Mike DiMauro: From Connor Clutch to Connor Coach
Aug. 3—GROTON — It has been suggested that if you chase your dreams, your nightmares will grow tired of chasing you. A nice sentiment. But what happens if your metaphorical nightmare pays the bills a whole lot better?
This was Connor Lewis' life not long ago, the young college graduate working a construction management job that applied his business administration degree from the University of Hartford nicely, but left him hollow where it most counted: his heart.
"I thought about baseball every day," Lewis said.
And it was in those moments that Connor Clutch, as he was known back in his days at Waterford High, knew his destiny was Connor Coach, bank account be damned. Now after assistant coaching stints at Nichols and Mitchell, Connor Lewis is the new sheriff at tradition stuffed UConn Avery Point, where they only named a field after program founder Roger Bidwell.
"The whole desk job thing wasn't for me," Lewis, 26, was saying earlier this week. "At the time I went to Nichols, I knew that was the time in my life to do it. Young, no real responsibilities. Best decision I ever made."
Lewis later worked under Travis Beausoleil, the best baseball coach in Mitchell history. Beausoleil left to become Avery Point's new athletic director after this past season. Now Beausoleil's protege runs a program that Bidwell took to the Junior College World Series multiple times. It's just that no such baseball job pays anything close to construction management.
"I've picked up jobs where I can," Lewis said. "I've done substitute teaching. Cutting grass. I'm a simple guy. I don't need a ton."
Lewis is among the most accomplished athletes in Waterford's estimable history. He pitched at Division I Hartford, after a high school career that featured a no-hitter. He hit two game winning shots in the state tournament for the basketball team — both on March 11 — of 2014 and 2015. But maybe what cemented him into town lore and legend came after he graduated high school.
Lewis learned one day in mid-June that his dad, David, died of a heart attack at 50. David Lewis, a Senior Information Director at Travelers, was a gentle, decent, understated, family man. He celebrated Connor's high school graduation on a Thursday night. He was dead Friday morning. The town was heartbroken. There were no words.
But there were actions two days later. Connor Lewis, the middle son in the family, decided to play in both games of Waterford American Legion's doubleheader.
He pitched a two-hit shutout over Tri-Town in the second game.
His first at bat: base hit.
His second at bat: base hit.
His third at bat: base hit.
His fourth at bat: double.
He had three hits in the first game, too. That's 7-for-8. Two days after abject tragedy.
Note to the baseball players of Avery Point: You're getting a dude here.
"I think some of the things I've gone through in my life have helped me relate to the players better," Lewis said. "Everybody's life is a little bit different. You've got to let the guys be themselves but remind them that baseball is tough. Sports are tough. Keep a level head. Everybody has a different way of competing. I want to help kids build mental toughness, knowing it's not one size fits all."
Lewis' college career unwittingly prepared him for coaching. A number of injuries forced him to approach sports differently.
"College didn't go the way I envisioned it would," Lewis said. "But I'm grateful for the ups and downs because they helped me appreciate being around it more. It taught me to lead in a different way."
Is he ready for this at 26? The evidence will begin to present itself soon. But not many other 26 year olds have his perspective.
"Avery Point is a storied program," Lewis said. "A beautiful campus. The opportunity to be part of a winning tradition and a great school was a no brainer for me."
This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro
