Notre Dame High School softball star Maci Bergeron looks to continue success on the diamond
CROWLEY, La. (BVM) — Following a breakout 2019 season, Notre Dame High School’s Maci Bergeron was named Gatorade Louisiana Softball Player of the Year. She is only the second softball player from Notre Dame to win the award. Now with the 2020 season just around the corner, Bergeron is ready to hit the diamond once again.
“I’ve been playing softball since I was probably four or five,” Bergeron said. “I just liked it when I started playing when I was little. Both of my parents [competed]. My dad actually played college baseball. I’ve kind of just followed in his footsteps.”
Standing at 5-foot-4, Bergeron is currently ranked as the nation’s No. 2 softball recruit in the Class of 2022 by Softball America, and she is committed to LSU.
“I just liked the culture,” Bergeron said. “I was watching a football game on TV. It was really insane in the stadium, and I wanted to be surrounded by people like that.”
During her freshman season, she had a batting average of .579, hit 20 home runs, and had 69 RBIs, according to MaxPreps. She played a key role as the Pioneers won the Division III state championship, where she earned an MVP award.
Congrats to Maci Bergeron the Most Outstanding Player in the Division III Championship! pic.twitter.com/vsfVWQcSuO
— LHSAA (@LHSAA) April 27, 2019
To go along with a state title, Bergeron has also won three national championships with her Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) team.
This past season was Bergeron’s sophomore season. She played in only 12 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but she was able to put up monster numbers in the process. She had a batting average of .524, hit 12 home runs, and had 35 RBIs. She has 37 career home runs and is looking to add to those numbers.
“In only 46 games in Maci’s high school career, she has 37 home runs,” Notre Dame softball head coach Dale Serie said in a Gatorade Press Release. “While I understand that there is so much more to the game of softball than just hitting home runs, it is still amazing to watch a young lady do something so rare and special.
That success hasn’t come on its own. Bergeron has her dad to thank for the hitting skills she’s mastered over the years.
“I really like it [having her dad as hitting coach],” Bergeron said. “I can always go to him and ask him questions. It’s mostly what we talk about.”
Not only does Bergeron show commitment to her favorite sport day in and day out, but she also stays committed to her community and her schoolwork. Over the past couple of years, Bergeron has volunteered at local nursing homes. Bergeron has also taken the time to volunteer at a vacation bible school while maintaining a 3.63 GPA.
Now, as Bergeron prepares for the 2020 season, she can gladly look back and see that her dedication to the sport has paid off. But more is yet to come for Bergeron.
