Ron Hewes, 1989, Baseball 

Ron Hewes was an elite four-year baseball athlete for the Brewer High School Witches from 1986-1989. During his time on the mound, he won 31 games for Brewer High School and lost only 6 games as a hard throwing pitcher overwhelming the opposing batters with his unique ability of throwing five different pitches: a fastball, curve, slider, change up and a split fingered fastball. When he was not pitching, Hewes was an excellent defensive shortstop and second baseman as well as a very dependable hitter.  As a junior, Hewes had an 8-1 pitching record for the 1988 Eastern Maine Class A Baseball Champions which was, up to that point, only the second time in school history a Brewer baseball team was crowned Eastern Maine Champs. Hewes struck out 138 batters in 84 innings and had an impressive Earned Run Average of 1.26. Although his stints on the mound were not as frequent during his senior year in 1989 due to an arm injury, he still helped to lead the Witches to return to the Eastern Maine Class A Finals. Hewes was named the Class A First Team All-State Pitcher in 1989 and the Penobscot Valley Conference All-Star Team Pitcher of the Year in 1988 and 1989. 

Hewes was also the ace of the American Legion Brewer Falcons for three summers amassing formidable records of 5-0 in 1988, 7-2 in 1989 and 7-1 in 1990. The 1989 Brewer Falcons won the American Legion State Championship advancing to play in the Northeast Regionals in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Hewes was an impact player who helped the Falcons win three of five straight Zone 1 Championships and he was named the Zone 1 MVP in 1990. 

Hewes was also an outstanding four-year football player for the Witches and was selected as the All-Pine Tree Conference Quarterback in 1988. Former Brewer High School Football Coach Dan O’Connell (2019 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee) noted, “Ronnie Hewes is one of those athletes I will never forget. He was self-motivated, he worked hard to be prepared, he knew the importance of teamwork, he was always positive and he had the will to win. His enthusiasm to work on his fundamentals as the quarterback and work with receivers was contagious and his motivation to make the team successful was impressive to watch. These are the traits that Ronnie brought to practice and the day of the game every time.” 

Hewes went on to play four years of baseball for the Black Bears at the University of Maine. In 1992, UMaine participated in the Rollins College, Florida Tournament in Winter Park, FL where Hewes was selected as the All-Tourney Pitcher. Hewes became the premier pitcher at the University of Maine during his senior year in 1993. Coach John Winkin selected him to be the captain of the pitchers, one of three team tri-captains along with former Brewer teammate Chad White. This created a unique scenario in Maine baseball where players from the same high school were selected captains during the same season. In the first game of his senior year, the Black Bears played Texas A & M at College Station, Texas, the number three team in the country at the time. Ronnie Hewes’ exceptional pitching contributed heavily to UMaine’s victory over Texas A & M by the score of 6-5. Even the Texas A & M Coach Mark Johnston declared, “Ronnie Hewes was outstanding!” Hewes helped to lead the Maine Black Bears in winning the 1993 Northeast Atlantic Conference Championship finishing the season with an 8-2 record.    

Dennis Kiah (2017 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee) coached Hewes in baseball: “I have been fortunate to coach many outstanding athletes during my career and Ronnie Hewes stands out as one of the best. A successful baseball team is built around a solid battery, pitchers and catchers, and Ronnie was the building block for all his teams from Little League all the way through his college years. He earned many honors throughout his career that his consistency, his willingness to learn and his competitiveness helped him achieve. Having conversations with some of his opponents from his high school and American Legion seasons many years after he played for us, brought to light just how good he was. He was a joy to coach.” Both Coaches Kiah and O’Connell expressed Hewes is an excellent addition to the Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame!  

Ron Hewes lives in Simpsonville, South Carolina where he is the owner of a house moving business called National House Movers. He has three daughters Jenna, Jillian and Jojo.  

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION AND ACCEPTANCE SPEECH OF RON HEWES

                      Ron Hewes and his presenter Jim White