Mr. Baseball recipient Rebar meets the award namesake

    OLD ORCHARD BEACH — Recent Foxcroft Academy graduate Ryan Rebar traveled to The Ballpark at Old Orchard Beach on June 24 to participate in a ceremony honoring the great Dr. John W. Winkin, who will be inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame next weekend in Lubbock, Texas.

Photos courtesy of Foxcroft Academy baseball coach Mark Chevalier

MR. BASEBALL MEETS THE BASEBALL LEGEND — Ryan Rebar, a recent graduate of Foxcroft Academy who was recently named the 2013 recipient of the Dr. John W. Winkin “Mr. Baseball” Award, got to meet the award namesake prior to a Futures Collegiate Baseball League game on June 24 in Old Orchard Beach. Rebar and his baseball coach with the Ponies Mark Chevalier, below second from right, were part of the welcoming committee for Dr. Winkin prior to the first pitch.

    As the latest recipient of the Dr. John W. Winkin “Mr. Baseball” Award, Rebar was invited to serve as part of a welcoming committee that stood behind Dr. Winkin as he was introduced on the field by Jerome Plante, chairman of Old Orchard Beach’s parks commission, prior to the start of a Futures Collegiate Baseball League game between the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide and the Pittsfield Suns. Rebar, who is the first player from Foxcroft Academy to be named Mr. Baseball, traveled to the event with his parents, Peter and Violetta Rebar, his uncle John Rebar, his baseball and football teammate Louis LaFache, and his high school baseball coach Mark Chevalier.
    Prior to the game, Rebar had a few minutes to chat with Dr. Winkin and pose for a photograph, an experience he will remember forever. “Meeting coach Winkin was a true honor,” said the three-sport standout, who will play both football and baseball at Husson University next year. “He’s a legendary man throughout New England and is very well-known in college baseball. Spending just a few moments with him and getting a photograph together meant a lot to me and is something I won’t ever forget.”