday at noon and visiting Hampden Academy for a 7 p.m. game on Tuesday.
Biberstein said she likes the fact three of her final six regular season games will have been against Class A contenders Brewer, Bangor and Hampden Academy.
“That gets us into a good state heading into the playoffs,” said Biberstein.
