Dennis Konuszewski

Dennis Konuszewski was an exceptional three-sport athlete at Bridgeport High School, playing football, basketball and baseball for the Bearcats. However, it was on the baseball diamond where he achieved his greatest success. Konuszewski had a 5-2 pitching record during his sophomore year. He played on the Bridgeport Bluejays’ 16-and-under state championship baseball team. Konuszewski blossomed during his junior year where he was 8-2 with a 1.47 ERA and striking out 77 in 57 innings pitched. He was 8-2 with one save his senior season (1988) with a sparkling 0.78 ERA and 110 strikeouts in 72 innings on the mound. His prep career record was 21-6 for the Bearcats, including a no-hitter, 13-strikeout performance against Bay City Central. Konuszewski made All-White Pine Conference, All-Area, All-District and Class A All-State both his junior and senior seasons. He was named the Michigan High School Baseball Player of the Year by both the Gatorade Circle of Champions and Scholastic Coach Magazine and played in the Michigan High School All-Star game at Tiger Stadium. The 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was drafted in the 15th round of the 1989 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the New York Yankees, but opted to attend the University of Michigan on a baseball scholarship after taking recruiting trips to Texas A&M, Cal State Fullerton, Portland State, Central Michigan and Michigan. He was a three-year starter for the Wolverines and was elevated to the No. 1 starter his junior year while playing for both Bud Middaugh and Bill Freehan. Konuszewski was a Junior Olympic Festival Gold Medal winner, a Gold Medal winner at the United States Olympic Festival, played two years for Means Stamping’s Connie Mack squad and won two Stan Musial championships with Bishop Construction with an ERA under 2 both seasons. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th round of the 1992 MLB Amateur Draft. After the 1994 season he was invited to play for the Chandler Diamondbacks in the Arizona Fall League, where he played on the same team with Derek Jeter while fanning Michael Jordan in a nationally-televised game. After a sub-3 ERA in the top Winter League, he was placed on the Pirates’ 40-man roster in 1995 and was called up to the parent club that same year. He retired in 1997 after a six-year professional career. Konuszewski is still among the Top 10 earned-run-average leaders for the Falmouth Commodores in the Cape Cop Summer Wood Bat League. He won two state championships in Modified Softball, including the Class A state title in 2001 for Sign Depot. Konuszewski also won a National Home Run Derby that same year in Midland when he socked 20 homers. He is also a member of the Saginaw Old Golds vintage baseball team that has won five World Tournament titles. He has coached a number of youth baseball teams, including serving as head coach for Saginaw Township North Little League’s Junior (14U) baseball team that won the 2017 District 14, Sectional, State and Little League Central Division championships.