Men - Local trio playing key role in Eastern Connecticut's baseball success (JI) | The Boneyard

Men Local trio playing key role in Eastern Connecticut's baseball success (JI)

ECSU has a history of being a strong D3 baseball team. Before the new baseball facility was built at UConn, Eastern for a number of years had a baseball facility that was certainly better then J.O. Christian field at UConn.

In addition to the 3 former UConn players mentioned in the above tweet, there are a few other guys on the Eastern baseball team who have connections to UConn baseball. Outfielder Ryan Bagdasarian is another guy who spent time on the UConn baseball roster who was redshirted and never played a spring regular season game with the Huskies. Bagdasarian also played at Avery Point. Pitcher Tommy Benincaso was never on the playing roster for UConn baseball, but spent a few years with the team as a bullpen catcher for the Huskies. And finally, freshman catcher Hank Penders, the son of the UConn head coach, is also on the team.
 
WrenchFan69 said:
Some very good college baseball in Connecticut these days. UConn the premier D1 team in the northeast, Avery Point a consistent JuCo contender, ECSU with multiple D3 national championships. Love to see it
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Have to admit I miss to a certain degree the days when UConn baseball always seemed to have Avery Point transfers on the roster. That pipeline seems to have ended a few years ago (it seemed to have coincided pretty much with the retirement of long time Avery Point coach Roger Bidwell), but that's the way things go. The UConn baseball program seems to be in a better place these days, but it is a piece of the recent past that I miss. UConn baseball is certainly getting quality transfers and recruits into the program from various other sources.
 
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dbmill said:
Have to admit I miss to a certain degree the days when UConn baseball always seemed to have Avery Point transfers on the roster. That pipeline seems to have ended a few years ago (it seemed to have coincided pretty much with the retirement of long time Avery Point coach Roger Bidwell), but that's the way things go. The UConn baseball program seems to be in a better place these days, but it is a piece of the recent past that I miss. UConn baseball is certainly getting quality transfers and recruits into the program from various other sources.
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I enjoy walking around the Avery Point campus and have seen some batting cages, etc. where do they play their games?
 
TRest said:
I enjoy walking around the Avery Point campus and have seen some batting cages, etc. where do they play their games?
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Back up the road a bit by EB @ Washington Park.
 
TRest said:
I enjoy walking around the Avery Point campus and have seen some batting cages, etc. where do they play their games?
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huskymedic said:
Back up the road a bit by EB @ Washington Park.
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The baseball field that Avery Point baseball plays at in Washington Park in Groton has just been renamed in honor of long time Avery Point baseball coach Roger Bidwell:

www.theday.com

Roger Bidwell Field is the perfect tribute to one of our all-time greats

Groton — The main event was still a few minutes away Sunday, the sunny weather befitting the occasion, when many of Roger Bidwell's former players passed the time through giggles. Some of them took be...
www.theday.com www.theday.com
 
They dont receive any funding from the AD. Their sports get monies from renting out the pool and basketball court for things like volleyball tournaments plus fundraisers. Not sure about weddings at the mansion. Before Roger they were coached by George Greer who also played at UConn then played in the Cardinal organization (made cover of SI). After AP he went on to be the HC at Davidson and Wake then MLB. Very fortunate to have had two terrific, committed coaches over a long period of time.
 
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dbmill said:
Have to admit I miss to a certain degree the days when UConn baseball always seemed to have Avery Point transfers on the roster. That pipeline seems to have ended a few years ago (it seemed to have coincided pretty much with the retirement of long time Avery Point coach Roger Bidwell), but that's the way things go. The UConn baseball program seems to be in a better place these days, but it is a piece of the recent past that I miss. UConn baseball is certainly getting quality transfers and recruits into the program from various other sources.
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Roger was a very good coach as well as a player. Played quite a few games against him and his New London Vagabond teammates late 70s-early 80’s. Really good guy too!
 
Here's something worth mentioning. Avery Point and University of Tampa has something in common. Henry Plant built Tampa Bay Hotel, which is now University of Tampa and he lived in the Mansion at Avery Point.
 
HuskyDogArt said:
Here's something worth mentioning. Avery Point and University of Tampa has something in common. Henry Plant built Tampa Bay Hotel, which is now University of Tampa and he lived in the Mansion at Avery Point.
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Same family. Son, Morton built the Branford House at Avery Point.
 
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-> Eastern left the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, but Tommy Benincaso, grad student from Norwalk, slammed the door over the final 2 2/3 innings, striking out two in the ninth, slamming his glove down as the final out was recorded on a ground ball. <-

-> Like UConn, Eastern’s team has been bolstered by transfers and grad students. Three of Eastern’s top players, Donahue, Bagdasarian and All-American Luke Broadhurst from Stafford, all began their college careers at UConn. <-
 
huskymedic said:



-> Eastern left the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth, but Tommy Benincaso, grad student from Norwalk, slammed the door over the final 2 2/3 innings, striking out two in the ninth, slamming his glove down as the final out was recorded on a ground ball. <-

-> Like UConn, Eastern’s team has been bolstered by transfers and grad students. Three of Eastern’s top players, Donahue, Bagdasarian and All-American Luke Broadhurst from Stafford, all began their college careers at UConn. <-
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And Tommy Benincaso was a bullpen catcher for UConn before transferring to Eastern. A lot of Husky flavor down the road from Storrs.
 
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Nice to see ECSU return to prominence after the long career and retirement of Holowaty. Good story on Benincaso as well.
 
When Christian Fedko talks… people listen.

Great story.




-> Eastern (49-3) won the school’s fifth DIII championship, but first since 2002 and first under Hamm. The Warriors did it with a roster full of state kids, many with neat stories, redemption stories, perseverance stories. Luke Broadhurst, Zach Donahue and Ryan Bagdasarian all came from UConn and settled in the top of the order, hitting .406, .327 and .358, respectively.

But bullpen catcher to pitching ace? Benincaso, 23, went 7-0 with a 2.51 ERA in 16 games, 10 starts, with 70 strikeouts and 16 walks in 75 1/3 innings.

“So happy for Tommy,” UConn coach Jim Penders said. “He did the toughest, most thankless job for us. He always had a great arm and confidence in bushels.” <-

-> As his senior year at UConn approached, Benincaso began throwing off a mound and he asked Ben Casparius, now with the Dodgers’ organization, to aim a pocket radar gun. Fedko’s suspicion was confirmed: Benincaso was throwing 91, 92 mph.

“I told [pitching coach] Josh MacDonald the next day, ‘I want to play college baseball,’ and that’s where it all started,” Benincaso said. Coach Mac was all for it, and the coaches were tremendous help in getting schools interested.”

MacDonald began working with him, and had him pitch in intrasquad games, startling the teammates who weren’t yet on to the secret, to get something on film. Benincaso got some offers from Division I mid-majors, but chose Eastern, which was coming off an NCAA regional appearance and hungry for more in 2022, and where he would have extra eligibility. <-
 
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