Colton Trisch of Bangor High School and Ty Giberson of Bucksport High School are two of seven finalists for the 30th Dr. John Winkin Award symbolic of the state’s Mr. Baseball.
That award, which has been presented annually since 1992 save for the canceled 2020 campaign, goes to the state’s top senior high school baseball players, and the finalists already have been named players or pitchers of the year in their respective conferences.
The 2022 Winkin Award winner will be announced at the Maine Senior All-Star Games to be held on June 22 at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish. The award ceremony will take place at approximately 6:30 p.m., just after rosters for the Classes A and B all-star game are announced
Trisch, a pitcher-outfielder, was named Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference Class A player of the year after leading Bangor to the league championship and the No. 1 seed in Class A North with a 15-1 record.
The lefthander compiled a 7-0 regular-season pitching record with a 0.79 earned run average and just four earned runs and 14 hits allowed in 35.1 innings pitched.
Trisch also batted .500 from the leadoff spot in the Rams’ batting order with two doubles, three triples, 25 runs scored and 16 runs batted in.
Trisch will continue his baseball career on scholarship at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.
Giberson, a pitcher-infielder, was named the Penobscot Valley Conference Class C player of the year after helping the Golden Bucks conclude the regular season ranked atop the Class C North Heal point ratings with a 15-1 record.
Giberson batted .489 during regular-season play with one home run, seven doubles and two triples among his 23 hits. He also had 18 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in as many attempts.
The right-hander had a 5-1 record on the mound heading into postseason play, with the only loss a 1-0 decision at Class B North top seed Ellsworth on an unearned run. Giberson yielded just one earned run in 39 innings pitched for a 0.089 ERA. He struck out 67 batters, walked 10 and allowed just 11 hits.
Giberson will attend Husson University in Bangor beginning this fall.
Other finalists include Cody Bowker, a pitcher-outfielder from Thornton Academy in Saco who was named most valuable player in the Class A Southwestern Maine Activities Association as well as the 2022 Gatorade Maine Baseball Player of the Year.
Bowker is headed to Georgetown University on a baseball scholarship.
Also, Ryan Kolben, a catcher-pitcher from Greely High School in Cumberland Center, was selected as Western Maine Conference Class B South player of the year and will continue his baseball career at the University of Massachusetts.
Hunter Brissette, a pitcher-infielder from Lisbon High School, was named the Mountain Valley Conference Class C South player of the year. He will play college baseball at the University of Southern Maine.
Greely pitcher Zack Johnston, the WMC Class B South co-pitcher of the year, is headed to Wake Forest on a baseball scholarship in the fall, while pitcher-outfielder Blaine Cockburn of Freeport, the other WMC Class B South co-pitcher of the year, will continue his baseball career on scholarship at the University of Maine.
