WEYMOUTH, Mass. (April 27, 2021) -- The Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England (FCBL) today announced the addition of the Norwich Sea Unicorns as an expansion franchise for the upcoming 2021 season.
The Sea Unicorns, whose home is Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium in Norwich, Conn., have joined the FCBL for its 11th season of New England summer collegiate action. The team previously played in the Short Season Class A New York-Penn League, serving as a minor league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers since 2010.
“We are thrilled to welcome the Norwich Sea Unicorns to the Futures League as our eighth team and look forward to showcasing our fun, exciting brand of baseball in a new area in southeast Connecticut,” FCBL Commissioner Joe Paolucci said. “Bringing in another former minor league organization and facility is outstanding for our league. We can’t wait to continue providing high-quality baseball to a great New England community for years to come.”
Norwich is the second former affiliated ballclub to join the FCBL for the 2021 season after the Vermont Lake Monsters made the move in February. The Sea Unicorns are also the fourth new franchise to join the league over the last three seasons. The Westfield Starfires and New Britain Bees began summer collegiate play in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
The addition of the Sea Unicorns provides New Britain with a natural Nutmeg State rival and creates an eight-team circuit for the 2021 season. Norwich and New Britain join the Bristol Blues (2015-19) and Torrington Titans (2011-16) as all-time FCBL franchises in Connecticut.
“We are very pleased to be able to keep baseball here in Norwich and the Futures League is a great home for Sea Unicorns baseball,” said Sea Unicorns Owner and Managing Partner Miles Prentice. “We understand what this team and this facility means to the people of Norwich and surrounding communities. We look forward to providing the same level of affordable, family fun and excitement that fans have come to expect from a night out at Dodd Stadium for years to come.”
Minor League Baseball teams have played at Dodd Stadium since 1995 when the New York Yankees moved their Double-A affiliate from Albany-Colonie, N.Y., to Norwich. The team became known as the Norwich Navigators and then the Connecticut Defenders, playing as an affiliate of both the Yankees (1995-2002) and San Francisco Giants (2003-09).
After the Defenders relocated in 2010 to Richmond, Va., the Tigers moved into Dodd Stadium and remained there as Detroit’s affiliated New York-Penn League club through last year. With the Sea Unicorns’ move to the collegiate summer ranks, the next chapter of Norwich’s baseball history will be written in the Futures League.
Founded in 2011, the FCBL is a wood-bat league featuring top collegiate baseball players from New England and throughout the country. More than two million fans have attended FCBL games since the league was established. On the field, over 200 alumni have been drafted by or signed with Major League Baseball organizations and six have advanced all the way to “The Show” including three during the first month of the 2021 season.
For more information on the Sea Unicorns, visit goseaunicorns.com and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@goseaunicorns).
The Futures League is scheduled to begin its 2021 season on Wednesday, May 26. For the latest news and information on the Futures League all year long, visit thefuturesleague.com and follow the league’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.
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