Bagdasarian’s Baseball Journey Comes Full Circle

Ryan Bagdasarian, a 2016 graduate of GHS, is playing center field for the New Britain Bees

As a kid, Ryan Bagdasarian and his family would attend New Britain Rock Cats games.

Now he’s starring in center field for the New Britain Bees, playing on the same field of his local childhood idols.

“It’s a great experience, I am really thankful,” Bagdasarian said of playing at Beehive Field in the Hardware City, “We have little kids cheering us on and it’s really come full circle. I was a little kid cheering on those players and asking for autographs, and now here I am signing autographs.”

Playing for the Bees is the latest stop for the Glastonbury native, who is a 2016 graduate of Glastonbury High School. He was raised in what he referred to as a “baseball family”, developing his skills under the tutelage of his father, Dean, and uncle Mark, who is the head baseball coach at Wethersfield High School.    

At GHS he earned a reputation for his effort and leadership, winning the Coaches Award as a senior.

“I remember him as consistent player who I knew I could pencil in every day,” stated GHS baseball coach Dennis Accomando, who was a first-year coach in 2016, “Also being new to the job I learned just as much from him and that group of players as they hopefully learned from me. I have really enjoyed watching Ryan's journey through the college baseball process as well and am glad he kept sticking with it.” 

During his final season at GHS, he delivered the game-winning hit on Senior Night to beat Berlin 8-7 at Riverfront Field on May 20, 2016.

“Picking up my teammates on a special night like that is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’ve met some of my best friends [at GHS] and it was awesome to take the field with them,” recalled Bagdasarian, who realized following high school that his playing days were not over, “I played travel baseball for the Connecticut Capitals and I had a really good summer that year, so I reached out to the Avery Point coach and he gave me an opportunity.”

At Avery Point, the University of Connecticut regional campus based in Groton, he expanded his skills under hitting coach Ed Harvey, who is the father of current major league pitcher Matt Harvey.

In his first season in Groton, the team won the NJCAA East Division II District Championship and NJCAA XXI New England Regionals, earning a spot in the NJCAA Division II World Series tourney in Oklahoma. 

“It was a surreal experience,” Bagdasarian said of the World Series trip, “Just to be around that atmosphere and go to that part of the Unities States. To have that memory is just awesome.”

During his sophomore season at Avery Point he found a comfort level at the plate, hitting .338, scoring 45 runs, and adding 36 RBIs on 48 hits in 2018.

Following a short stint as a redshirt junior at The University of Connecticut in Storrs, Bagdasarian transferred to Eastern Connecticut State University in 2020.

His first season at Eastern was shortened because of COVID and then last summer he received an opportunity from the Bees, who are a summer league team in the FCBL (Futures Collegiate Baseball League).

The Bees were Bagdasarian’s fifth baseball team in five years since graduating high school.

He’s relished all of those experiences, “After playing so many years of baseball you make so many memories. You meet so many great people, get to know families, and get to know fans. I never really expected to get to this point but the opportunities that I’ve been given, I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

Last summer he played 29 games for the Bees, registering 22 hits and scoring 14 runs.

His confidence bled over into his 2021 season at Eastern, scoring 31 runs and driving in 16 more as the Warriors finished 32-8 this spring.
Bagdasarian then committed to the Bees again, becoming the team’s first signee this summer.

“They reached out to me again and that felt awesome, to have the opportunity to come back with one more year of eligibility. It was a no-brainer. It is a lot of baseball, but it’s fun. You have to take advantage of the opportunities while you’re young.”

Bagdasarian has thrived in his second season in New Britain, recently having his most productive stretch of games with the Bees. He scored three runs against the Brockton Rox on June 18, was named the Player of the Game after going 5-5 with 2 RBIs versus the Pittsfield Suns on June 19, and then delivering three hits and two more RBIs against the Rox on June 20. The Bees won all three games, marking their first three-game winning streak on the season.

Bagdasarian and the Bees have upcoming home games (7/1) vs the Silver Knights and (7/2) vs the Starfires. First pitch for both games is 6:35 p.m.

At the conclusion of the summer season, Bagdasarian will one more year left at Eastern next spring as be finishes his degree in Business Administration.

The Warriors of Eastern will have a stacked team returning, led by Bagdasarian and Luke Broadhurst (who also plays for the Bees).

“We’re bringing a ton of guys back, we just need to replace some components. I think we’ll be in for a solid spring coming up.”

It’ll mark yet another chapter in Bagdasarian’s baseball journey.

“I’m really thankful for all the opportunities that I’ve been given. Just having the opportunity to play every day and being part of making unforgettable memories.”