The Manchester Silkworms were a collegiate summer baseball team located in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

playing in the

New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June ...

, a

collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operat ...

league operating in the northeastern

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

region of

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

. The team, an expansion franchise formed in 1999 which began play for the 2000 season, was based out of Northwest Park. In October, 2009 a new ownership group announced they would be moving the team to

Laconia, New Hampshire Laconia ( ) is a city in Belknap County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 16,871 at the 2020 census, up from 15,951 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Belknap County. Laconia, situated between Lake Winnipesaukee and ...

, becoming the Laconia Muskrats (now called the

Winnipesaukee Muskrats The Winnipesaukee Muskrats were a collegiate summer baseball team in Laconia, New Hampshire, playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), a wood bat league operating in the northeastern United States. The team's home field was R ...

History

Silkworm name

In 1838, the Cheney Family started what became the world's largest silk mill, and by the 1920s developed a utopian industrial community. The intact mill buildings, owner houses and worker houses are now a

National Historic Landmark District A National Historic Landmark District (NHLD) is a geographical area that has received recognition from the United States Government that the buildings, landscapes, cultural features and archaeological resources within it are of the highest signific ...

. The mill buildings have undergone restoration and conversion to housing in the recent past. Hence, the name ''Silkworms''.

Move to Laconia

On Sunday, October 18, 2009, Silkworms founder, owner, and general manager Ed Slegeski announced that he had sold the team to a partnership led by Noah Crane, which moved the team to Laconia, New Hampshire for the 2010 NECBL season.

Notable former players

* Jonah Bayliss, former

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and

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pitcher *

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pitcher *

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outfielder * Graham Godfrey,

pitcher *

Reid Gorecki Reid Evan Gorecki (born December 22, 1980) is a former Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the Atlanta Braves in 2009. Amateur career Gorecki grew up in East Rockaway, New York, and graduated from Kellenberg Memorial High School. He ...

, former

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outfielder * Zach Jackson,

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pitcher *

Ryan Lavarnway Ryan Cole Lavarnway (; born August 7, 1987) is an American-Israeli former professional baseball catcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Oakland Athletics, Pittsburgh Pirates, ...

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

catcher * Andy Parrino,

Oakland Athletics The Oakland Athletics (frequently referred to as the Oakland A's) were an American Major League Baseball (MLB) team based in Oakland, California from 1968 to 2024. The Athletics were a member club of the American League (AL) American League We ...

shortstop

Postseason appearances

References

{{Reflist

External links

Manchester Silkworms website

NECBL website
New England Collegiate Baseball League teams Sports in Manchester, Connecticut Amateur baseball teams in Connecticut Silk 1999 establishments in Connecticut 2009 disestablishments in Connecticut Baseball teams established in 1999 Baseball teams disestablished in 2009

History

Silkworm name

Move to Laconia

Notable former players

Postseason appearances

See also

References

External links