Pitcher of the Year

Maureen LeCocq was watching a youth softball game recently when she was approached by a young girl and asked for her autograph.

It was a first for LeCocq. Chaminade High’s senior right-hander, but it should not have been a surprise.

Her pitching has made her not only a champion, but a celebrity.

People attended Chaminade games just to be able to say they saw LeCocq in person.

“I’m glad I got the opportunity to see her pitch just once before she graduated,” one area coach said after watching LeCocq in a tournament.

LeCocq, The Times’ Valley pitcher of the year for the second consecutive season, did not disappoint.

She was 23-2 with a 0.16 earned-run average and led the Eagles to the Southern Section Division IV championship.

It was not only Chaminade’s first softball title, but the first by any Mission League school.

Chaminade won its final 21 games and finished 25-6-1. LeCocq had 19 shutouts.

LeCocq defeated seven schools that were ranked in The Times’ top 10 regional poll and finished with an incredible streak of 92 consecutive scoreless innings and a string of 14 shutouts.

LeCocq finished her career with an exclamation point, striking out the side in the final inning of the section final against Bloomington.

“Maureen LeCocq has definitely brought us to a new level,” Coach Steve Harrington said. “She’s left her mark in Chaminade history.”

And the Valley’s.

Two weeks ago, LeCocq was honored as the Gatorade Circle of Champions national player of the year.

Next school year, her No. 22 will be retired at Chaminade.

The attention has been humbling.

“I never really think of myself as a great player,” said LeCocq, who accepted a scholarship to Stanford. “How I look to other people isn’t how I see myself.”

To opponents, LeCocq looked simply unbeatable.

She finished her four-year career with a 70-26 record, a 0.44 ERA and 749 strikeouts.

Her performance in the circle was often so good that her ability at the plate was overlooked.

LeCocq, the Mission League’s two-time most valuable player, batted .405 with 13 RBIs and finished with a .345 career average.

In all, it’s a resume that will be difficult to match.

“I’m very flattered,” she said. “Everything I’ve experienced. . . . I don’t think anyone could have asked for anything more.”