The Earth is three days removed from the summer solstice, and the Starfires are getting closer and closer to the midpoint of the 2025 FCBL season as well as the conclusion of June, which features many promotions and great nights upcoming at Bullens Field.
Offensively speaking, the Starfires are averaging a solid five runs per game, but what stands out is the walks. The squad has drawn 121 walks on the season, which is first in the league by a wide margin, with the New Britain Bees in second place with 101. Westfield has also been hit the second-most times in the league as well, and as a team, are averaging seven free passes per game. The team OBP is an impressive .372 for second-best in the league.
Evan Menzel continues to lead the team in many offensive categories. The Connecticut Husky is slashing .306 on the season, leading the team with 19 hits and has reached base safely in all 19 games that he has played this year. The Coventry, Connecticut native also boasts 20 walks on the year, which is second to none across the FCBL.
Boston College’s Ben Williams is another big bat for the Starfires with the Hanover, N.H. native hitting .286 on the season, including going 4-for-7 in his last two games with four stolen bases. Williams is right behind Menzel with 16 walks drawn and is third in the league with 10 stolen bases on only 11 attempts.
Keene State’s Jonathan Chatfield leads the team with two home runs and 13 runs batted in. His 14 walks put him third in the league, meaning that the Starfires have all three of the league leaders in base on balls.
Alex Ulloa from Florida International University has gone 13-for-38 since making his debut on June 11. He has carved out an everyday role for the Starfires, has multiple hits in four of his ten games, and has at least one base knock in nine of those games.
Leading the team on the mound is another Keene State product, Nathan Pirog. The Bristol, Connecticut native has logged four starts and 21.1 innings this year, giving the team at least five innings of work in every outing thus far. Only six earned runs give the hurler a 2.53 ERA on the season to put him third in the league in that category.
Marist Red Fox Hesselton has been solid as well, making four appearances with two starts. He was the winning pitcher in the Starfires’ last win at Worcester, turning in five innings with four hits, two runs, and five punchouts. The Glastonbury, Connecticut native has a 2.84 earned run average across 12.2 innings of work.
Looking ahead into the final full week of June, the Starfires will be at Bullens Field four times, starting with a game against the Nashua Silver Knights on Tuesday, June 22, featuring Taco Tuesday presented by Westfield State University.
The Silver Knights are holding the third place spot in the standings with a 12-9 overall record, having won six of their past seven. The Starfires are 1-1 against Nashua, winning the home matchup but dropping the game in New Hampshire.
The Silver Knights are led by Ernie Little, who has consistently been at the top of the league in batting average. Little is hitting .477 to put him .050 points higher than the second-place player in the league while also pacing all the FCBL with 13 stolen bases.
The Nashua pitching staff has a league-best 3.31 ERA while also allowing the second-fewest walks. Andrew Chenevert is the only pitcher in the FCBL to reach four wins on the season, including a five-inning, one earned run start in a win against the Starfires earlier this year.
The following day, Wednesday, June 25, Bullens Field will host Bark in the Park night with a Tito’s Dog Bandana Giveaway presented by MGT Bank against the New Britain Bees.
The Starfires have not seen the Bees since June 5, after playing them four times in their first eight games. New Britain has struggled this season, going 9-14, but is 3-1 versus Westfield.
The Starfires will round out the three-game homestand with a game against the Bravehearts on Thursday, June 25, with Dollar Dog Night presented by Kayem at Bullens Field.
Worcester is at the top of the FCBL standings with a 15-7 record. They are leading the league in most offensive categories, most notably the 6.3 runs per game and the 18 home runs, with the long balls at three times as many as any other team. The offense is complemented with a strong pitching staff, and they are the only team averaging less than one error per game.
The Bravehearts are led by Jackson Marshall. The 6’8” slugger leads the league with six long balls and is second with 20 runs driven home to go along with a .351 batting average.
The Starfires will then head onto the road for a single game against the Norwich Sea Unicorns on Friday, June 27.
The Sea Unicorns have not had the same level of success as they did last year, starting just 9-12 thus far. The Sea Unicorns and Starfires have met six times so far, with both teams playing each other evenly at three wins apiece.
Westfield will then return home to begin a home-and-home two-game series against the Bravehearts on Saturday, June 28, for Star Wars Night at Bullens to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western Massachusetts.
The Starfires will then round out the week with their third game against Worcester by playing the road matchup of said series.
All in all, four home games and four exciting promotions are scheduled for Bullens Field as the Starfires look to end the month of June on a high note.
Tickets to all Starfires home games can be purchased at www.westfieldstarfires.com
