By: Dalton Zbierski, FOX 61
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. — A Connecticut baseball icon will be honored Saturday in Willimantic. The baseball field at Eastern Connecticut State University will be named after former head coach Bill Holowaty, who led the Warriors from 1969 until 2013. The dedication ceremony will take place on June 28 at 11 a.m. at the baseball field in the Mansfield Athletic Outdoor Complex.
Over the course of 45 seasons, Holowaty became one of Division III baseball’s greatest coaches of all-time. Leading the Warriors, he amassed a career record of 1,404-527-7 and a winning percentage of .727.
According to a release from Eastern, Holowaty is one of the winningest coaches across all sports in the history of New England collegiate athletics. Eastern won Division III national championships in 1982, 1990, 1998 and 2002 with Holowaty at the helm. During his career, Holowaty was named Division III National Coach of the Year four times.
From 1997 to 2012, Eastern won either the Little East Conference regular season or postseason championship – or both – in 14 of 16 seasons.
Eastern President Karim Ismaili said Holowaty’s decades of leadership established a legacy of competitive excellence at the institution.
“His teams brought national recognition to our university and created some of the most memorable moments in Eastern athletics,” Ismaili said. “Naming the field in honor of the Holowaty family is a tribute to Coach’s impact on the baseball program and to generations of student-athletes, alumni and supporters who helped build and sustain its success.”
Current Head Coach Michael Odenwaelder expressed excitement for Holowaty and his family to receive the honor Saturday.
“Coach Holowaty built from the ground up so much of the rich history, tradition and winning culture that is Eastern baseball,” Odenwaelder said. “The Holowaty name will be forever cemented alongside so many of those positive values that Coach instilled and that still permeate the baseball program.”
Eastern reported that nearly 100 alumni and supporters have committed over $150,000 to the Bill Holowaty Baseball Facility Restricted Fund, which was established last fall to formally dedicate the facility.
The fund helps with ongoing maintenance, renovations and upgrades to the field and venue itself.
Jennifer Holowaty, an Eastern graduate, said that the naming of the field is an incredible moment for her family.
“However, it is not simply about the Holowaty family, but the Eastern baseball family – all of the players, families and friends who have been impacted by my father and Eastern baseball. It’s a recognition of everyone who helped build the program,” she said, adding that it’s a celebration for all involved.