New Bedford Bay Sox

Last updated
New Bedford Bay Sox
NBBaySox.png Baysoxcap.png
Team logoCap insignia
Information
League NECBL  (Southern Division)
Location New Bedford, MA (2009–2019)
Ballpark Paul Walsh Field (2009–2019)
Founded1997
Folded2019
Post-Season Division championships4 (1997, 1998, 2003, 2006)
Regular-Season Division championships4 (2001, 2002, 2004, 2007)
Former name(s)Torrington Twisters (1997–2008)
Former league(s)
  • NECBL
    • Southern Division (2004–2008)
    • Western Division (2002)
    • National Division (2001)
Former ballparks Fuessenich Park (1997–2008)
ColorsNavy, Red
  
MascotSlamu the whale
OwnershipStephen King (President)
ManagerChris Cabe
General ManagerTammy Silveira
Website www.nbbaysox.com

The New Bedford Bay Sox were a baseball team that played in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league operating in the New England region of the United States. The team was located in New Bedford, Massachusetts, and called Paul Walsh Field its home ballpark for eleven seasons.

Contents

History

Relocation

Former Twisters Logo (1997-2007) TorringtonTwisters.png
Former Twisters Logo (1997–2007)

On December 17, 2008, Torrington Twisters owners Robin Wadsworth and Rita Hubner, along with New Bedford mayor Scott W. Lang, announced the relocation of the franchise from Torrington, Connecticut, to New Bedford, Massachusetts. Also made public was the fact that the team had entered into an agreement to lease the city's Paul Walsh Field for three seasons. At the press conference, Wadsworth was quoted as saying, "New Bedford has a sense of pride, community and passion that clearly shines through; their enthusiasm is second to none. It quickly became a virtual no-brainer, the minute we engaged with Mayor Lang, Matt Morrissey and other community leaders." [1] The team, renamed the New Bedford Bay Sox, made its debut on June 4, 2009, in front of a home crowd of nearly 4,000 fans.

On December 26, 2010, changes were announced in the Bay Sox ownership. While owners Wadsworth and Hubner maintained their positions, Tewksbury, Massachusetts residents Jim and Effie Dragon joined as minority partners in the operation. All owners voiced their interest in keeping the team in New Bedford. [2]

In October 2011, Pat and Beth O'Connor – owners of the Little Fenway, Little Wrigley, and Little Field of Dreams Wiffle ball parks in Essex, Vermont – purchased majority interest in the Bay Sox from Wadsworth and Hubner. The O'Connors would operate the team for the next five seasons.

One of the O'Connors' first moves was to hire former MLB player Rick Miller as the Bay Sox manager in November 2011. In his debut season at the helm, the former Boston Red Sox and California Angels outfielder would be named the NECBL's 2012 Manager of the Year. [3]

After three years as Bay Sox manager, Miller retired at the conclusion of the 2014 season. He was succeeded by his pitching coach, Westport, Massachusetts, native and former Boston Red Sox draft pick Kyle Fernandes. [4] Fernandes led the Bay Sox to back-to-back postseason appearances in his two seasons as manager.

In December 2016, local ownership took control of the Bay Sox when the O'Connors sold most of their shares in the team to Stephen King and Tammy Silveira. The pair would oversee operation of the ball club for its final three seasons, with Silveira serving as the club's general manager. Unfortunately, said campaigns saw the team finish last in the NECBL's Southern Division for three straight years. Exacerbating the team's woes in 2019 was the fact that nine of 21 Bay Sox home games were postponed by rain. At the conclusion of the season, it was announced that the Bay Sox were suspending operations and would not return to the NECBL in 2020.

Franchise postseason appearances

YearDivision Semi-FinalsDivision Finals*NECBL Championship Series
Torrington Twisters
1997 Danbury Westerners W (2–0) Middletown Giants L (1–2)
1998 Rhode Island Gulls W (2–0) Middletown Giants L (1–2)
2001 Keene Swamp Bats L (1–2)
2002 Keene Swamp Bats L (1–2)
2003 Middletown Giants W (2–0) Newport Gulls W (2–0) Keene Swamp Bats L (0–2)
2004 Newport Gulls L (1–2)
2006 North Adams SteepleCats W (2–0) Newport Gulls W (2–0) Vermont Mountaineers L (0–2)
2007 Manchester Silkworms W (2–0) Newport Gulls L (0–2)
New Bedford Bay Sox
2009 Newport Gulls L (0–2)
2012 Laconia Muskrats W (2–0) Newport Gulls L (0–2)
2015 Mystic Schooners L (0–2)
2016 Mystic Schooners L (1–2)

MLB alumni

YearPlayerPositionMLB Team
1999Kurt BirkinsLHP Baltimore Orioles
1999Mike RabeloC Detroit Tigers
1999Sean GreenRHP Seattle Mariners
1999Bobby KoreckyRHP Minnesota Twins
2000Charlton JimersonCF Houston Astros
2003Mike ParisiRHP St. Louis Cardinals
2006 Josh Zeid RHP Houston Astros
2006Andrew AlbersLHP Minnesota Twins
2007 Stephen Strasburg RHP Washington Nationals
2008Steven GeltzRHP Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2008Eric JokischRHP Chicago Cubs
2008Josh SmithRHP Cincinnati Reds
2009Eric GoeddelRHP New York Mets
2009Andrew TriggsRHP Oakland Athletics

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References

  1. ↑ http://www.nbbaysox.com/nbbs/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35:new-bedford-lands-new-england-collegiate-baseball-league-team&catid=18:press-releases Bay Sox news page, URL accessed December 19, 2008
  2. ↑ Bay Sox have new partners, new GM heading to 2011 at southcoasttoday.com, URL accessed December 27, 2010. Archived 12-27-2010
  3. ↑ "Bay Sox Welcome Former MLB Star Rick Miller as Manager". South Coast Today. 29 November 2011. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  4. ↑ Writer, Bill Abramson Contributing. "2015 Bay Sox Preview: Westport's Kyle Fernandes has gone from playing to managing". southcoasttoday.com. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  5. ↑ "Giants draft impact hitter Shaw". mlb.com.
  6. ↑ "MLB.com 2016 Prospect Watch". Major League Baseball. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
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