Holowaty Named GHTBL President

“Attitude and effort are the keys to a successful life.”

Bill Holowaty

Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League is proud to announce the appointment of former Eastern Connecticut State University Head Baseball Coach, and 2015 National College Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee, Bill Holowaty of Columbia, Connecticut, to role of League President. Holowaty, a resident of Columbia, Connecticut, is a baseball luminary and a veteran educator of the game.

As the winningest coach in the history of New England athletics, Holowaty earned the 11th most wins by a college baseball coach. In 45 years at ECSU, his record was 1404-525-7. He led Eastern to four NCAA Division III National Championships and was honored four times as the National Coach of the Year.  In addition to winning four national championships, ECSU posted a streak of 11 straight 30-win seasons into from 2001 to 2011. Holowaty took the Warriors to the postseason 39 out of 45 seasons, while 14 of those teams advanced to the Division III College World Series.

Bill Holowaty, former Eastern Connecticut State University Head Baseball Coach, 1986.

Holowaty created a new standard for college baseball programs. Through advocacy, he helped establish the NCAA Division III Baseball College World Series in the mid-1970s. Holowaty coached in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Chatham Anglers in 1973. He’s a past president of the American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA), and a longtime member of the ABCA All-America committee. He was also a founder of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), and a founder of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA). Holowaty is a member of both the NEIBA Hall of Fame and the ABCA Hall of Fame.

Though he retired from coaching in 2013. He continues to teach the fundamentals of baseball, operating the Holowaty Baseball Camp for 5-12 year old boys and girls in the spring and summer. His baseball values are that of pure brand of baseball. He believes in hard work, hustle and a no-nonsense approach to the game; traits that translate into success in school, on the field and in life.

Bill Holowaty, National College Baseball Hall of Fame, 2015.

The GHTBL is grateful to the Holowaty family for “stepping up to the plate” and taking on this leadership role. Over the years, he has been involved with the league in various capacities. In 1966 and 1967, a young Bill Holowaty played for the Connecticut Huskies in the springtime and for the Hartford Twilight during the summer. He was a first baseman for the Hamilton Standard team under player-manager, GHTBL Hall of Fame Inductee, and former minor leaguer, Wally Widholm. Holowaty attributes much of his success to what he learned about the game from two summers in the GHTBL with mentors like Widholm.

GHTBL Meeting at the Holowaty residence, 2017.

Thereafter, Holowaty would go on to a historic coaching career. but he continued to recruit from and send players to the GHTBL for more than 45 years. Many current GHTBL players were coached by Holowaty at ESCU or were participants in his baseball camps. As the new League President, Bill Holowaty brings invaluable connections, experience, new ideas, tradition, organization, a highly motivating spirit to the GHTBL as we enter our88th season in May of 2017.

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