Tag: willimantic

Holowaty Family Field Named for Hall of Fame Coach

Eastern Connecticut State University Honors Coach Bill Holowaty and Family at Naming Ceremony

On Saturday, June 28, 2025, Eastern Connecticut State University hosted a heartfelt Naming Ceremony to celebrate the remarkable legacy of Head Baseball Coach, Bill Holowaty. For 45 years, Holowaty led Eastern baseball to unparalleled success, securing four NCAA Division III National Championships while developing the potential of countless student-athletes. The event paid tribute not only to his professional achievements but also to the enduring influence that the Holowaty family—Bill’s wife, Jan, and their children, Jason, Jennifer, Jared and Michael—left on the baseball program. Congratulations to the entire Holowaty family for this momentous recognition!

Former Eastern Connecticut Coach Bill Holowaty talks to press at Holowaty Family Field

Holowaty Inspires Generations of “Bulldogs”

Known for his intensity in the dugout, Holowaty’s coaching style embodied a relentless, unyielding approach to competition, or as he put it, “being a bulldog.” His remarkable record of 1,412 wins (2nd most all-time in Division III Baseball) and a .725 winning percentage is impressive, but it’s his fiery determination that defined his tenure. He not only coached his players to victory, he pushed them to exceed their limits, and he inspired them to achieve greatness.

Coach Bill Holowaty (center) & South Windsor Phillies Manager Ron Pizzanello (lower right) at Holowaty Family Field.

Holowaty often uses to the term “bulldog” to describe the players he admires. “Be a bulldog” or “He’s a real bulldog,” were phrases that echoed around the baseball complex, which he established in 1998. The ECSU Warriors played hard for Holowaty and in return, his players became stronger, more tenacious and more courageous in the face of adversity. You could say that he ran “bulldog” factory. To be called a “bulldog” by Holowaty is more than praise—it was the ultimate compliment, a testament to a player’s willpower, hustle, and unwavering commitment to the game. Win or lose, he respects grit and perseverance above all.

Coach Holowaty’s #22 painted behind home plate.

A Family’s Lasting Impact on New England Baseball

Beyond his Hall of Fame coaching career, Holowaty has continued to stay engaged by serving as the President of the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League since 2017. He is sort of “Mr. Baseball Emeritus” of Connecticut along with his friend and GHTBL Vice President Andy Baylock, who also attended the Naming Ceremony. Bill and and his wife Jan have been longtime residents of Columbia, Connecticut. They often attend college games in Florida for Spring Training, and then they come back north to support college programs, youth leagues and the twilight league.

Jan Holowaty gives remarks at Holowaty Family Field.

Holowaty’s dogged coaching style was only outmatched by the support of his family. Jan has been a rock through thick and thin, and she was a major part of Bill’s success at Eastern. Her warm and hopeful attitude has been a perfect foil to Bill’s uber-competitiveness. Jennifer, Jared and Michael Holowaty were each Eastern graduates and made significant contributions to the baseball program. Altogether, the Holowaty’s have served selflessly, and the field was aptly named to recognize the entire family.

The Holowaty Family at Holowaty Family Field

Fun fact: Under Coach Holowaty Eastern Connecticut pitcher John Caniera was named an All-American three times (1972, 1973, 1974) and went on to reach Major Leagues with the California Angels.

Placards identifying Eastern Connecticut’s All-Americans.

Photo source: Bob Molta, https://www.flickr.com/photos/140786037@N04/.

Holowaty Family Field featured on NBC Connecticut report.

ECSU Athletics official press release: https://gowarriorathletics.com/news/2025/7/1/baseball-alumni-turn-out-en-masse-for-holowaty-field-naming-ceremony.aspx

Full video: Holowaty Family Field Naming Ceremony (Eastern Connecticut State University YouTube channel)

Bill Holowaty, Local Sports Legend

May 26, 2020

Bill Holowaty is the current President of the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League and the former head coach at Eastern Connecticut State University. Holowaty coached for 45 years (1969-2013) at Eastern and became one of the most successful coaches in New England intercollegiate athletics. He led the Warriors to the postseason 39 out of 45 times, appearing in 14 Division-III College World Series and winning four championships (1982, 1990, 1998 and 2002). He was named Division-III National Coach of the Year four times. Coach Holowaty completed his career record with 1,412 wins, 528 losses and 7 ties – a winning percentage of .725, and third in all-time wins by a Division-III coach.

Coach Bill Holowaty, 2010.

William P. Holowaty was born on March 6, 1945 in Little Falls, New York. He was a gifted athlete with good size. He starred in football, basketball and baseball at Mohawk High School in Mohawk, New York. As a top basketball recruit, he visited Dean Smith’s University of North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest before deciding on the University of Connecticut. Coach Fred Shabel’s Huskies included UConn greats like Toby Kimball, Wes Bialosuknia and Tom Penders. Holowaty played basketball at UConn from 1964 to 1967, winning three season titles in the Yankee Conference and was later recognized as a member of the UConn Basketball All-Century Ballot.

Bill Holowaty (center), UConn Basketball, 1965.
1965 UConn Basketball Team
1967 UConn Basketball Team
Bill Holowaty (left), UConn Basketball, 1967.

As a young college athlete, Holowaty entered the Hartford Twilight League in the summer of 1966 with the Hamilton Standard team. Great local players like Wally Widholm and Hal Lewis were teammates and mentors. Then he became head baseball coach at Eastern Connecticut State College (renamed Eastern Connecticut State University in 1983) and quickly turned the program around. By 1973, he was also assistant coach for the Chatham A’s of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Holowaty was a guiding force for instituting the NCAA Division-III baseball championship in the mid-1970s. While coaching, he also served as ECSU Athletic Director for 15 years.

Bill Holowaty, ECSU Baseball Coach, 1969.
Bill Holowaty (right), ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 1970.
1970 Eastern Connecticut Baseball
Bill Holowaty, ECSU Basketball Assistant, 1971.
Holowaty earns 300 wins, 1979.
New England All-Star Game at Fenway Park, 1979.
1980 ECSU Baseball Team
Coach Holowaty celebrating the holidays, 1980.
Bill Holowaty, ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 1982.
Holowaty featured in Hartford Courant, 1983.
Bill Holowaty and Jason Holowaty, 1984.
Bill Holowaty, ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 1985.
Bill Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1986.
Coach Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1987.
Coach Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1987.
Holowaty receives Gold Key, 1988.
Coach Holowaty, Eastern Connecticut, 1989.
Coach Holowaty, 1990.
1993 Eastern Connecticut Baseball
1993 Eastern Connecticut Baseball

He built his coaching legacy upon competitiveness, consistency and fundraising. His vision for success included Varsity and Junior Varsity teams, Spring Training trips to Florida and a state-of-the-art ballpark in Willimantic, Connecticut. The ECSU Warriors posted at least 30 wins in 28 seasons under Holowaty leading to four national championships. In 2003, the Warriors lost the Division-III College World Series championship game in the bottom of the 9th with the bases loaded. Afterwards Holowaty said, “We’ll be back again. It’s like putting on a Red Sox uniform; you are hoping to win a World Series. You put on a Yankee uniform and you are expected to win. You put on an Eastern uniform and you’re expected to win.”

Coach Bill Holowaty, 1998.
Nick Tempesta and Bill Holowaty, 2000.
Coach Holowaty wins 1000th game, 2002.
Eastern Connecticut wins D-III College World Series, 2002.
The Holowaty Family at National College Baseball Hall of Fame Induction, 2002.
Coach Bill Holowaty, 2003.
Coach Bill Holowaty, 2008.
Bill Holowaty, ECSU Head Baseball Coach, 2012.

In the final stage of his career, Holowaty continued to win. His Warriors had a streak of 11 consecutive 30-win seasons into 2012. The team fell one win shy of extending that streak in 2013. As a result of his success, Coach Holowaty earned several accolades and was inducted into the following Hall of Fame organizations: ABCA, Greater Utica Sports, National College Baseball, NEIBA and the Eastern Connecticut State University Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a co-founder of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA). He served as ABCA President, was a longtime member of the ABCA All-America committee and the ABCA Board of Directors.

Holowaty Baseball Camp, Pomfret, Connecticut, 2014.
Holowaty speaks to Connecticut Mustangs AAU program, 2016.
Coach Holowaty playing golf, 2016.
The Holowaty Family, 2017.
Evan Chamberlain and Bill Holowaty at Dunkin’ Donuts Park, Hartford, 2017.
Bill Holowaty, GHTBL President, 2017.
Andy Baylock and Bill Holowaty, 2017.

Bill Holowaty remains a fierce competitor to this day. He enjoys watching baseball and playing golf regularly with friends and family. He spends much of his time with his wife Jan Holowaty, his children Jason, Jennifer, Jared and his grandchildren. Jason and Jared Holowaty played professional baseball in Australia after college and carved out their own careers in baseball. Bill attributes much of his family’s success to his wife Jan and often mentions their shared love of sports.

Bill and Jan Holowaty, 2018.
GHTBL donates to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, 2018.
Jan, Bill and Jennifer Holowaty at the 2018 NEIBA Hall of Fame induction, 2018.
Coach Holowaty (right) with other college coaches at the annual American Baseball Coaches Association conference, 2019.
Bill DePascale and Bill Holowaty, 2019.

Coach Holowaty inducted into the National Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame