May 30 7:00 PM Ceppa Field Expos Mets	May 31 6:00 PM Wethersfield High School M&T Bank Graphics	Aug 1 6:00 PM Dunkin' Park	Aug 1 8:00 PM Dunkin' Park	Aug 2 6:00 PM Dunkin' Park	Aug 2 8:00 PM Dunkin' Park	May 23 6:00 PM Frank J. McCoy Field Orioles Phillies	May 23 7:00 PM McKenna Field Jets Expos	May 23 7:00 PM Northwest Park Graphics Greeners	May 28 6:00 PM Frank J. McCoy Field Orioles Jets	May 28 7:00 PM Ceppa Field Expos Greeners	May 29 7:00 PM McKenna Field Jets Phillies

Tag: eastern

Tue, June 14, 2022Wed, June 15, 2022 by Weston Ulbrich

Eastern’s World Series Winners

Recently, five GHTBL alumni were victorious on the national stage for Eastern Connecticut State University. Bryan Albee, Jack Rich, Zach Donahue, Aidan Dunn and Andres Jose earned a D-III College World Series Championship ring over LaGrange University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Congratulations to Head Coach Brian Hamm, who has captured Eastern’s fifth national title. Guided by Hamm, Albee, Rich, Donahue, Jose and Dunn have become proven winners, on and off the field. GHTBL is grateful to have these men as representatives of our league.

Graduating senior Bryan Albee plans to pitch for the East Hartford Jets, who are currently in first place in the GHTBL standings. Albee nabbed the Mike Abbruzzese Award for Outstanding Playoff Pitcher last season with the Jets. Jack Rich is also aboard the Record-Journal Expos as their perennial all-star outfielder. Last year, Jack was the Frank McCoy Award winner for Most Valuable Player in the league.

Want to rewatch the clinching World Series game? CLICK HERE

Thu, September 9, 2021Wed, April 17, 2024 by Weston Ulbrich

Hartford All-Timer, Basilio Ortiz, ECSU Warrior Turned Professional

Basilio “Bo” Ortiz was a sensational outfielder with power, speed, arm strength and defensive ability. Ortiz grew up on Charter Oak Terrace in Hartford, Connecticut, and attended Bulkeley High School. In his junior year, he led the Maroons in batting (.467), RBI (17), home runs (3) and stolen bases (8). He had similar numbers in his senior year as captain of the team and became the first Bulkeley player to achieve All-State honors. By the end high school, his coach, Pete Kokinis called him, “One of the best to ever wear a Bulkeley baseball uniform.”

Basilio Oritz, Bulkeley High School, 1988.

Ortiz was drafted out of high school by the San Francisco Giants in the 40th round of the 1988 MLB June Amateur Draft. Instead of signing, he accepted a scholarship to Eastern Connecticut State University. After his freshman year at ECSU, Ortiz made waves in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League for the Newington Capitols. Ortiz batted .333 during the 1998 twilight league season and earned the Rookie of the Year award.

Hartford Courant features Ortiz, March 28, 1990.

As a sophomore leadoff hitter in 1990, Ortiz batted a team-high .370 in postseason play. He helped the Warriors win seven straight tournament games for the 1990 NCAA Division-III national title. That year, he batted .434 with 76 hits, 68 runs, 11 home runs, 41 RBI and 134 total bases en route to 1st team Division-III All-America laurels. In the summer, Ortiz suited up for the Orleans Cardinals of the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Basilio Ortiz, Eastern Connecticut State University, 1991.

Then, as a junior at ECSU, the 5’11”, 170-pound Ortiz batted .448 with 78 hits, 12 home runs, 62 RBI, 62 runs and 138 total bases. Again he was awarded the NCAA Division-III National Player of the Year. Ortiz was also recognized as one of five New England Division-III Athletes of the Year. At the conclusion of his college career, head coach Bill Holowaty praised Ortiz as, “the best player we’ve ever had.”

Basilio Ortiz accepts New England College Athletic Conference award, 1991.

Ortiz was selected in the 30th round of the 1991 MLB June Amateur Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. In the summer of 1991, Ortiz had a successful start in the pros. In 56 plate appearances, he hit .307 in rookie ball for the Bluefield Orioles in the Appalachian League. He was quickly promoted to Single-A with the Kane County Cougars in the Midwest League. Ortiz spent the next two years between Single-A on the Frederick Keys and Double-A on Bowie Baysox.

The best season of “Bo” Ortiz’s professional career came in 1994 for Bowie Baysox of the Eastern League. He compiled a career high .309 batting average with 10 home runs, 56 RBI and an .860 OPS. Towards the end of the season, Ortiz was traded to the California Angels organization and reported to central Texas, to play for the Midland Angels. In 1996, he was named to the Texas League All-Star team. After an injury-riddled season in 1997 with the Harrisburg Senators of the Montreal Expos organization, Ortiz played his last 60 games as a professional.

In 2007, Basilio Ortiz was inducted into the Eastern Connecticut State University Athletics Hall of Fame. Ortiz is regarded as the best outfielder, and among the best position players in program history. Ortiz ranks thirteenth all-time at ECSU with 204 career hits in three years, second all-time in career batting average (.415), first in slugging percentage (.729), fifth in home runs (29) and runs (180), sixth in doubles (43), tied for sixth in stolen bases (63), and seventh in total bases (358).

Sources
1. Hartford Courant database on Newspapers.com
2. Baseball-Reference.com

Sun, April 11, 2021Sun, April 11, 2021 by Weston Ulbrich

Bill Holowaty, Local Sports Legend

May 26, 2020

Bill Holowaty is the current President of the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League and former head baseball coach at Eastern Connecticut State University. Holowaty coached for 45 years (1967-2012) at ECSU and became one of the most successful coaches in the history of New England intercollegiate athletics. He led the Warriors to the postseason 39 out of 45 times, appearing 14 times in the Division-III College World Series and winning 4 championships (1982, 1990, 1998 and 2002). He was named Division-III National Coach of the Year 4 times. Coach Holowaty ended his career record with 1,412 wins, 528 losses and 7 ties – a winning percentage of .725, and has the third most all-time wins by a Division-III coach.

William P. Holowaty was born on March 6, 1945 in Little Falls, New York. He was a gifted athlete with good size. Holowaty starred in football, basketball and baseball at Mohawk High School in Mohawk, New York. He became a top basketball recruit and visited Dean Smith’s University of North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest before deciding on the University of Connecticut. Coach Fred Shabel’s Huskies included UConn greats like Toby Kimball, Wes Bialosuknia and Tom Penders. Holowaty played basketball at UConn from 1964 to 1967, winning 3 season titles in the Yankee Conference. He was later recognized as a member of the UConn Basketball All-Century Ballot.

Bill Holowaty (center), UConn Basketball, 1965.

Bill Holowaty (left), UConn Basketball, 1967.

During college, Holowaty played baseball in the Hartford Twilight League with the Hamilton Standard team. Great local players like Wally Widholm and Hal Lewis were Bill’s teammates and mentors. Immediately after his basketball career, Holowaty became head baseball coach at Eastern Connecticut State College (renamed Eastern Connecticut State University in 1983) and quickly turned the program around. In 1973, he was the assistant coach for the Chatham A’s of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Holowaty was a guiding force for instituting the NCAA Division-III baseball championship in the mid-1970s. While coaching, he also served as ECSU Athletic Director for 15 years.

Bill Holowaty, ECSU Baseball Coach, 1969.

Bill Holowaty (right), ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 1970.

Bill Holowaty, ECSU Basketball Assistant, 1971.

New England All-Star Game at Fenway Park, 1979.

Coach Holowaty celebrating the holidays at home plate, 1980.

Bill Holowaty, ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 1982.

Holowaty featured in Hartford Courant, 1983.

Bill Holowaty, ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 1985.

Bill Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1986.

Coach Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1987.

Coach Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1989.

Bill Holowaty built his coaching legacy upon competitiveness, consistency and fundraising. His vision for success included a Varsity and Junior Varsity team, Spring Training trips to Florida and a state-of-the-art ballpark in Willimantic, Connecticut. The ECSU Warriors posted at least 30 wins in 28 seasons under Holowaty leading to four national championships. In 2003, the Warriors lost the Division-III College World Series championship game in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded. Afterwards Holowaty was quoted saying,

Eastern Connecticut wins D-III College World Series, 2002.

The Holowaty Family at National College Baseball Hall of Fame Induction, 2002.

Bill Holowaty, ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 2012.

“We’ll be back again. It’s like putting on a Red Sox uniform; you are hoping to win a World Series. You put on a Yankee uniform and you are expected to win. You put on an Eastern uniform and you’re expected to win.”
– Bill Holowaty

Holowaty Baseball Camp, Pomfret, Connecticut, 2014.

Holowaty speaks to Connecticut Mustangs AAU program, 2016.

In the final stage of his career, Holowaty continued to win. His Warriors had a streak of 11 consecutive 30-win seasons into 2012. The team fell one win shy of extending that streak in 2013. As a result of his success, Coach Holowaty earned several accolades and was inducted into the following Hall of Fame organizations: ABCA, Greater Utica Sports, National College Baseball, NEIBA and the Eastern Connecticut State University Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a co-founder of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA). He served as ABCA President, was a long-time member of the ABCA All-America committee and is currently a member of the ABCA Board of Directors.

Evan Chamberlain and Bill Holowaty at Dunkin’ Donuts Park, Hartford, 2017.

Bill Holowaty remains a fierce competitor to this day. He enjoys playing golf regularly with friends and family. He spends much of his time with his wife Jan Holowaty, his children Jason, Jennifer, Jared and his grandchildren. Jason and Jared Holowaty played professional baseball in Australia after college and carved out their own careers in baseball. Bill attributes much of his family’s success to his wife Jan and often mentions their shared love of sports.

GHTBL donates to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, 2018.

Jan, Bill and Jennifer Holowaty at the 2018 NEIBA Hall of Fame induction, 2018.

Coach Holowaty (right) with other college coaches at the annual American Baseball Coaches Association conference, 2019.

Coach Holowaty inducted into the National Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame

Sat, December 19, 2020Wed, March 31, 2021 by Weston Ulbrich

Jim Schult Named to D3 Team of the Decade

Schult, an Eastern Connecticut Baseball Alum and GHTBL Champion.

WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – The No. 5 stitched to Jim Schult’s uniform as a four-year member of the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball program may very well have stood for ‘5-tool’, as in ‘complete’ player.

This past week, Schult — voted the Division III National Player-of-the-Year in 2011 — represents Eastern on D3baseball.com‘s second all-decade team this century, the 2010s All-Decade Team.

An honorable mention selection at the utility position, the Wappingers Falls, NY native was one of 82 players named to the team, which also includes first, second and third teams which were voted upon by D3baseball.com staff and their colleagues at The Podcast About Division III Baseball. Players had to have played at least two seasons to be eligible for consideration in the decade.

“It’s definitely a big honor to be on this (all-decade) team… it’s nice to be thought of,” admitted Schult, when reached by telephone Friday afternoon.

Eastern, a four-time NCAA Division III national champion, was represented on the first all-decade team of the century (released in 2010) by three players: first-teamers Ryan DiPietro, a left-handed pitcher, and utility player Shawn Gilblair and second-teamer Dwight Wildman, an outfielder.

During their careers, all four of Eastern’s all-decade selections were named Player or Pitcher-of-the-Year by either the American Baseball Coaches’ Association (ABCA) or National College Association (NCBWA), or both. Schult was the only one of the four named to both.

**Schult (right)** in an elimination game of the 2009 NCAA New England Regionals at the Eastern Baseball Stadium, with battery mate Steve Cammuso stifled Husson University to 7 hits and the Warriors advanced to the championship. The pair also combined for 5 hits, 4 runs scored and 3 runs. Schult’s 2-out HR set the tempo for the 18-3 win.

In his four-year career (2008-11) as a right-handed pitcher, outfielder and DH, the six-foot, 200-pound Schult led the Warriors to four straight NCAA tournaments, at least a share of two Little East Conference regular-season championships and one LEC tournament title, and a 72.7 winning percentage. He batted third in the order in each of his final three years — playing primarily right field — until moving to DH as a senior tri-captain.

As a first-team ABCA All-America and National Player-of-the-Year in 2011, Schult set personal career-highs and led his team in most every statistical category. At the plate, he batted .392 with 76 hits (currently tied for tenth all-time in a season) while starting all 47 games for the 34-13 Warriors. He stole 20 of 21 bases that year with 138 total bases (tied for fifth all-time in a season) and 64 RBI (sixth) and his combined total of 120 RBI and runs scored currently equals the sixth-most in a season in program history. On the mound, he was 10-1 with 92 strikeouts in 87 innings with a 3.31 ERA., his only loss coming in one of his two relief appearances.

During that final season, Schult was credited with four of the staff’s five complete games, his final one coming in a five-hitter with 12 strikeouts in a 2-0 win – the only shutout of his career — over the College of Brockport in the NCAA regional tournament opener in the final pitching appearance of his career. It was that game, where he walked five batters and hit one and stranded ten runners – seven in scoring position — that Schult feels defined his career. “I think if you had to sum me up in a single game, I think that game would probably tell you what you needed to know about me. I didn’t have great stuff that day — I think I threw about 165 pitches — but I was able to get out of (jams nearly every inning).”

**A third baseman at John Jay High School in Hopewell Junction, New York, Jim Schult worked hard to make himself a solid right fielder at Eastern, 2017.**

In his career, Schult threw complete games in both of his regional tournament starts, also going the distance in an elimination-game win against Husson University in the 2009 regional that moved the Warriors to within a win of advancing into the championship round.

In a 20-13 win over the University of Chicago in Chandler, AZ as a sophomore in 2009, he became the sixth player in program history to hit for the cycle (tripling in the ninth inning to complete the feat), tying program game records in the process with six hits and six runs scored.

A pitcher and third baseman (shortstop was taken by future major league Gold Glover Joe Panik) in high school, Schult was sent to right field on the first day of his first fall season at Eastern to replace a teammate who failed to appear. In that game, hit a home run in his first fall at-bat, and he spent the majority of his career – when not pitching — at that position. After struggling defensively as a freshman, he spent the summer playing center field in a local league at home, honing his craft under the tutelage of Negro League legend Willie Mack. He committed only one outfield error as a sophomore and subsequently led the team in outfield assists each season thereafter.

Schult says that he is most proud of his teams’ three LEC titles and the Warriors’ prodigious power-hitting teams of 2009 and 2010. The 2009 team batted an astounding .355, won its first 13 games, was ranked No. 1 nationally for three consecutive weeks, carried a 14-game hitting streak into the NCAA tournament, and finished as the national leader in doubles and was second in runs and hits. Those two teams set season records in six offensive categories that remain today.

“We stepped on the field with so much confidence, knowing that we were going to do whatever we needed to do to win that game from an offensive standpoint,” Schult recalls of his sophomore and junior seasons.

A .371 career hitter, Schult today ranks among the program’s all-time career Top Ten in 12 offensive categories, including second in doubles (63), third in total bases (417) and fourth in runs (199) and RBI (189). As a pitcher, he fell one win shy of being one of 13 hurlers in program history with 20 career wins. He finished 19-2 with two saves and a 3.24 ERA in 203.0 innings. Among pitchers with a minimum of ten career decisions, his career winning percentage of 90.5 ranks sixth all-time.

Schult says that he turned down several Division I offers out of high school because Eastern afforded him the opportunity to play every day, as well as pitch.

While freshmen rarely cracked the starting lineup on veteran teams stocked with All-America players under Hall of Fame coach Bill Holowaty, Schult was an exception. Appearing in 40 of 49 games in 2008, he batted .301 with 23 RBI and 30 runs scored, then blossomed as a sophomore by batting .388 with 122 total bases and 58 runs score. “I always thought of myself as a competitor and somebody who would rise to that level of competition,” says Schult of his fast start.

Schult believes that a series of adjustments throughout his career were the keys to his success, from learning the nuances of the outfield and being able to hit a curveball after his freshman year, to mastering the art of opposite-field hitting and to learning to ‘pull the trigger’ early in the count as his career progressed. “Every time something got exposed with me, I spent the summer and the winter working on that weakness,” he recalls. “I think, really what it was, was just being willing to learn.”

**Over his final three seasons, Jim Schult stole 35 of 37 bases, 20 coming in 21 tries in 2011.**

In addition to his baseball accomplishments, Schult was a two-time CoSIDA Academic District I selection and Eastern Outstanding Scholar-Athlete qualifier in both years of eligibility and LEC All-Academic qualifier in all three seasons of eligibility.

Schult grew up in a baseball family, with his grandfather, Art (Dutch) Schult, enjoying a five-year MLB playing career with four organizations in the 1950s and 60s as a 1949 New York Yankees signee, and his father, Jim, being a 33^rd-round MLB draft pick of the Texas Rangers as a power-hitting outfielder in 1981. Schult’s younger brother, Jeff, played four seasons at Western New England University as a centerfielder and DH, earning all-region and all-conference honors before graduating in 2014. Like Jim, he was also a CoSIDA academic all-district selection.

After earning his B.S. Degree in Business Administration from Eastern in 2011, Schult spent three summers playing in independent leagues and a winter season as one of the top pitchers in the Australian Baseball League with the Brisbane Bandits before retiring after tearing his UCL and undergoing Tommy John surgery. In the summer of 2019, he came out of retirement at the request of Holowaty – the current president of the Greater Hartford Twilight League– to resuscitate a struggling East Hartford franchise. As a player-coach, he helped lead the Jets to the GHTL championship this past summer.

In 2018, Schult earned a B.S. Degree in Accounting from Marist College and is employed at Blum Shapiro as a senior consultant, and resides in Simsbury.

**Jim Schult (center) and his teammates had plenty to celebrate after he scored the winning run when the East Hartford Jets won the GHTBL title this past summer.**

ARTICLE FROM GOWARRIORSATHLETICS.COM

Fri, December 4, 2020Sun, June 26, 2022 by Weston Ulbrich

Hartford’s Minor League Club Part II: The Senators (1902-1915)

The Hartford Senators remain Connecticut’s most enduring baseball franchise of all-time. For more than three decades (1902-1934) the Senators were Hartford’s headliner club. The minor league team became an elite training ground for players on their way to the Major Leagues. Legends like Lou Gehrig, Jim Thorpe, Leo Durocher and Hank Greenberg honed their skills in Hartford. The following chronology recounts the Senators during their early years (1902-1915) when minor league championships were a significant source of local pride. Since entering the minors in 1878, the City of Hartford had been deprived of a pennant, but the Senators would change that fact.

Minor Leagues

Championship Seasons

1909
1913
1915

Notable Hartford Senators of the early years

Ira Thomas, Catcher (1902-1903)
Bill Foxen, Pitcher (1904-1905)
Jack Lelivelt, First Baseman (1907)
Ray Fisher, Pitcher (1908-1909)
Hugh High, Outfielder (1911-1912)
Benny Kauff, Outfielder (1913)
Jim Delahanty, Player-manager (1915)

Charles A. Soby, Owner, Hartford Senators, 1902.

In 1902, Hartford joined the Connecticut League. The club was headed by Charles A. Soby and headquartered at Soby’s cigar store at 867 Main Street. Home games were held at Wethersfield Avenue Grounds, also called Hartford Baseball Park. The team was nicknamed “Senators” most likely by sports editors at the Hartford Times newspaper. Two-time World Series champion catcher of the Philadelphia Phillies, Ira Thomas played his rookie season for the Senators. Frank Reisling was Hartford’s player-manager and guided them to a fourth place finish. Reisling later sued the club over unpaid wages after being fired for recruiting players to a team in Toledo, Ohio.

Ira Thomas, Catcher, Hartford Senators, 1902.

Doc Reisling, Manager, Hartford Senators, 1902.

In 1903, the Hartford franchise was purchased by magnates William J. Tracy of Bristol and Thomas Reilly of Meriden. The Senators rejoined the Connecticut League and Reilly acted as manager. The team consisted of a fresh roster, except for Ira Thomas who returned as catcher. New signees included Walter Ahearn of New Haven, Bill Luby of Meriden and Billy Derwin of Waterbury. The infield featured Larry Battam at third base and captain Bert Daly at second base. Hartford struggled during their rebuild and ended up last in the league.

Thomas Reilly, Manager, Hartford Senators, 1903.

Walter Ahearn, Catcher, Hartford Senators, 1903.

Dr. Bert Daly, Second Baseman, Hartford Senators, 1903.

Bill Luby, First Baseman, Hartford Senators, 1903.

Before the 1904 season, Thomas Reilly was elected Mayor of Meriden. Then he sold his shares in the Hartford club to William J. Tracy. As sole owner of the Senators (and later President of the Connecticut League), Tracy appointed his friend and Bristol-based barber John E. Kennedy as manager. The only man to reappear from the previous season was second baseman Bert Daly. New players like Bill Foxen, Bill Karns and Tom Bannon entered the fold. The Senators had a losing record (53-61), and Hartford’s decades-long championship drought continued.

William Tracy, Owner, Hartford Senators, 1904.

Thomas O’Hare, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1904.

John E. Kennedy, Manager, Hartford Senators, 1904.

In September of 1904, Hartford was introduced to James H. Clarkin, proprietor of the Senators for the next 24 years. When Tracy decided to sell the club, Clarkin and Daly became owners. Clarkin leased Wethersfield Avenue Grounds for the next six years for $600 per year. Hartford fans took special trolleys to the well-kept Wethersfield Avenue Grounds. Starring for the club were pitching prospect, Pete Wilson of Springfield, Massachusetts, and shortstop Harry Noyes of New Haven. In Clarkin’s first season as owner, the Senators of 1905 had a winning record (58-55).

Hartford trolley assigned for ball games, 1905.

James Clarkin, Owner, Hartford Senators, 1905.

Peter Wilson, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1905.

Harry Noyes, Shortstop, Hartford Senators, 1905.

Neal Doherty, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1905.

Frank Doran, Catcher, Hartford Senators, 1905.

After the 1905 season, Clarkin sold his top pitcher William Foxen to Providence for $250. The sale of Foxen was the first of many transacted by Clarkin, who acquired a reputation for selling players. In 1906, Bert Daly served as player-manager until midway through the season, when he left to practice medicine in his hometown in Bayonne, New Jersey. Clarkin became sole owner of the Senators and Harry Noyes was named player-manager. Hartford signed Herman Bronkie of Manchester, Connecticut, a rookie third baseman who later signed with the Cleveland Naps.

New players on the Hartford Senators, 1906.

Bert Daly, Player-Manager, Hartford, 1906.

Despite another lackluster season, Hartford retained its core in 1907. Harry Noyes held onto his player-manager role and Pete Wilson returned as pitching ace. Career minor leaguers Charlie Fallon, Ed Justice and Billy Luyster came back to the Senators. Newcomers included first baseman Jack Rothfuss and outfielder Izzy Hoffman. Owner Clarkin recruited a Dutch immigrant and an all-time minor leaguer, Jack Lelivelt on a tip from Philadelphia manager Connie Mack. That year, Clarkin offered the Senators a $100 bonus for a five game win streak. While popular with players, the bonus scheme failed and Hartford finished fifth in the Connecticut League.

Billy Luyster, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1907.

Jack Lelivelt, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1907.

Izzy Hoffman, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1907.

Proprietor Clarkin sought to retool Hartford by hiring veteran leadership for 1908. During the offseason, Thomas Dowd, a big league journeyman and assumed managerial duties and all baseball operations. Dowd lured players such as Ray Fisher, a pitching phenom, Hank Schumann, a reliable strike-thrower and Bob Connery, a muscle-bound first baseman. There was also Earle Gardner, a second basemen destined for the New York Yankees and Chick Evans, an 18 year old who threw a perfect game for the Senators on July 21, 1908. Hartford had its finest team to date, but lost to Springfield by a half game in the last days of the season.

Hartford Senators at Wethersfield Avenue Grounds, 1908.

A disappointing conclusion to Hartford’s 1908 season lit a fire under the Senators in 1909. Clarkin appointed Bob Connery player-manager in place of Thomas Dowd who reportedly struggled with alcoholism. New additions Jimmy Hart and Jack Wanner led the squad in batting. With masterful pitching and defense, Connery’s crew captured first place. Hartford outlasted second place Holyoke and finally won their first championship. On September 13, 1909, the Senators were honored with a parade on Main Street, a ceremony outside Connecticut’s Old State House, a musical performance at Hartford Theater and a late night banquet at Hotel Garde.

1909 Hartford Senators, Connecticut League Champions.

Johnny Wanner, Second Baseman, Hartford, 1909.

Quartet of players, Hartford Senators, 1909.

Michael Wadleigh, Catcher, Hartford, 1909.

New players for the Hartford Senators, 1909.

George Metzger, Third Baseman, Hartford Senators, 1909.

In 1910, the Senators were the envy of the Connecticut League. A pennant flag flew over the pristine Hartford Baseball Park. The venue had a smooth playing surface, player clubhouses and concession stands. Meanwhile, Clarkin further delegated his duties by creating the Hartford Baseball Club Board of Strategy. The group devised plans and scouted players like pitchers Buck O’Brien and Carl Lundgren. Though it was player-manager Bob Connery who picked up a rookie from St. Louis, Wally Rehg who was later dubbed the world’s sassiest player. Amid high expectations, the Senators underachieved to fourth place – six games behind first place Waterbury.

First day’s workout, Hartford Senators, 1910.

Senators at Hartford Baseball Park, 1910.

John Vann, First Baseman, Hartford Senators, 1910.

Walter Rehg, Utility, Hartford Senators, 1910.

Buck O’Brien, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1910.

Board of Strategy, Hartford Senators, 1910.

Carl Lundgren, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1910.

William Moore, Groundskeeper, Hartford Baseball Park, 1910.

Before the 1911 season, Connecticut League officials increased the championship purse from $25 to $100 to attract better talent. That year, rookie outfielder Hugh High rose to local stardom by hitting for a .302 average in 431 at bats. Former Boston Doves pitcher Tom McCarthy only played half of the season, yet he twirled 15 wins. A low point for the club came when they were caught drinking alcohol on a Sunday at Lighthouse Point in New Haven. Arrest warrants were issued for nine Hartford players including manager Connery but the charges were later dropped. The Senators fell short of a title but finished in a respectable third place.

Clint Ford, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1911.

Hugh High, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1911.

Robert Henry Ray, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1911.

Nick Lakoff, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1911.

John Hickey, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1911.

Herman Shincel, Catcher, Hartford Senators, 1911.

As winter descended on Hartford, Jim Clarkin renewed his lease of the Wethersfield Avenue Grounds for ten more years. He then built the largest grandstand in the league to seat more spectators. When the 1912 season began, Bob Connery suited up for his last managerial campaign. Connery would later discover Rogers Hornsby as a scout for the St. Louis Cardinals. Hartford also added Benny Kauff who batted .321 in 53 games. Hugh High led the Connecticut League with 145 base hits and 5 homers. Si McDonald served as primary catcher and captained Hartford to second place.

A new grandstand at Hartford Baseball Park, 1912.

New Players of the Hartford Senators, 1912.

Bob “Tom” J. Connery, Player-Manager, Hartford Senators, 1912.

Hugh High, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1912.

Si McDonald, Catcher, Hartford Senators, 1912.

Bill Powers, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1912

At an offseason meeting, President Jim O’Rourke and Connecticut League officials renamed the loop the Eastern Association, reflecting the inclusion of three Massachusetts clubs. In preparation for the 1913 season, the Senators announced Si McDonald as Hartford’s player-manager. Important acquisitions were shortstop, Bill Morley, second baseman, Jim Curry and first baseman, Mickey Keliher. Center fielder Benny Kauff had one of the Senators’ best seasons, leading the league with 176 hits and a .345 batting average. Behind superior hitting and pitching, Hartford won 83 games and another triumphant league championship.

Benny Kauff, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1913.

Gus Gardella, Shortstop, Hartford Senators, 1913.

Eastern Association final standings, 1913.

Most of Hartford’s title winners appeared again in 1914. Si McDonald became full-time manager while Hartford-born Jack Muldoon was promoted to starting catcher. Eventually McDonald was deposed by owner Clarkin, who assigned the job to a veteran manager, Dan O’Neil. New arrivals Ed Barney and Jack Hoey were Hartford’s most productive hitters. Pitchers Clyde Geist and Fred Rieger carved out brilliant seasons and were among the league leaders in wins. When the Eastern Association wrapped, the Senators had completed a tenth consecutive season with a winning record.

Dan O’Neil, Manager, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Maurice Kennedy, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Jimmy Curry, Second Baseman, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Jack Hoey, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Roger Salmon, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Ed Goeb, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Mickey Keliher, First Baseman, Hartford Senators, 1914.

Murray Parker, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1914.

James Crowley, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1914.

In 1915, proprietor Clarkin abandoned the Eastern Association. Instead, he entered Hartford into the Colonial League, loosely affiliated with the infamous Federal League. Shortly before the season, 36 year old infielder Jim Delahanty was named player-manager. He mashed a .379 batting average, earned MVP of the league and led the Senators to the Colonial League pennant. Other players on the squad were former Federal Leaguers with the Brooklyn Tip Tops and the Newark Pepper. A mix of outcasts won Hartford its third pennant during a span of six years.

1915 Hartford Senators, L to R: Back Row – Mike Simon, George Textor, Dennis Gillooly, Gus Helfrich, Gil Whitehouse, Aime Proulx and Fred Trautman. Front Row – Blondie Sherman, Henry Demoe, Jim Delahanty, Jack Murray and Ray Werre.

Gil Whitehouse, Outfielder, Hartford Senators, 1915.

Clyde Geist, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1915.

Bill Jensen, Pitcher, Hartford Senators, 1915.

Hartford Senators on the New York Yankees, 1915.

Sources

Wed, September 9, 2020Sat, March 27, 2021 by Weston Ulbrich

Bristol’s Baseball Magnate, William J. Tracy

Bristol, Connecticut, is home to Muzzy Field as well as a distinguished baseball history. One the most significant figures in Bristol’s baseball chronicles is William J. Tracy; the man who prompted the construction of Muzzy Field. Also known as Bill Tracy, he was baseball club owner, executive and friend of legendary managers Connie Mack of the Philadelphia Athletics and John McGraw of the New York Giants. A photograph of Tracy and Mack at the 1911 World Series has been curated by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

William J. Tracy was born in Bristol on January 1, 1869. He spent his youth working at the Central Meat Market on North Main Street. Eventually Tracy became sole proprietor of the meat market, later called the Bristol Beef Company. As a respected young man around town he was elected Constable of Bristol in 1894. However, Tracy’s real passion was the national game of baseball. So when the meat business paid off, he decided to finance a top-rate Bristol club in the Connecticut League.

In 1900, Bill Tracy became an of the Bristol Baseball Association. He joined fellow proprietors, State Representative Otto F. Strunz and a barbershop owner named John E. Kennedy who later became the state’s chief umpire. The town was overjoyed to have a team in the Connecticut League with Tracy at the helm. While in charge of the club, he also acted as umpire on multiple occasions. The following season cemented Bristol’s admiration for Tracy when he led Bristol to the 1901 state league championship.

The Journal (Meriden, Connecticut), June, 14, 1901.

Bristol was the smallest town in the Connecticut League circuit, yet they conquered the competition. Bill Tracy’s club of 1901 won the pennant over second place Bridgeport. Bristol featured player-manager and pitching ace Doc Reisling who went on to play major league ball for the Brooklyn Superbas and Washington Senators. There was also Ted Scheffler an outfielder from New York City, Red Owens an infielder from Pottsville, Pennsylvania, and Andy Anderson, a catcher from Detroit, Michigan. Connecticut’s baseball community praised Bristol for winning the league in honorable fashion.

In spite of their first championship, Tracy’s club was not invited back to the Connecticut League in 1902. League officials cited revenue issues due to the small size of Bristol. Tracy wholeheartedly disagreed with the snub of his championship team. Hall of Fame player-manager Jim O’Rourke of the Bridgeport club was reported to have headed the cabal who dismissed Bristol. President of the Connecticut League, Sturges Whitlock upheld the decision. Tracy was only temporarily discouraged and held no grudge against O’Rourke. The next summer Tracy funded a Bristol squad, “The Flats” in the Town Amateur Baseball League.

Jim O’Rourke, Secretary, Connecticut League, 1901.

Sturges Whitlock, President, Connecticut League, 1901.

When presented the opportunity, Bill Tracy returned to the Connecticut League in 1903 by purchasing the Hartford Senators franchise. After two unremarkable seasons as head of the Hartford club, he decided to pursue a position as a league officer. He sold his ownership stake in the Hartford Senators to would-be longtime owner, James H. Clarkin and the team’s captain, Bert Daly for $5,000. In 1905, Tracy was appointed Vice President of the Connecticut League, the forerunner of the Eastern League. By October of 1906, Tracy was voted in as President.

The Connecticut League was a professional association whose teams were unaffiliated with Major League clubs. The minor leagues were classified by playing level on a scale of Class A to Class F. Bill Tracy was president of the Class B Connecticut League until 1912. His role consisted of disciplining players and settled disputes between clubs hailing from cities like Hartford, Meriden, Bridgeport, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Springfield and Holyoke. He was also tasked with managing relationships with big league clubs who often signed state league players known as “contract jumpers”.

William J. Tracy, President, Connecticut League, 1906.

Outside of baseball, Bill Tracy was appointed to the Bristol Trust Company Board of Directors in 1907 and to the Bristol National Bank Board of Directors in 1909. Tracy served as a charter member of the Bristol Board of Park Commissioners and as superintendent of Bristol Parks for 15 years until his retirement in 1935. In this position he was instrumental in the acquisition and development of Memorial Boulevard, Rockwell Park and Muzzy Field – named after Adrian J. Muzzy of Bristol, a prominent businessman and State Senator who donated land for the ballpark in memory of his two sons who died young.

Commemorative plaque at Muzzy Field, 2015.

Muzzy Field, Bristol, Connecticut, 2015.

Like Adrian Muzzy, Bill Tracy aggressively sought to improve Bristol while capitalizing on business opportunities. He founded a real estate and insurance company that later became Tracy-Driscoll Insurance. At 68 years old, Tracy passed away on December 1, 1937 after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. He is remembered as a baseball executive, businessman, public servant, philanthropist and family man. Tracy was married 43 years to Ellen Lacey Tracy. They had 4 sons, Paul, Joseph, Francis, and William E. Tracy; all of whom played baseball.

Francis “Tommy” Tracy was a clever pitcher who captained the Dartmouth College ball club. William E. Tracy founded Bristol Sports Promotion who owned and operated the Hartford Bees of the Eastern League in 1947 and 1948. William J. Tracy and his family pioneered for Bristol a lasting reputation as one of the great baseball towns in America. In 2002, Tracy’s many contributions were honored when he was inducted into the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame.

Sources:

Hartford Courant database (Newspapers.com)

Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League

Connecticut's premier summer league since 1929.