Local, summer baseball has started: How will the Norwich Sea Unicorns fare this season?

Jimmy Zanor, The Bulletin
·3 min read

NORWICH — When Major League Baseball made the decision two years ago to reorganize and uproot the entire minor league system, it left teams from the iconic New York-Penn League for dead.

Among those on life support were the Connecticut Tigers, the Class A affiliate for the Detroit Tigers that had just changed its name to the Norwich Sea Unicorns before being left out of MLB’s new licensing agreement for minor league teams.

The Sea Unicorns, however, found a new home in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat summer league that was founded in 2010. With a roster of unpaid college players, and a few recent high school graduates who were committed to college teams, the Sea Unicorns made a historic debut last summer.

Sea Unicorn manager Devin Belenski talks about his team Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.
Sea Unicorn manager Devin Belenski talks about his team Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.

Playing home games at Dodd Stadium and competing against teams from Vermont, Pittsfield (Ma.), Brockton (Ma.), Worcester (Ma.), Westfield (Ma.), Nashua (N.H.) and New Britain, the Sea Unicorns finished 27-40 in their inaugural season.

The Sea Unicorns’ second season in the Futures League began on Thursday night in New Britain. They will also meet New Britain in their home opener on Monday.

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Sea Unicorns manager Devin Belenski is expecting big things this summer.

“Winning a championship … that's what we are here to do,” Belenski said. “That’s what is going to bring fans here. They want to see winning in Norwich. We have a great place for it. We have a lot of things going on. We’re excited to get the atmosphere back.”

Sea Unicorn players Jackson Ferrigno of Farmington, attending UConn, left, and Zac Zyons of South Kingston, R. I., attending Bryant University, throw a football with teammates in the locker room after baseball practice Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.
Sea Unicorn players Jackson Ferrigno of Farmington, attending UConn, left, and Zac Zyons of South Kingston, R. I., attending Bryant University, throw a football with teammates in the locker room after baseball practice Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.

Belenski’s optimism stems from having a year’s experience in the league and also having a new roster for 2022.

“The lineup was a revolving door last year,” said Belenski, who was hired just two weeks before the season started when manager Eric Campbell returned to play in the minors. “We did a really good job early and then towards the back end of the season a lot of the guys were leaving. This year I knew exactly what I wanted out of these early practices. I knew what hurt us last year and now we have a set plan and goals.”

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Belenski just finished his first season as an assistant coach at Yale. He was formerly the director of player development at UConn. The Sea Unicorns is his first head coaching job.

“The big thing for me was this was my first time doing something like this, summer baseball in general, so it was getting out here and knowing what the league is,” Belenski said. “It was my first time being a head coach. So it's being accountable for everything that happens because it is 100% on you. You want to make sure you're doing the best job you can every single day and having the propensity to grow and learn and get better.”

Sea Unicorn player Ben Jerome of Waterford, attending Nichols College, returns to the locker room after baseball practice Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.
Sea Unicorn player Ben Jerome of Waterford, attending Nichols College, returns to the locker room after baseball practice Wednesday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich.

The Sea Unicorns roster features players from Division I schools UConn, Northeastern, Bryant, Fairfield, Sacred Heart, Quinnipiac, Maryland and Central Connecticut State.

Fans will also get to cheer on some local players, among them are Mitchell College outfielders Hunter Yaworski (Brooklyn) and Doug DelaCruz (Uncasville), pitchers Griffin Pontbirant (Eastern CT State/Bozrah), Eddie Kaftan (Mitchell/Old Lyme), Ryan O’Connell (St. Bonaventure/Waterford), and Connor Podeszwa (Tufts/Waterford), and catcher Ben Jerome (Nichols/Waterford).

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“We have a lot of really talented players,” Belenski said. “We have a lot of homegrown guys that are doing a really good job, and that really represents Norwich as well. We're a Connecticut team so getting guys that represent our state and who will engage in our community, that’s going to be important for us and our success.”

This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Norwich Sea Unicorns baseball team to play home opener May 30