Groton – Connor Lewis took a hard punch to the gut during his New England Collegiate Baseball League debut on opening night in early June.

It was a painful experience.

Lewis, a Waterford High School graduate now attending the University of Hartford, was hit hard, giving up three home runs in the first two innings. He lasted just four innings and allowed eight runs overall while taking the loss.

"It was kind of like, welcome to the NECBL...," Lewis said Friday. "It was definitely humbling. It just showed me that I still have a lot to work on and a long way to go."

It ended up being a valuable learning experience.

Since that rocky start, Lewis has pitched well. He's made three scoreless appearances totaling 6.1 innings, allowing three hits while striking out four and walking two. Throw in a three-inning scoreless stint that was wiped out by a postponement, and his streak is even more impressive.

"That first game he was just trying to throw the ball by people as opposed to mixing speeds and locations," Mystic manager Phil Orbe said. "He's really turned it around. ... There was a little bit of a learning curve but that's why he's here and the rest of the guys are here, too."

Lewis is coming off his first competitive Division I baseball season. After sitting out as a redshirt, he joined the Hartford pitching staff and exhibited flashes of his potential. He posted a 3-4 record with a 5.23 earned run average, walking 23 and striking out 37 in 53.1 innings for the Hawks (20-30).

Orbe, a former Montville coach, has tracked Lewis' career since his high school days. He contacted Hartford coach Justin Blood to get more information about Lewis. Last season, Lewis played for Torrington in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

In his last appearance for Torrington, Lewis turned in a strong start in a win that helped the Titans reach the playoffs.

"Based on what Connor had done the previous summer and what coach Blood had talked about he was doing in the fall, we gladly offered him a spot...," Orbe said. "We knew he was a good kid. Obviously, he has to be good enough to play here to earn a spot. He's very popular among his teammates."

So far, Lewis, a 6-foot-4 right-hander, has made a productive use of his time with the Schooners.

He's benefited from working with veteran pitching coach Dennis Long and also considers his fellow Schooner pitchers valuable resources.

"I'm really enjoying it," Lewis said. "It's good to be around some guys from different schools, taking some information from other guys and having a lot of fun playing baseball."

One focus for Lewis is to develop his slider. He already throws a decent fastball, regularly reaching the 85-88 mile per hour range, and an effective changeup. The next step is to add a reliable third pitch.

Lewis is happy with his progress so far, but he's not where he wants to be.

"He's here to work on stuff and he's been doing a really good job with that," Orbe said. "He's a tremendous teammate, which we knew."

Pitching has carried the Schooners (11-6) so far this season. They lead the league in earned run average at 2.71 and secured their ninth win in the last 10 games with a rain-shortened 3-1 victory over Sanford on Friday in a game that lasted 41/2 innings at Fitch High School. Nick Mascelli (Wagner) belted his first home run of the season.

"We got off to a rough start," Lewis said. "Since then, we've been pretty hot. We're starting to build better friendships and be more of a team. It's kind of exciting to come to the park every day."

Lewis is scheduled to start Saturday's game at Vermont but rain is in the forecast.

He'll be ready whenever he steps on the mound.

"I'm just trying each day to get better and improve on something," Lewis said.

It's just too bad that Lewis doesn't bat anymore. Lewis belted a home run off of Orbe during a batting practice for pitchers only. And he accomplished his feat using a wooden bat.

"He looked at it longer than he probably should have," Orbe quipped.

News and notes

• TT Bowens, a former Montville High School standout now playing at Central Connecticut State University, is recovering from elbow surgery. "Everything went well," said Bowens, who played for the Schooners right up to his recent surgery. ... Kevin Toro, a Fitch graduate, has joined Orbe's coaching staff. He replaces Steve Leonetti, who was hired as Army baseball's director of operations. ... Vinnie Pallisco, who played the last two seasons at UConn-Avery Point, is no longer on the roster. His temporary contract ended. He's headed to UConn this fall. ... Catcher Phil Capra (Wagner) is the latest roster addition.

g.keefe@theday.com