William Batewell ’64

WILLIAM BATEWELL, Bellport, NY, died January 22, 2021, the College learned recently. Bill died from cancer and COVID-19. He was a Long Island sports legend as a high school baseball coach, and the baseball field at Sachem High School North was named in his honor in 2021. A social studies teacher who earned a master’s at SUNY Stonybrook after Saint Michael’s, he was the fifth winningest coach in Suffolk County history, winning 452 games at Sachem and another 106 at Bellport. His Sachem teams won Suffolk titles twice and he coached nine players who were drafted by Major League teams, including two who played in the big leagues. Bill was known in his community for his smooth oratory, distinct voice and witty storytelling, with a gift for coining amusing and insightful one-liners and catchphrases called “Bates-isms.” Bill attended the former Seton Hall High School in Patchogue, NY and then played a year of baseball at Syracuse University before transferring to Saint Michael’s, where he studied French literature. He served in the Army as an MP in Germany. He started coaching in 1966, including football at Sachem (JV). He also coached the Long Island baseball team at the Empire State Games, the Suffolk Astros of the Long Island Stan Musial League, and the Center Moriches Battlecats of the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. Bill had been a President’s Medallion supporter of the College. No information was available about survivors.