The Nashua Silver Knights is a collegiate summer baseball team based in Nashua, New Hampshire. It is a charter member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with a 64-game regular season[1] comprising eight teams ranging from New Hampshire to western Connecticut. The team's home games are played at Holman Stadium in Nashua. The team is owned by John Creedon Jr, who also owns the Worcester Bravehearts.

Nashua Silver Knights
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueFCBL (2010-present)
LocationNashua, New Hampshire
BallparkHolman Stadium
Founded2010
League championships6 (2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2020 2022)
ColorsRed, Black, Silver
     
MascotSir Sterling
OwnershipJohn Creedon, Jr.
ManagementCam Cook
ManagerKyle Jackson
MediaAll games are broadcast on the FCBL Network
WebsiteNashuaSilverKnights.com

The Silver Knights are one of the seven FCBL teams playing in a stadium that used to host professional baseball. The Silver Knights have won the FCBL Championship in five of the league's eleven years of existence and have qualified for the post-season every year, except for 2021. They are the last survivor of the original four FCBL teams.

Ownership

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The Silver Knights were a charter team of the FCBL, as Drew Weber, former owner of the Lowell Spinners, wanted to also operate a franchise in the New England Collegiate Baseball League. When this was not feasible, Weber and others created the FCBL. Chris Hall, who had been the General Manager of professional and collegiate teams in Nashua, became the league's commissioner.

The name Knights was chosen over three other club nominations by a vote of Nashua grade-school students. The club modified the winner to "Silver Knights" to avoid conflict with an existing amateur baseball team in the city.[1]

In March 2019 the team was sold to John Creedon Jr, owner of the Worcester Bravehearts.

Results

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2011

Mike Chambers was the first field manager, with B.J. Neverett and Tom Bowles assisting as coaches. The Silver Knights finished first in the regular season, with a 27–16 record. They defeated the Torrington Titans (25-17) in a best-of-three championship series.[2] The Silver Knights drew an average of 869 spectators per game,[3] far above initial expectations of 300-500 fans.[1]

2012

The league expanded from four to nine teams. Neverett was promoted to field manager, with Bowles and J.P. Pyne assisting as coaches. The Silver Knights dominated the regular season with a 39–13 record. Then they swept through the Brockton Rox and North Shore Navigators to win their second consecutive FCBL Championship. PerfectGame.org named them the 26th best team in all of collegiate summer league baseball.[4]

2013

Neverett was promoted to the front office as VP of Player Development. Pyne was promoted to field manager, with Bowles assisting as pitching coach.[5] The regular-season record of 34-19 was one game behind the Martha's Vineyard Sharks (35-18). Both teams thus earned a bye from the "one-game play-in" instituted that year for the next-best four teams, and both teams won their best-of-three semifinal series in two games. But Martha's Vineyard, which had won 6 of the 7 regular-season contests against Nashua, won both games of the championship series.

2014

Ted Currle was hired as their field manager, with Jeff Dupont and Kyle Jackson assisting as coaches. Currle had managed the Martha's Vineyard Sharks in 2011 and was an assistant coach for the Brockton Rox in 2012 and 2013. The team spent most of the season around .500 and was one of four teams with similar records headed for the one-game play-in to the post-season. On August 8, the last day of the regular season, Nashua lost the right to host this play-in game, finishing the regular season at 28–26. Traveling to Torrington, Connecticut the next day, Nashua lost the play-in game in 11 innings.

2015

With the replacement of the Old Orchard Beach franchise by the Bristol Blues, Nashua moved to the East Division, joining in-state rival Seacoast Mavericks. The FCBL expanded the playoff format, allowing 8 of the 10 teams into the post-season but making the first two rounds a single game. The Silver Knights finished with a regular-season record of 28-28, fourth in the dominant East Division. They won the first-round playoff game at North Shore, but lost the second-round game the next day at Bristol. After the season, Drew Weber announced his intention to sell both the Silver Knights and the Spinners as a package.[6]

2016

The FCBL returned to the 2014 format, in which only 6 of the 10 teams qualified for the post-season. B.J. Neverett moved out of the front office and back to the field as the team's manager and took the franchise to the FCBL championship. The Silver Knights dominated the East Division early, but eventually fell 2½ games behind Seacoast for the division title with a regular-season record of 34–21. This earned them the right to host the play-in game with Torrington, but the Silver Knights were seeded lower than their subsequent two opponents, each of which elected to start its best-of-three series at Nashua. Seacoast took the semifinal series to a full three games, each won by the visiting team. The Silver Knights won both games of the championship series against Worcester, now coached by J.P. Pyne.

Weber succeeded in selling the Spinners and took the Silver Knights off the market.[7] Neverett's brother Tim became a radio broadcaster for the Boston Red Sox, and Silver Knights results were occasionally mentioned during those broadcasts. Tim's son Matt Neverett was one of the announcers of Silver Knights games on WSMN radio.[7]

2017

The Silver Nights were one of several teams playing around the .500 mark. They finished the season at .491, an identical record to the Pittsfield Suns, which won the fourth seed and the right to host the one-game play-in game against Nashua on August 8 through the tie-breaker, a superior record against the other playoff teams. Fifth-seeded Nashua won the play-in game and swept the semifinals. The other finalist was the sixth-seeded Worcester Bravehearts, as all six playoff games in the first two rounds went to the lower-seeded team. Nashua elected to start the series at Worcester and won away and at home, repeating on August 12 as FCBL Champions. Cam Cook won the regular season batting title with an average of .397, he also broke the single season record for hits with 81. Ryan Sullivan won the MVP award for the Championship series.

2018

In the off-season, both General Manager Ronnie Wallace and Assistant GM Cheryl Lindner resigned within days of one another to take jobs outside baseball.[8] Rick Muntean, a former General Manager of the Bristol Blues, was recruited as the new GM in Nashua.[9] Manager B.J. Neverett took advantage of a liberalized FCBL rule allowing up to 5 "commits" (high-school graduates intending to play college baseball in the coming year), resulting in a distinctly younger team. A month into the season, the club signed power hitters who had excelled on nearby teams in the previous season,[10] but the results were mixed. The league dropped from 9 to 7 teams, but the playoff rules continued to extend to the best 6. Nashua dropped out of contention, then surged in the last week to become the fifth seed. It lost the play-in game at Brockton.[11]

2019

The FCBL started 2019 as a seven-team league again, as a new Westfield franchise balanced the defection of Martha's Vineyard to the NECBL. As the Seacoast Mavericks remained on hiatus, Nashua became the last of the four charter teams.[12] Owner Drew Weber sold a minority stake to local businessmen and fired Muntean,[13] appointing as co-General Managers team accountant Victoria Cookson and former mayoral candidate Michael Broderick.[14] However, in March, Weber and the co-owners announced the sale of the club to John Creedon Jr., the owner of the Worcester Bravehearts.[15] Creedon named Dave Pahucki the general manager in place of Weber's selections.[16]

2020

The Futures League was one of the few leagues to play in the COVID-19 stricken summer. Playing a shortened season of 39 games, the Silver Knights went 23–16, finishing in 2nd place, ½ game behind the Worcester Bravehearts. The Silver Knights squared off against the Bravehearts in the championship for the third time in league history. After dropping game 1, the Silver Knights won games 2 and 3 to win their league leading 5th FCBL championship. Kyle Bouchard took home the MVP trophy.

2022

The Silver Knights won their sixth championship in 2022, recovering from a 4-12 start to earn the third seed in the playoffs. In the first round, Nashua swept the New Britain Bees. In the final series, the Knights faced the reigning FCBL champion Vermont Lake Monsters. Vermont hosted the opening game and won, 12-0. In Game Two in Nashua, the Knights overcame a 4-0 deficit and achieved a 6-5 victory. The rubber game, played in Vermont, was back-and-forth; Boston College's Kyle Wolff hit a two-run home run in the top of the ninth and the Knights won, 6-5. Amherst's Jack McDermott was the post-season MVP, hitting .400 with 3 HRs and 9 RBI.

Season results and attendance

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Year Wins Losses Percentage Place Attendance Playoff wins Playoff losses Playoff percentage Playoff attendance
2011 27 16 .628 1st 19,127 (1st of 4) 2 0 1.000 1,331
2012 39 13 .750 1st 28,125 (3rd of 9) 4 0 1.000 2,233
2013 34 19 .642 2nd 34,249 (2nd of 9) 2 2 .500 1,964
2014 28 26 .519 3rd in West 35,760 (4th of 10) 0 1 .000
2015 28 28 .500 4th in East 30,784 (5th of 10) 1 1 .500
2016 34 21 .618 2nd in East 34,674 (5th of 10) 5 1 .833 4,191
2017 26 27-1 .491* 5th 35,044 (4th of 9) 5 0 1.000 3,826
2018 21 32 .396 5th 35,072 (2nd of 7) 0 1 .000
2019 27 27 .500 6th 31,203 (4th of 7) 0 1 .000
2020 23 16 .590 2nd 9,111 (2nd of 2) 2 1 .666 708
2021 27 39 .409 6th 33,293 (4rd of 8) 0 0 N/A N/A
Total 314 264 .543 326,442 21 8 .724 14,253
 * The -1 reflects one loss in a "Home Run Derby", treated as half a win. The .491 is the "points percentage" (see the FCBL article). The Pittsfield Suns had the same regular-season record, but owned the tie-breaker and hosted the single play-in game as the 4th seed.

Post-season appearances

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Year Play-in round** Semi-final round* FCBL championship
2011 Torrington Titans W (2-0)
2012 Brockton Rox W (2-0) North Shore Navigators W (2-0)
2013 bye Brockton Rox W (2-0) Martha's Vineyard Sharks L (0-2)
2014 Torrington Titans L (0-1)
2015 North Shore Navigators W (1-0) Bristol Blues L (0-1)
2016 Torrington Titans W (1-0) Seacoast Mavericks W (2-1) Worcester Bravehearts W (2-0)
2017 Pittsfield Suns W (1-0) Bristol Blues W (2-0) Worcester Bravehearts W (2-0)
2018 Brockton Rox L (0-1)
2019 North Shore Navigators L (0-1)
2020 Worcester Bravehearts W (2-1)
2021 Did not qualify
2022 New Britain Bees W (2-0) Vermont Lake Monsters W (2-1)
  • *The FCBL changed its postseason to a two-round format starting in the 2012 season.
  • ** A one-game play-in round was added in the 2013 season and was discontinued in 2020.

Managers

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Manager Years Wins Losses Percentage Playoff wins Playoff losses Playoff percentage Championships
Mike Chambers 2011 27 16 .628 2 0 1.000 1
B.J. Neverett 2012; 16-19 147 120 .550 14 3 .824 3
J.P. Pyne 2013 34 19 .642 2 2 .500 0
Ted Currie 2014-15 56 54 .509 1 2 .333 0
Kyle Jackson 2020–Present 50 55 .476 2 1 .666 1

Awards

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Year Award Player College
2011 Top Pitcher Eric Perrault Keene State
2011 Top Pro Prospect Eric Perrault Keene State
2011 Defensive Player of the Year Rob Benedict Wesley College
2011 Relief Pitcher of the Year Dylan Maki Northeastern University
2011 Batting Champion Logan Gillis Bentley University
2011 Manager of the Year Mike Chambers Franklin Pierce University
2012 Top Pro Prospect Chris Shaw Boston College
2012 Defensive Player of the Year Connor Lyons Northeastern University
2012 Manager of the Year B.J. Neverett
2013 Relief Pitcher of the Year Cody Rocha Assumption College
2013 Commissioner's Award Manny Cabral Texas Southern
2014 Commissioner's Award Matt Mottola UMass Lowell
2016 Most Valuable Player Mickey Gasper Bryant University
2016 Batting Champion Mickey Gasper Bryant University
2017 Batting Champion Cam Cook Nichols College
2017 Commissioner's Award Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University
2018 Pitcher of the Year Brandon Dufault Northeastern University
2020 Manager of the Year Kyle Jackson

Team records

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Single season

Individual Name School Record Year
Individual hitting
Batting average Mickey Gasper Bryant University .421* 2016
Hits Cam Cook Nichols College 81* 2016
Doubles Mickey Gasper Bryant University 21* 2016
Triples Yanni Thanopoulos Amherst College 5 2016
Home runs Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 15 2017
Extra-base hits Mickey Gasper Bryant University 31 2016
Runs batted in Chris Shaw Boston College 44 2012
Shane McNamara Southern New Hampshire University 2023
Walks Matt Sanchez UMass Lowell 41 2014
Stolen bases Luca Giallongo New England College 26 2023
On-base percentage Mickey Gasper Bryant University .532* 2016
Slugging percentage Mickey Gasper Bryant University .726 2016
On-base plus slugging percentage Mickey Gasper Bryant University 1.257* 2016
Individual pitching
Appearances Lucas Olen Southern New Hampshire University 24 2015
Innings Geoff Fisher UMass Lowell 59.0 2011
Wins Geoff Fisher UMass Lowell 7 2013
ERA Nick Poore Boston College 1.28 2012
Strikeouts Alek Morency Merrimack College 57 2013
Drew Fischer Amherst College 2016
Saves Cody Rocha Assumption College 17* 2013
Opponent batting average Christopher Good University of New Mexico .198 2012
WHIP Geoff Fisher UMass Lowell 1.02 2011
Strikeouts per 9 Drew Fischer Amherst College 11.23 2016

Career

Individual Name School Record Year
Individual hitting
Games Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 185* 2013-17
At bats Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 682* 2013-17
Batting average Mickey Gasper Bryant University .421* 2016
Hits Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 199* 2013-17
Doubles Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 41* 2013-17
Triples Yanni Thanopoulos Amherst College 5 2016
Home runs Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 37 2013-17
Extra-base hits Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 78 2013-17
Runs batted in Ryan Sullivan Southern New Hampshire University 145* 2012
Walks Logan Gillis Bentley University 69 2011-12
Stolen bases Matt Sanchez UMass Lowell 35 2013-14
On-base percentage Mickey Gasper Bryant University .532* 2016
Slugging percentage Mickey Gasper Bryant University .726* 2016
On-base plus slugging percentage Mickey Gasper Bryant University 1.257* 2016
Individual pitching
Appearances Lucas Olen Southern New Hampshire University 24 2015
Innings Geoff Fisher UMass Lowell 59.0 2011
Wins Geoff Fisher UMass Lowell 7 2013
ERA Nick Poore Boston College 1.28 2012
Strikeouts Alek Morency Merrimack College 57 2013
Drew Fischer Amherst College 2016
Saves Cody Rocha Assumption College 17* 2013
Opponent batting average Christopher Good University of New Mexico .198 2012
WHIP Geoff Fisher UMass Lowell 1.02 2011
Strikeouts per 9 Drew Fischer Amherst College 11.23 2016
* Futures Collegiate Baseball League record

Alumni in professional baseball

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Player Position Years with Nashua Highest level of competition
Rob Benedict Shortstop 2011 Independent baseball league
Kyle Bonicki Shortstop 2017 Independent baseball league
Max Burt Second Base 2015 Minor League Baseball
Brandon Dufault Pitcher 2018 Minor League Baseball
Andrew Chin Pitcher 2012 Minor League Baseball
Drew Fischer Pitcher 2016 Minor League Baseball
Mickey Gasper Catcher 2016 Major League Baseball
Tyler Gauthier Pitcher 2011 Minor League Baseball
Jon Minucci Outfielder 2011-12 Independent baseball league
Eric Perrault Pitcher 2011 Independent baseball league
Lamarre Rey Pitcher/First Base 2011-12 Independent baseball league
Chris Shaw First Base 2012 Major League Baseball
Steve Rogers Third Base 2012 Independent baseball league

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c King, Tom (March 4, 2011). "Silver Knights are off and running in city". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
  2. ^ King, Tom (August 6, 2011). "Silver Knights win FCBL title". Nashua Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2013-01-29. Retrieved August 18, 2011. And in the end, the Nashua Silver Knights franchise had the best players, capturing the inaugural FCBL Championship Cup with an 8-3 win over the Torrington Titans on Friday night to complete a two-game sweep.
  3. ^ Editorial (August 8, 2011). "City should extend Silver Knights pact". Nashua Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
  4. ^ "2012 Summer Collegiate Team Rankings". Perfect Game USA. 2012-08-20.
  5. ^ "Nashua Silver Knights promote Neverett, Pyne & Berthiaume". Nashua Silver Knights. 2012-10-04.
  6. ^ Tom King (2015-09-06). "Spinners, Silver Knights up for sale". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  7. ^ a b Tom King (2016-07-05). "Another Neverett also calls games". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  8. ^ Tom King (2017-11-02). "Wallace, Lindner leaving Silver Knights front office". Nashua Telegraph. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  9. ^ "Muntean New Silver Knights GM". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved 2018-06-11.
  10. ^ Tom King (2018-06-25). "Silver Knights may have a bat attack once they return to field". Nashua Telegraph.
  11. ^ Tom King (2018-08-08). "Playoff ouster typified long, tough Silver Knights season". Nashua Telegraph.
  12. ^ Tom King (2019-01-20). "Sharks officially swim away from FCBL for NECBL". Nashua Telegraph.
  13. ^ Tom King (2019-01-14). "Weber sells minority share of Silver Knights to locals". Nashua Telegraph.
  14. ^ Tom King (2018-12-08). "Cookson, Broderick to be Silver Knights co-GMs". Nashua Telegraph.
  15. ^ Tom King (2019-03-05). "Silver Knights to be sold". Nashua Telegraph.
  16. ^ Tom King (2019-03-29). "Silver Knights revamp front office — again". Nashua Telegraph.
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