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Hartford Hawks
2023 Hartford Hawks baseball team
Founded1958
UniversityUniversity of Hartford
Head coachSteve Malinowski (2nd season)
ConferenceConference of New England
LocationWest Hartford, Connecticut
Home stadiumFiondella Field 1,000
Dunkin' Park 6,056
NicknameHawks
ColorsScarlet and white[1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2018
Conference tournament champions
2018
Regular season conference champions
2018

The Hartford Hawks baseball team is the varsity intercollegiate baseball program of the University of Hartford, located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The program is a member of the NCAA Division III Conference of New England. The program had been a member of the NCAA Division I America East Conference from 1985 to 2022. It has played home games at Fiondella Field since the venue opened at the start of the 2006 season.

History

[edit]

The Hartford Art School, Hartt College of Music, and Hillyer College merged to create the University of Hartford in February 1957. It began operation for the 1957–1958 school year.[2] Although some Hartford athletic programs, such as men's basketball, trace their history to the teams of Hillyer College, records for the baseball program begin with the 1958 season.[3]

Division II

[edit]

1958 was the program's first season of competition. It competed as a member of the NCAA College Division, made up of small-school athletic programs. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the program competed as an Independent and played a schedule of between ten and twenty games each season.[4]

The program's first head coach, Frank Klein, served in the position for three seasons (1958–1960). The program had a losing record in each season, and Klein's overall record was 14–29.[4][5] He later became the first commissioner of the Connecticut Collegiate Summer Baseball League.[6]

In 1961, Roger Wickman became the program's second head coach. In his first season, the program had its first winning record, going 7–5 in 1961. In 20 seasons as head coach, Wickman had six total winning seasons and finished with a career record of 146-178-5. Following the 1980 season, he stepped down from the head coaching position to become an administrator in Hartford's athletic department.[4][7]

During Wickman's tenure (following the 1973 season), the NCAA had reorganized its divisions. The large-school University Division became Division I, while the small-school College Division split to become Divisions II and III. Hartford, which had competed as a College Division Independent, became a Division II Independent.[8] It continued to compete as an Independent through Wickman's final season as head coach in 1980.[4]

In the 1980–1981 academic year, Hartford became a charter member of the Northeast-7 Conference, along with American International College, Assumption College, Bentley College, Bryant College, Springfield College, and Stonehill College. The league became known as the Northeast-8 Conference when Saint Anselm College joined for the 1981–1982 academic year.[9] In four seasons (1981–1984) as a member of the conference, Hartford had an overall record of 11–61, including winless seasons in 1983 and 1984.[4]

Division I

[edit]

For the start of the 1984–1985 academic year, Hartford's athletic programs transitioned to Division I, joining the ECAC. For the 1985 season, the program's first in Division I, it hired former Major League Baseball player Bill Denehy as its head coach. That season, the team went 2–24.[4] In 1986, Denehy's second season, the team's record improved slightly to 8–34. Denehy was fired during his third season for making inflammatory comments following a game against UConn in which two brawls broke out. Athletic director Don Cook, assisted by Wickman, coached the team for the remainder of the season.[4][7]

Bagwell with Major League Baseball's Houston Astros.

Prior to the start of the 1988 season, Hartford hired Quinnipiac head coach Dan Gooley as a permanent replacement for Denehy. In Gooley's first season, the Hawks went 29–12 and finished second in the ECAC Tournament. In 1989, the team went 17–15–1 to give the program consecutive winning seasons for the first time since 1971–1972. In 1992, the team went 27–21 and finished second in the North Atlantic Conference (which sponsored its first season of baseball in 1990), again appearing in the ECAC Tournament.[4][10]

In the late 1980s, future Major League Baseball player Jeff Bagwell played three seasons for the program. Recruited by Denehy, Bagwell played under him in 1987, then under Gooley from 1988 to 1989.[11][12] In 400 at bats with the program, Bagwell's batting average was .413, a program record.[13] Bagwell was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the 1989 MLB Draft.[14] He had a 15-year major league career with the Houston Astros in which he won a National League MVP Award and appeared in four All-Star Games.[15]

Following the 1992 season, Gooley left Hartford to become a baseball corporate executive, and the program promoted assistant coach and former Major League player Moe Morhardt to replace him.[10][16] Morhardt held the position for two seasons (1993–1994), in which the program won at least 20 games per season and made consecutive NAC tournament appearances.[a] The team was eliminated in the opening round in the 1993 tournament. As the fifth seed in 1994, Hartford defeated fourth-seeded Maine in a best-of-three opening round. It then won its first two games in the double-elimination final round (5–1 against first-seeded Delaware and 6–5 against second-seeded Northeastern). The team then lost consecutive games to Northeastern in the championship round, however, and finished as the tournament runner-up.[17] Morhardt resigned as head coach following the season.[18]

UNC Asheville head coach Jim Bretz was hired to replace Morhardt, and Bretz held the position for three seasons (1995–1997).[19] Under him, the program averaged only 16 wins per season and finished no higher than sixth in conference play.[4] It qualified for the 1996 NAC tournament, in which it finished third.[17][20] Bretz resigned following the 1997 season "for personal reasons," according to the university. Bob Nenna, one of Bretz's assistant coaches and a Hartford player from 1989 to 1992, led the team to a 13–32 record as interim head coach in 1998.[4][13][21] Future Major League player Earl Snyder played under Bretz and Nenna from 1995 to 1998. Snyder set program career records for home runs (53) and runs batted in (173). Snyder later played for both the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox.[13][22]

From 1999 to 2011, the program had a pair of head coaches whose career winning percentages were below .300.[4] Hartford hired Bowdoin and Falmouth Commodores head coach Harvey Shapiro for the start of the 1999 season.[23] In six seasons (1999–2004), Shapiro's head coaching record was 76-199-1. Under him, the team finished no higher than sixth in conference play and did not qualify for an America East Tournament, which in 1998 had adopted a four-team format.[17] Shapiro resigned following the 2004 season.[24] Indiana assistant Jeff Calcaterra replaced Shapiro.[25] Calcaterra held the position from the start of the 2005 season until partway through the 2011 season, when he was fired with an overall record of 79-236-1.[4][26][27] At the start of the 2006 season, Calcaterra's second season, the program opened Fiondella Field, the program's first on-campus venue since the mid-1980s.[28]

To replace Calcaterra, the program hired UConn assistant Justin Blood for the 2012 season.[29] Commenting on Blood's hiring, Aaron Fitt of Baseball America called him "one of the top up-and-coming coaches in the Northeast."[30] In both 2012 and 2013, Blood's first two seasons as head coach, the Hawks finished in fifth place in the America East.[17][31] In 2014, Hartford went 31–23, finishing second in the America East; pitcher Sean Newcomb was named the America East Pitcher of the Year. The team qualified for the conference tournament, where the team went 1–2. It was Hartford's first winning season since 1992 and first postseason appearance since 1996.[4][17][32] Following the season, three Hawks were selected in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft, including Newcomb, who was selected in the first round by the Los Angeles Angels. Newcomb was Hartford's highest draft pick ever, and the three draftees were the program's first since 2004.[33][34][35] Following the season, Blood signed a five-year contract extension through the 2019 season.[36]

Division III

[edit]

On May 6, 2021, the University of Hartford Board of Regents voted to drop its athletic department to Division III. The drop was set to take place no later than September 1, 2025,[37] and eventually occurred on that schedule.

Conference affiliations

[edit]

Venues

[edit]

Early venues

[edit]

In its early years as a Division II program, Hartford played home games on campus. It began to use off-campus venues in the mid-1980s.[28] These venues included New Britain's Beehive Field, Bristol's Muzzy Field, East Hartford's Ray McKenna Field, and Simsbury's Memorial Field.[24][38][39]

Fiondella Field

[edit]
Main article: Fiondella Field

Since it opened at the start of the 2006 season, on-campus Fiondella Field has been the program's home. It has a seating capacity of 1,000 spectators and an artificial turf surface.[28]

Dunkin' Park

[edit]
Main article: Dunkin' Park

Opened in 2017 Dunkin' Park, formally Dunkin' Donuts Park has served as Hartford's second home stadium in downtown Hartford with a seating capacity of 6,056.[40]

Date Opponent Result
April 11, 2017 Quinnipiac W 6-4
May 7, 2017 Army W 6-2
March 31, 2018 CCSU W 2-1
March 31, 2018 UConn L 1-0
May 1, 2018 UMass L 11-4
May 16, 2018 CCSU W 3-0

Year-by-year records

[edit]

Below is a table of the program's yearly records as both a Division II and Division I program.[4][31][41]

Season Coach Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Frank Klein (Independent) (1958–1960)
1958 Frank Klein 4-8
1959 Frank Klein 5-11
1960 Frank Klein 5-10
Frank Klein: 14-29
Roger Wickman (Independent) (1961–1980)
1961 Roger Wickman 7-5
1962 Roger Wickman 9-6
1963 Roger Wickman 8-7-1
1964 Roger Wickman 9-8
1965 Roger Wickman 8-8-1
1966 Roger Wickman 4-9
1967 Roger Wickman 1-11
1968 Roger Wickman 8-9
1969 Roger Wickman 7-9
1970 Roger Wickman 10-10-1
1971 Roger Wickman 10-9
1972 Roger Wickman 8-4-1
1973 Roger Wickman 5-10
1974 Roger Wickman 8-4
1975 Roger Wickman 8-10
1976 Roger Wickman 8-10
1977 Roger Wickman 4-15
1978 Roger Wickman 9-11
1979 Roger Wickman 10-10
1980 Roger Wickman 5-13-1
Roger Wickman: 146-187-5
Bill Nardi (Northeast-10 Conference) (1981–1984)
1981 Bill Nardi 4-20
1982 Bill Nardi 7-13
1983 Bill Nardi 0-13
Bill Nardi: 11-46
Jim Keener (ECAC) (1984–1984)
1984 Jim Keener 0-15
Jim Keener: 0-15
Bill Denehy (ECAC) (1985–1987)
Division I
1985 Bill Denehy 2-24
1986 Bill Denehy 8-34 2-12 6th
1987 Bill Denehy/Don Cook[b] 11-27 4-9 6th
Bill Denehy: 21-85 6-21
Dan Gooley (ECAC) (1988–1992)
1988 Dan Gooley 29-12 9-5 2nd ECAC Tournament
1989 Dan Gooley 17-15-1 9-6 2nd
1990 Dan Gooley 15-20 4-10 6th
1991 Dan Gooley 13-22 5-10 5th
1992 Dan Gooley 27-21 18-10 2nd ECAC Tournament
Dan Gooly: 101-90-1 45-41
Moe Morhardt (North Atlantic) (1993–1994)
1993 Moe Morhardt 20-27 9-15 6th NAC tournament[a]
1994 Moe Morhardt 22-27 10-11 5th NAC tournament[a]
Moe Morhardt: 42-54 19-26
Jim Bretz (North Atlantic/America East) (1995–1997)
1995 Jim Bretz 14-25 10-12 7th
1996 Jim Bretz 18-30-1 10-14 6th NAC tournament
1997 Jim Bretz 16-23 7-16 7th
Jim Bretz: 48-78-1 27-42
Bob Nenna (America East) (1998–1998)
1998 Bob Nenna 13-32 7-19 8th
Bob Nenna: 13-32 7-19
Harvey Shapiro (America East) (1999–2004)
1999 Harvey Shapiro 12-34 7-20 8th
2000 Harvey Shapiro 13-34 6-22 8th
2001 Harvey Shapiro 14-35 10-18 8th
2002 Harvey Shapiro 17-29 8-14 7th
2003 Harvey Shapiro 9-34-1 7-15 6th
2004 Harvey Shapiro 11-33 5-16 8th
Harvey Shapiro: 76-199-1 43-105
Jeff Calcaterra (America East) (2005–2011)
2005 Jeff Calcaterra 6-30 3-18 8th
2006 Jeff Calcaterra 11-38 8-16 6th
2007 Jeff Calcaterra 15-34 9-14 6th
2008 Jeff Calcaterra 18-31 10-13 5th
2009 Jeff Calcaterra 15-32 7-15 6th
2010 Jeff Calcaterra 11-37 5-19 5th
2011 Jeff Calcaterra/Jerry Shank[c] 6-43-1 3-20 5th
Jeff Calcaterra: 82-245-1 45-115


Justin Blood (America East) (2012–present)
2012 Justin Blood 16–40 7–17 5th
2013 Justin Blood 17–36 13–17 5th
2014 Justin Blood 31–23 16–7 2nd
2015 Justin Blood 23–31 10–12 5th
2016 Justin Blood 37–18 14–9 2nd
2017 Justin Blood 20–30 8–13 8th
2018 Justin Blood 26–31 16–8 1st NCAA Regional
2019 Justin Blood 23–34 11–13
2020 Justin Blood 6–6 0–0 Cancelled due to COVID-19
2021 Justin Blood 18–20 18–20 T-3rd (Division B)
Justin Blood: 217–269 113–116
Total: 771–1320–9

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

NCAA Tournament

[edit]

Hartford has participated in the NCAA Division I baseball tournament once.

Year Region Round Opponent Result
2018 DeLand Regional First Round
Lower Round 1		 Stetson
South Florida		 L 3–8
L 4–9 (11)

Awards

[edit]

Conference awards

[edit]

All-Americans

[edit]
  • Nicholas Dombkowski
  • Nick Campana
  • Sean Newcomb

MLB Draft

[edit]
Year Round Pick Name Team
1975 14th 317 Gary LaRocque Milwaukee Brewers
1985 21st 542 John Tuozzo New York Mets
1989 4th 110 Jeff Bagwell Boston Red Sox
1989 22nd 557 Pat Hedge Baltimore Orioles
1989 33rd 769 Brian Crowley Texas Rangers
1989 55th 1299 Mark Czarkowski Seattle Mariners
1993 43rd 1207 Kurt Grashaw St. Louis Cardinals
1994 29th 798 Scott LaRock Colorado Rockies
1994 29th 799 Scott Hilt Minnesota Twins
1998 36th 1084 Earl Snyder New York Mets
2004 21st 627 Scott Roy Toronto Blue Jays
2014 1st 15 Sean Newcomb[42] Los Angeles Angels
2014 9th 275 Brian Hunter[43] Cincinnati Reds
2014 30th 891 James Alfonso[44] Seattle Mariners
2015 35th 1059 Trey Stover Kansas City Royals
2017 13th 379 Erik Ostberg Tampa Bay Rays
2017 23rd 688 Ben Bengtson Pittsburgh Pirates
2017 32nd 955 David MacKinnon Los Angeles Angels
2018 20th 604 Seth Pinkerton Minnesota Twins

[45][46]

Baseball Hall of Fame

[edit]
Name Teams Position Years Inducted
Jeff Bagwell Astros 1B 1987-1989 2017
Total MLB Hall of Famers – 1

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c In this season, all members of the North Atlantic Conference qualified for its postseason tournament.
  2. ^ Denehy was fired partway through the 1987 season, due to an altercation with a Connecticut assistant coach.
  3. ^ Calcaterra was fired partway through the 2011 season.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ University of Hartford Brand Identity Guide. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
  2. ^ "History: 50th Anniversary". Hartford.edu. University of Hartford Communications. Archived from the original on July 28, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  3. ^ "Yearly Results" (PDF). HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "All-Time Coaching Records" (PDF). HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  5. ^ "University of Hartford - Yearbook (Hartford, CT) - Class of 1961". Archived from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  6. ^ "New Statewide Baseball Loop Formed". The Morning Record. Meriden, CT, USA. May 22, 1964. Retrieved June 10, 2013. Frank Klein of Fairfield, former University of Hartford baseball coach, was named the league's commissioner-coordinator.
  7. ^ a b "Denehy Fired as Hartford Baseball Coach". Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine, USA. Associated Press. 17 April 1987. p. 21. Retrieved 30 November 2012.
  8. ^ Liska, Jerry (7 August 1973). "NCAA Splits Into Three Divisions". The Portsmouth Times. Portsmouth, Ohio, USA. The Associated Press. p. 8. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  9. ^ "About the NE-10: History Timeline". Northeast10.org. Archived from the original on May 29, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Dan Gooley". QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Quinnipiac Sports Information. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  11. ^ "Remember Me?". Hartford Courant. August 3, 1997. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  12. ^ Cloutier, Bill (January 9, 2013). "Baseball: Jeff Bagwell, 'Greatest Player' Quinnipiac's Dan Gooley Ever Coached, Doesn't Make Hall of Fame". NHRegister.com. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  13. ^ a b c "All-Time Career Records" (PDF). HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  14. ^ Gammons, Peter (December 26, 2010). "Bagwell Deserves Hall of Fame Call". MLB.com. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  15. ^ "Jeff Bagwell". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  16. ^ Morhardt honored for his passion, love of the game at ctsports.homestead.com, URL accessed December 20, 2009. Archived 12/12/09
  17. ^ a b c d e "2013 America East Conference Baseball Record Book" (PDF). AmericaEast.com. America East Conference. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 24, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  18. ^ "Transactions: College". Lawrence Journal-World. Lawrence, Kansas, USA. June 21, 1994. p. 5C. Retrieved March 7, 2013. HARTFORD-- ... Announced the resignation of Moe Morhardt, baseball coach.
  19. ^ "Bretz to Coach Hartford Baseball". Hartford Courant. August 24, 1994. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  20. ^ "1997 Baseball Outlook". Hawks Baseball. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  21. ^ "Baseball Coach at U of H Resigns". Hartford Courant. October 18, 1997. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  22. ^ "Earl Snyder". BaseballAmerica.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  23. ^ Anderson, Woody (May 27, 1998). "Hartford Names Shapiro Baseball Coach". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on October 28, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  24. ^ a b "Turning for Home: UHart Baseball to Get Own Field". Hartford Courant. April 9, 2005. Archived from the original on November 12, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  25. ^ "Jeff Calcaterra New Head Man at Hartford". IUHoosiers.com. Indiana Sports Information. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  26. ^ Amore, Dom (May 4, 2011). "UHart Parts Ways with Baseball Coach". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  27. ^ Rutledge, Jessica (May 4, 2011). "Calcaterra Fired, Hartford Baseball in Search of a New Head Coach". HartfordInformer.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2016. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  28. ^ a b c "Fiondella Field". HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  29. ^ Anthony, Mike (September 20, 2011). "Coach Justin Blood Aims to Build Respect for UHart Baseball". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on December 24, 2013. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  30. ^ Fitt, Aaron (June 2, 2013). "Coaching Roundup: Nebraska Hires Darin Erstad". BaseballAmerica.com. Archived from the original on August 29, 2011. Retrieved June 12, 2013.
  31. ^ a b "2013 America East Conference Baseball Standings". D1Baseball.com. Jeremy and Cynthia Mills. Archived from the original on May 17, 2013. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  32. ^ Jacobs, Jeff (May 21, 2014). "Blood Has Injected a Spark into Hartford Baseball Team". The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  33. ^ Borges, David (June 7, 2014). "MLB Draft: Hartford Pitcher Sean Newcomb Highest Pick Ever for Hawks". NHRegister.com. New Haven Register. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  34. ^ DiGiovanna, Mike (June 5, 2014). "Top Pick Sean Newcomb Could Provide Immediate Help to Angels Bullpen". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  35. ^ "MLB Amateur Draft Picks Who Came from "Hartford"". Baseball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  36. ^ Anthony, Mike (July 3, 2014). "Hartford Baseball Coach Justin Blood Signs Five-Year Contract". Courant.com. The Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 5, 2014.
  37. ^ "University of Hartford Votes to Drop Athletic Department to Division III". Sports Illustrated. May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  38. ^ "Hawks Split with Binghamton in Conference Opener". HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. April 9, 2004. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  39. ^ "Baseball Falls 11-6 to Holy Cross". HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. Archived from the original on June 10, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  40. ^ "Hartford Defeats Quinnipiac In First Baseball Game At Dunkin' Donuts Park". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on September 21, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  41. ^ "Baseball" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on January 22, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2014.
  42. ^ "MLB Draft: Hartford pitcher Sean Newcomb highest pick ever for Hawks". New Haven Register. 7 June 2014. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  43. ^ "Hartford right-hander selected by Reds". MLB.com. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  44. ^ "Raynham's James Alfonso catches on with Mariners". Boston Globe. Retrieved June 3, 2018.
  45. ^ "University of Hartford Baseball Players Who Made It to the Major Leagues". Baseball-Almanac.com. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
  46. ^ "All-Time Player Roster" (PDF). HartfordHawks.com. Hartford Sports Information. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2013.
[edit]
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