| Title: | Baseball |
| Year: | 1988 |
Robbie White, 1988, Baseball
Robbie White, Class of 1988, was a superior baseball player for the Witches and remains the only baseball player in school history to be selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association as a High School All-American. Not only did he excel at baseball, his athleticism and versatility were made evident through his four-sport participation in baseball, basketball, football and soccer. As a football player his agility and quickness as a wide receiver made him a force on the gridiron. In addition, he played on special teams returning kickoffs and punts. After sustaining a concussion in football his junior year, White made the difficult decision to retire from football and to play varsity soccer his senior year where his agility and speed transferred naturally to the sport. In 1988, he was part of a rare, elite class of Brewer athletes as a starting player on two Eastern Maine Class A championship teams in two different sports, basketball and baseball. A starting guard on the championship basketball team, he was an extraordinary playmaker who often threw no-look passes to assist on inside scoring. He was also a very good three-point shooter and an intense defensive player. In addition to his athletic talents, he was a leader both on the field and off serving as captain of the baseball team his senior year as well as President of his class for two years.
A versatile athlete, White excelled as a baseball player and made a big impact on the Brewer baseball program beginning his sophomore year in 1986. Not only did he snap the Bangor Rams 25-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory in his first start as a varsity pitcher, he was 4-0 on the mound for the season and was selected to the PVC All-Conference Baseball Second Team.
White’s offensive skills on the diamond as a hitter and runner were equally as adept as his defensive skills as a pitcher. He was a hard hitter with a .393 batting average his junior year leading the team in runs scored with 18 and tied for most hits with 22. His speed, natural confidence and aggressive mindset made him a threat on the base paths as he was 14 for 14 in stolen bases. For the second year in a row, he was selected to the PVC All-Conference Baseball Second Team.
During White’s senior year, his extraordinary skills helped lead Brewer to a record 18-2 season. This power hitter again led Brewer’s team with his .404 batting average, runs scored with 25 and most hits with 23; his speed contributed to his 10 for 10 stolen bases. Throughout his high school career, when not pitching, White played short stop. However, forever a team player, the beginning of his senior year he willingly made the shift from shortstop to second base, a coaching strategy that bode well for him on the pitcher’s mound as evidenced by his 1.20 earned run average. He had a live arm with a fastball that would explode on the batters. At second base, White continued his excellence as a defensive player. Of White’s contributions to the team his senior year, his baseball coach Dennis Kiah (2017 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee) recalls, “Robbie was the person I wanted the ball in his hand…He was one of the most reliable players I have ever coached”. As a hitter he continued to impress throughout the season including home runs in both the quarter final and championship playoff games in the Eastern Maine Tournament. During the championship game, he pitched allowing only three hits and helped lead Brewer to a 7-0 victory to win the 1988 Eastern Maine Class A Championship.
In 1988 White was named to the Maine Class A All-State Baseball First Team and the PVC All-Conference Baseball First Team. He was also selected First Team for the High School District 1 Baseball Team for New England and New York. White was chosen by the American Baseball Coaches Association as a High School All-American (Third Team); he is the only Brewer baseball player to achieve this honor. For his outstanding athletic accomplishments, he was named the 1988 Brewer High School Co-Athlete of the Year along with Nick Winchester.
In the summer season, White continued to hone his baseball skills by playing for the Falcons, a Brewer based American Legion Team. Because of his pitching and a .429 batting average, he led the Falcons to a Zone–1 Co-Championship title with MDI in 1986 and was selected to the Zone–1 All-Star Team and the All-Tournament Team.
After spending time in the United States Army, White attended Husson College where he played shortstop. Husson Baseball Coach John Kolasinski said White played a vital role in the success of the baseball team during the 1993 season. He helped to lead Husson to its first NAIA District 5 Baseball Championship since 1976 and to a win against the University of Maine for the first time in 36 match ups. White’s brother Chad (2014 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee) was the center fielder for UMaine at the time and thus the 1993 Husson-UMaine game had special meaning as this marked the first and last time the White brothers ever played against each other.
White gives a great deal of credit in his development to the legendary Slip Corey (2016 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee), Dennis Kiah, his father Jim White, mother Diana Cameron, and brothers, Chad and Jamie White. Robbie White works for Pizza Hut and lives in East Corinth with his partner Jenn Wain Dow and her son Brandon.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF ROBBIE WHITE
Robbie White and presenter Jim White