It turned out former St. Paul standout Nick Morrell didn’t have to look far to find his summer baseball home in 2020, the year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
With many leagues shuttered for the season due to the pandemic, one of the few available is the Eastern Connecticut Major League. Morrell plays for the Tides, and they had a game at Washington Park in Groton on July 2.
Why is Groton significant to this story? That’s where Morrell’s current school, Mitchell College, is located. According to a New London Day story, Morrell’s college head coach Travis Beausoleil worked with ECML commissioner John Turner to upgrade the amateur wood-bat league.
Morrell is reaping the benefits of that league. In the bottom of the seventh inning of the Tides’ game against the Knights on July 2, it was Morrell’s two-run single that propelled his team to a 5-4 walk-off victory. Here’s video of the walk-off hit, taken by Tim Lemieux and posted on Instagram.
Mitchell was 5-3 before its season was canceled due to the pandemic. Morrell, a sophomore, had a double and run scored in three games for the Mariners, who were picked first in the New England Collegiate Conference preseason poll.
File photo of Morell playing for the Southington Shock of the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League last summer.
