All Pawtucket All The Time

Jesse Mendes, 12, proudly displays the Paul Barboza Memorial Scholarship Award he received recently from the Swansea Independent Baseball League during its annual season-ending Awards Banquet. (Photo courtesy of Swansea Independent Baseball League)           

SWANSEA – Jesse Mendes, 12, has been named this year’s recipient of the Paul Barboza Memorial Sportsmanship Award sponsored by the Swansea Independent Baseball League.

          Mendes, the son of Greg and Joelle Mendes of Somerset, received the award from President David Hadad during the SIBL’s annual Awards Banquet held Sept. 18 at the Venus de Milo Restaurant in Swansea. He joins Raymond Howard and Nicholas Barrett (2006), Michael Raposo (2007) and Nicholas Moreira (2008) as recipients of the prestigious award.

          Mendes concluded an eight-season SIBL career this year with the Bronco Division’s American League Rays, helping his team to a second-place finish in the division’s championship playoffs. A seventh-grade student at Somerset Middle School, he competed in prior years in the league’s Instructional Division, Pinto Division, Mustang Division and Bronco Division National League.

          “It has been a pleasure for the SIBL to have had Jesse Mendes as a player in our program for the past eight years,” Hadad said. “He has always played hard, but fair, and has always been a true team player. He is emblematic of the spirit and meaning of this award and a very deserving recipient.”

          SIBL’s Sportsmanship Award is named in memory of former league member Paul Barboza, who died suddenly in 2006. It is presented annually by the league during its Awards Banquet.