New Bedford Bay Sox

New Bedford Bay Sox

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The New Bedford Bay Sox are a baseball team that plays in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a collegiate summer baseball league located in the northeastern United States region of New England. The team is located in New Bedford, Massachusetts. New Bedford's Paul Walsh Field serves as the home field of the Bay Sox. Th NECBL's players use wooden bats, as opposed to aluminum, and are college baseball players recruited from the top intercollegiate baseball programs in the United States. The franchise has appeared in league finals four times in their history, all as the Torrington Twisters (1997, 1998, 2003, 2006), and have twice played host to the NECBL All-Star Game as the Twisters (1998, 2008). Pat and Beth O'Connor, owners of Little Fenway and Little Wrigley joined the ownership team of the New Bedford Bay Sox in October, 2011, and signed a 3-year lease to play at Paul Walsh Field. In November 2011, former MLB player Rick Miller was announced as the 2012 Bay Sox manager. Miller was succeeded as manager prior to the 2015 season by Westport, MA native and former Boston Red Sox draft pick Kyle Fernandes. Fernandes has led the Bay Sox to back-to-back postseason appearances in his two seasons as manager, most recently losing in a three-game series to the eventual NECBL Champions the Mystic Schooners.

History

In Torrington, the team's longest-serving head coach was former Chicago Cubs player Moe Morhardt. Coaching from 1998 to 2004, he led the team to four playoff appearances.

Relocation

Former Twisters Logo (1997-2007)

On December 17, 2008, franchise owners Robin Wadsworth and Rita Hubner, along with New Bedford mayor Scott Lang, announced the relocation of the Torrington Twisters from Torrington, Connecticut to New Bedford, Massachusetts. The team became the New Bedford Bay Sox. They also announced the agreement to a three-year lease deal for Paul Walsh Field in New Bedford. 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."

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 owners. The owners voiced their interest in keeping the team in New Bedford.

Franchise postseason appearances

Year	Division Semi-Finals		Division 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)

• *The NECBL did not separate into divisions until 2001.

MLB alumni

Year	Player	Position	MLB Team
1999	Kurt Birkins	LHP	Baltimore Orioles
1999	Mike Rabelo	C	Detroit Tigers
1999	Sean Green	RHP	Seattle Mariners
1999	Bobby Korecky	RHP	Minnesota Twins
2000	Charlton Jimerson	CF	Houston Astros
2003	Mike Parisi	RHP	St. Louis Cardinals
2006	Josh Zeid	RHP	Houston Astros
2006	Andrew Albers	LHP	Minnesota Twins
2007	Stephen Strasburg	RHP	Washington Nationals
2008	Steven Geltz	RHP	Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
2008	Eric Jokisch	RHP	Chicago Cubs
2008	Josh Smith	RHP	Cincinnati Reds
2009	Eric Goeddel	RHP	New York Mets
2009	Andrew Triggs	RHP	Oakland Athletics

• Chris Shaw, member of the 2013 Bay Sox team, was drafted in the 1st round (31st overall selection) by the San Francisco Giants in the 2015 MLB Draft. Shaw is currently ranked 3rd in the Giants' farm system.

References

• Twisters look for fresh start in '09 The Register Citizen
• Twisters dole out awards The Register Citizen
• South stars rise in NECBL showcase The Register Citizen

External links

• New Bedford Bay Sox Official site
• New England Collegiate Baseball League Official site