Norwich Sea Unicorns
The Norwich Sea Unicorns are a Minor League Baseball team located in Norwich, Connecticut. They are members of the New York–Penn League (NYPL). The Sea Unicorns are the Class A Short Season affiliate of the Detroit Tigers and play their home games at Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium. They were previously known as the Connecticut Tigers from 2010 to 2019.
| Norwich Sea Unicorns Founded in 2010 Norwich, Connecticut | |||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Class | Class A Short Season | ||
| League | New York–Penn League | ||
| Division | Stedler Division | ||
| Major league affiliations | |||
| Team |
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| Minor league titles | |||
| Wild card berths (1) |
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| Team data | |||
| Nickname | Norwich Sea Unicorns (2020–present) | ||
Previous names |
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| Colors | Navy, yellow, gold, gray, blue, white[1] | ||
| Mascot | C.T. (2010-2019) | ||
| Ballpark | Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium (2010–present) | ||
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Miles Prentice | ||
| Manager | Gary Cathcart | ||
| General Manager | Dave Schermerhorn | ||
History
On January 27, 2010, Oneonta, New York Mayor Dick Miller announced in a press release that the Oneonta Tigers would be leaving the city for Norwich, Connecticut, after the 2009 season. Beginning play in 2010, the Connecticut Tigers played their games in the newly renovated Dodd Stadium, which had been vacated by the Connecticut Defenders of the Eastern League who had left for Richmond, Virginia, to become the Richmond Flying Squirrels simultaneous to the Tigers' arrival.
In 2011, the Connecticut Tigers saw a 23% increase in total attendance and 20% increase in average attendance over 2010 numbers. The 20% increase in average attendance was the fourth largest increase in all of Minor League Baseball.[2]
The Connecticut Tigers name was only expected to be used for the 2010 season with a name-the-team contest expected to be held after the season to decide a permanent name. The team decided to keep the name, however, citing positive feedback from fans owing to the connection to the major league Detroit Tigers, the team's Major League Baseball affiliate. Connecticut held on to the Tigers moniker through the end of the 2019 season. That season, the team renewed its long-term lease with the city of Norwich, and, as a result, announced a change to the team name, which would include the Norwich name and a nickname to be chosen following a fan submission contest.[3][4] The five finalists from the contest were "Norwich Golden Roses", "Norwich Mill Mules", "Norwich Narwals", "Norwich Salty Dogs", and "Norwich Sea Unicorns". Ultimately, the team settled on becoming the Norwich Sea Unicorns.[5]
Playoffs
- 2014: Lost to Tri-City 2–0 in semifinals
Roster
| Players | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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See also
References
- "New for 2020: Norwich Sea Unicorns". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- Reichard, Kevin (September 12, 2011). "Crunching the 2011 Minor League Baseball Attendance Figures". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- Konrad, James (March 29, 2019). "City, Tigers Agree to Long-term Lease, Changing Team's Name". Norwich Bulletin. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
- Putterman, Alex (April 13, 2019). "Seeking 'Hometown Focus,' Connecticut Tigers Solicits Fan Submissions for New Name". Hartford Courant. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
- Hill, Benjamin (December 5, 2019). "Legends of the Deep: Sea Unicorns Emerge". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Connecticut Tigers. |
