When Janelle Bouchard finished her stellar career at Kennebunk High School, she decided to leave her home state to play college softball at Valparaiso University in Indiana.

“At the time, I liked the coach, and it just seemed like a better fit at the time,” said Bouchard on her decision to choose Valparaiso.

After two successful seasons with Valpo, Bouchard decided to make a move – back home to the University of Maine.

“After my sophomore year, I decided it would be better for me to come home and be able to have my parents at more of my games,” said Bouchard.

Bouchard was also excited to get a chance to play for UMaine head coach Mike Coutts and pitching coach Lynn Coutts.

“It definitely is special. Representing the home state and playing for Lynn and Mike, people I’ve known my whole life, is really special,” said Bouchard, who played travel softball under Lynn Coutts.

Bouchard was excited to return to her home state – a place where she had made plenty of memories on the softball field.

“I think what I remember from high school mostly are the friendships I made and the life lessons I learned along the way,” said Bouchard of her days at Kennebunk High.

Bouchard, who was a first-team All-State selection all four years at Kennebunk and a three-time SMAA Defensive Player of the Year, believes her time with the Rams helped turn her into the person she is today.

“I think in high school the experience of playing softball is so much different than college, you know it’s a lot about relationships and the things you learn from your coaches are more life lessons and (high school coaches) just push you to be better people, on and off the field,” said Bouchard, who played for Jim Lang at Kennebunk.

The move back to Maine worked out for Bouchard, who helped the Black Bears win the America East Championship last weekend and was recently named the league’s Player of the Year. Bouchard, who is the starting catcher for the Black Bears, led the team with a .394 batting average, 56 hits and 13 doubles in the regular season. The Kennebunk native, who is just the seventh Maine player to win the Player of the Year award, also recorded team highs in multi-hit games with 18 and multi-RBI games with nine. In America East action, Bouchard ranked fourth with a .421 average and second in hits with 24.

The road wasn’t always smooth as Bouchard had to earn her new teammates’ trust after transferring in from Valparaiso.

“It was a tough adjustment at the beginning of last year, but the girls were really awesome and so was the coaching staff at, you know, welcoming me in,” said Bouchard. “I think this year was totally different because I was more acclimated and I felt like at home here. It’s definitely a lot more family-oriented this year, for sure.”

Bouchard clearly formed a strong bond with her UMaine teammates over the past two years. This season, the Black Bears have won 28 games, their first league title since 2004 – and they will open the NCAA Division I Softball Tournament today when they face the host Georgia Bulldogs, who come into the tournament ranked No. 16 in the country. The Black Bears will be the underdog in today’s contest, but Bouchard isn’t worried about the Bulldogs’ national ranking.

“We are just looking to compete. I think we can hang with anybody, honestly, and I just think with our offense and pitching and defense, we can hang with anybody,” said Bouchard. “We are really looking forward to the opportunity to put Maine on the map. It’s an opportunity to go to a different part of the country, perform and let everybody see what Maine has to offer. We are excited.”

No matter what happens this weekend in Georgia, Bouchard is hoping her college career will provide inspiration to young athletes across the state of Maine.

“My biggest thing is being an example for athletes in Maine and letting them know that they can be great in whatever sport they play,” said Bouchard, who hopes to become a college softball coach once her playing career is over. “Being from Maine doesn’t really mean anything … I know people sometimes think if you’re from Maine, you can’t like do anything with your sport, but it’s not true and I hope other people see that they can still do something even if they are from Maine.”

While Bouchard would love to end her time at UMaine with a national championship, she has already earned a different kind of title: college graduate.

“I’m just really privileged, thankful and blessed,” said Bouchard, who received her degree on the same day the Black Bears won the America East title. “It’s been such a great experience for me and I couldn’t have asked for a better two years to finish off my college career. It’s been some of the best times of my life and I’m always going to remember them.”

NOTE: You can watch the UMaine softball team take on Georgia today at 3:30 p.m. online on ESPN3.

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at pmcdonald@journaltribune.com or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.