WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – On June 28, the field at the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball stadium was officially named the Holowaty Family Field in honor of Hall of Fame coach Bill Holowaty during ceremonies which attracted 200 baseball alumni and their families along with former coaches and members of the University and surrounding communities.

In 45 years between 1969 and 2013, Holowaty won over 1,400 games (1,404-525-7), four NCAA Division III national championships and qualified for 12 NCAA and two NAIA national tournaments, including five NCAA national tournaments in a six-year span. A native of Mohawk, NY and longtime resident of Columbia, CT, Holowaty averaged better than 30 wins per season and retired as the winningest New England collegiate coach  of any sport at any level.

Joining Holowaty on stage at the naming ceremony were wife, Jan, daughter Jennifer '97, sons Jason and Jared '02, daughter-in-law Gretchen and granddaughter Ella. (Jared Holowaty served as a captain on the 2002 national championship team.) Speakers included  master of ceremonies Wayne Norman -- long-time broadcasting voice of the Eastern baseball team and sports director at WILI Radio --  Eastern president Dr. Karim Ismaili, current head baseball coach Mike Odenwaelder, baseball alumni Tom Roath '81, and Greg Sullivan '06, Jennifer Holowaty, Jared Holowaty,  Jan Holowaty, and vice president for Student Affairs Michelle Delaney.

Former head athletic trainer and professor emeritus Dr. David Yeo kicked off the celebration by singing the national anthem.

Hundreds of Holowaty's former players representing every era turned out to honor their former coach. Among the returning alumni were Alumni Hall of Famer Gary Kinel from Holowaty's  first team in 1969 to Alumni Hall of Famer Len Reed (the program's first All-America) in the early 1970s, to Evan Chamberlain and Matt Purnell from the coach's final team in 2013. Among the returnees from the first of four national championship teams in 1982 were pitchers Mike Kelly, Gary Kuzoian, John Morrell, Rob Roveto and Kevin Willougby, catcher Roger Dean, and first basemen and Alumni Hall of Famer Archie Drobiak and Paul Martineau.

Holowaty's legend was built upon consistency. In addition to winning NCAA national championships in 1982, 1990, 1998 and 2002 at four different locations, the Warriors qualified for 32 NCAA and seven NAIA tournaments under Holowaty and won at least 30 games in a season – reaching the 40-win plateau four times -- 29 times. His first 23 teams were named to post-season tournaments.

Under Holowaty, Eastern either won the Little East Conference regular-season or post-season championships or both  14 times in 16 years. Eastern won or shared LEC regular-season titles eight times in the first nine seasons of LEC competition.

A champion of instituting the NCAA Division III baseball championship in the mid-1970s, Holowaty served as ABCA president in 2006, was a long-time member of the ABCA All-America committee and was one of the founding members of the New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association (NEIBA). He currently serves as a member of the ABCA Board of Directors.

Said Craig Keilitz, executive director of the ABCA, "Coach Bill Holowaty's name is synonymous with excellence in college baseball, and the naming of Holowaty Family Field is an incredible and well-deserved honor. Coach Holowaty's commitment to developing players and building one of the most respected programs in Division III history has left a lasting legacy on the coaching profession," added Keilitz. "The ABCA is proud to have Coach Holowaty as a member of our Board of Directors, where he has remained a strong influence on the future of the game. I'm thrilled to see Eastern Connecticut State University recognize his extraordinary legacy with the naming of Holowaty Family Field."

The Eastern Baseball Stadium was opened in 1998, with that team going on to the program's third national championship.