The New Bedford Bay Sox were a
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...
team that played in the
New England Collegiate Baseball League
The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...
, a
collegiate summer baseball league operating in the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
region of the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
. The team was located in
New Bedford, Massachusetts, and called
Paul Walsh Field its home ballpark for eleven seasons.
History
Relocation
On December 17, 2008,
Torrington Twisters
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, Massachuset ...
owners Robin Wadsworth and Rita Hubner, along with New Bedford mayor Scott W. Lang, announced the relocation of the franchise from
Torrington, Connecticut
Torrington is the most populated municipality and only city in Litchfield County, Connecticut and the Northwest Hills region. It is also the core city of Greater Torrington, one of the largest micropolitan areas in the United States. The city p ...
, 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." 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
Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
residents Jim and Effie Dragon joined as minority partners in the operation. All owners voiced their interest in keeping the team in New Bedford.
[Bay Sox have new partners, new GM heading to 2011](_blank)
at southcoasttoday.com, URL accessed December 27, 2010
Archived
12-27-2010
In October 2011, Pat and Beth O'Connor – owners of the Little Fenway, Little Wrigley, and Little Field of Dreams
Wiffle ball
Wiffle ball, a team sport developed in 1953 in Fairfield, Connecticut, is a scaled back variation of baseball designed for playing in a confined space. The sport is played using a perforated light-weight plastic ball and a long hollow plastic ...
parks in
Essex, Vermont
Essex is a town in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Vermont Route 289 crosses the town from east to west. The city of Essex Junction, population 10,590, was located within the town as an incorporated village until 2022.
History
The ...
– 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.
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
Westport (Massachusett: ) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census.
The village of North Westport lies in the town. Other named areas of the town are "Westport Point," which has a do ...
, native and former
Boston Red Sox
The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East division. Founded in as one of the American League's eigh ...
draft pick Kyle Fernandes. 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
* *The NECBL did not separate into divisions until 2001.
MLB alumni
* 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.
*
Jared Shuster (born 1998), baseball pitcher, first round 2020 MLB draft pick
References
Twisters look for fresh start in '09The Register Citizen
Twisters dole out awardsThe Register Citizen
South stars rise in NECBL showcaseThe Register Citizen
External links
New England Collegiate Baseball League Official site
{{Massachusetts Sports
1997 establishments in Connecticut
2019 disestablishments in Massachusetts
Amateur baseball teams in Massachusetts
Baseball teams established in 1997
Baseball teams disestablished in 2019
Defunct baseball teams in Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New England Collegiate Baseball League teams
Sports in Bristol County, Massachusetts