Perryville's Baer is the Southeast Missourian player of the year

An offseason doesn't exist for Perryville's Morgan Baer.

The junior plays softball year-round, never taking more than a few weeks off at a time. She even has a tournament coming up in a couple of weeks.

"Sometimes I just am frustrated and I need a break, but I don't ever not like it," she said.

Baer's dedication paid off for the Pirates in the fall. She helped the team post a 23-4 record and reach the Class 3 District 1 title game, where it lost to Notre Dame. Baer's offensive prowess combined with her deft catching skills make her the Southeast Missourian softball player of the year.

"If I was on the other team, I'd be scared to pitch to her," Perryville pitcher Casey Hotop said about Baer. "She's a really determined person and she practices a lot more. I've never met anyone who practices as much as her. She's always practicing."

Perryville's Casey Hotop, left, high fives teammate Morgan Baer after scoring a run during the first inning of a game against Kelly on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2010, at Thomas W. Kelly High School in Benton, Mo. Perryville won 7-4. (Kristin Eberts)

Baer posted a .613 batting average and belted five home runs. She drove in 37 runs and finished with a 1.095 slugging percentage.

"It's pretty tough because I know she's a really good hitter and I can't throw to the same spot more than once because she'll catch on to it," Notre Dame pitcher Katie Bond said about Baer. "She has really good mechanics and she has a lot of power to back them up."

Pitchers changed their approach against Baer as the season progressed. She said she didn't see as many quality pitches and the opposition usually tried to pitch to the outside corner.

"It's good and bad because I can't hit as well," she said. "It's harder for me to get good hits, but then it makes me feel good because I know they're trying to strike me out even harder."

She said patience is the key when the opposition pitches around her.

Junior Morgan Baer helped Perryville finish the season 23-4 and reach the Class 3 District 1 championship game. (Missourian file photo)

"I just kind of wait for a good pitch to come and I jump on it," she said.

Baer constantly works on batting. When she doesn't have practice for one of her teams, she's in a gym hitting soft toss with her father.

"I've gotten better," Baer said about her batting. "I took lessons with a hitting instructor. I used to take them once a week, then whenever softball would pick up, we started slowing down."

Baer started playing softball when she was 5 years old. That's also when she started playing catcher.

"At first, I didn't really like it and I just got put there," she said. "But after a while, I kind of stuck with it. Now I like it a lot."

Baer has developed into a weapon for the Pirates' defense. She threw out 80 percent of would-be base stealers and kept countless others from trying to swipe a base with her quick release and strong throws.

"It is so much fun because I know I beat them when they tried to trick me," she said about throwing out base runners. She ranks catching a potential base stealer as a bigger thrill than smacking a double at the plate.

Hotop and Baer have teamed together as battery mates for as long as both can remember. The bond is a key reason for the Pirates' success over the last two seasons.

"She's always really supportive and cheering me on," Hotop said. "If I'm down, she brings me back up and everything."

Baer said that her relationship with Hotop away from the softball field helps her know what to say when her pitcher is struggling during a game.

"I just go out there and talk to her and make her laugh about something and tell her a joke from school," Baer said.

Baer also competes in track and basketball. She hesitated when asked which was her favorite, then settled on softball.

"I think it's my favorite and I'm best at it," she said.

While Baer enjoyed her team's successful season, it ended the same way for the second consecutive season. The Pirates reached the district title game only to fall to Notre Dame. Perryville beat Notre Dame during the regular season but lost the rematch in the postseason. Baer said one of her greatest motivations next season will be getting another crack at the Bulldogs.

"You just have to wait to the next year and say, 'We're going to get them next year,'" she said. "But it's definitely hard and not fun."