MAINE COLLEGE BASEBALL

March 14, 2006

 Winkin Reaches Milestone………………………….

Husson College Head Baseball Coach, John Winkin has become the 44^th collegiate baseball coach to reach the career 1,000-victory mark. Coach Winkin won his 1,000^th game with Husson’s 6-3 victory over Drew University.

 “I’m glad I can say most of these wins were with the state of Maine and most with Maine kids, so you can say this is what the state of Maine has done, and I like that,” said Winkin. “I take great pride in that.”

His lifetime record is now 1,001-669-8 over 44 seasons.  He went 301-202-5 at Colby where he started his coaching career, at the University of Maine he went 642-430-3 while leading the Black Bears to 6 College World Series appearances and he has compiled a 58-35 record at Husson.

“I think my first win was on the first spring trip we took at Colby and I believe it was against Towson. The most thrilling ones were the regional wins at Orono that sent us to Omaha.”

His most thrilling memories include back-to-back victories in the 1982 College World Series against Stanford and Cal-State Fullerton. He thinks the game against Cal-State was probably the best game that any of his teams ever played. Another big moment was when the Black Bears defended Miami on ESPN’s national collegiate game of the week.

Coach Winkin is a member of several state, regional and national hall of fames and is very grateful to Husson College for believing in him enough to hire him when former Coach John Kolasinski left for a job in Michigan. “ I am grateful to Husson for giving me this chance.  I just needed the opportunity and that’s why I can’t thank Husson enough…..”

Forever a class individual, Coach Winkin changed the complexion of baseball forever in the state of Maine and in New England when his Black Bears were making yearly runs to Omaha. Anyone who has ever been associated with him realizes that he is a collegiate baseball icon and truly an amazing man.