On July 12, 2025, the Westfield Starfires were trailing the Nashua Silver Knights 6-5 in the seventh inning, playing at Bullens Field for the first time in over a week. Then in the home half of the seventh, Jonathan Chatfield reached with a single, then Anthony Ruggiero smacked a home run that clanked off the foul pole in right field, giving the Starfires a one-run lead on what went on to be the game-winning hit.
Ruggiero describes this as his favorite and most memorable moment as a Westfield Starfire.
The very next day, on July 13, the Starfires took a trip over to Fitton Field to play the Worcester Bravehearts, and Ruggiero went yard again, this time with a grand slam to help the Starfires rout the Bravehearts for a 13-3 win.
Ruggiero grew up in Mendon, Massachusetts, and played high school baseball at Nipmuc Regional all four years. While he did play both basketball and football, baseball became his main sport.
The New Englander was a force to be reckoned with in high school, earning the Career Athlete award, Conference Player of the Year, and All-Nipmuc Team during his high school tenure.
His high school accolades, as well as playing travel ball for Northeast Baseball, led the 2024 graduate to commit to the Northeastern Huskies for the following school year.
“I loved how the coaching staff went about things there,” he said about his decision. “I wanted to be close to home, and my mother also attended Northeastern.”
Before he started his college career, though, the left-hander played a season for the Nashua Silver Knights in the summer of 2024.
His first collegiate-level base hit came on June 13 against the Worcester Bravehearts. Around a week later, the outfielder logged his first RBI and stolen base in a win against the New Britain Bees on Monday, June 19.
His first extra-base knock came on July 10 with a triple in a win over the Norwich Sea Unicorns. Ruggiero finished the season as just one of three Silver Knights to notch two triples on the season.
Despite several successes, though, Ruggiero struggled for the most part, hitting just .173 across 23 games with 23 strikeouts in just 52 plate appearances.
“Pace of play and pitchers’ velocity are on another level,” he acknowledged about the differences between college and high school baseball. “Every kid has a purpose and the same goal as you.”
The 6’1”, 185 pound Massachusetts native then settled down at Northeastern for his first year in college with a major in Criminal Justice.
“I just grew up wanting to work in law enforcement,” he said about his major. “If baseball doesn’t work out for me, I want to be a DEA officer.”
Ruggiero went on to redshirt in his first collegiate season but was a member of a Northeastern team that had quite a special season.
Northeastern went 49-11 and 25-2 in the CAA, losing just once at home in 24 games. Both the overall wins and the 25 conference victories are program records.
They were also ranked inside the top-25 towards the end of the season, getting a high as 19 at one point, and entered the NCAA tournament with a 27-game win streak, the longest win streak for any Division 1 baseball team since 2021. Northeastern won an NCAA tournament game in the Tallahassee Regional over Bethune-Cookman but was ultimately eliminated after two losses to Mississippi State.
After the historic season, the Northeastern coaching staff reached out to Ruggiero, telling him that the Westfield Starfires had a spot for him ready on their roster, and Ruggiero gladly accepted.
Due to Northeastern’s deep playoff run, Ruggiero’s debut was slightly delayed, with the now-rising sophomore suiting up for his Starfires for the first time on June 5 against the Bees.
The very next day, he got his first hit as a Starfire on June 6 against the Vermont Lake Monsters.
Ruggiero began to rake in his new home, with multi-hit games in five of his first 10 appearances with the Starfires, including a 3-for-4 night against the Bravehearts that included three RBIs and his first collegiate home run. He quickly carved out a role as an everyday right-fielder for Westfield, batting .333 just two weeks into his season.
However, he hit a bit of a roadblock towards the end of June into early July, which dropped his average to .233.
But then, the Mendon, Massachusetts native went 10-for-18 throughout the next four games from July 11 to July 15 with two doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs, and a stolen base, raising his average by over .060 points in that span.
“Je has worked so hard to get to where he is currently,” said Starfires Associate Manager Nate Cormier. “Mentally and physically, he has changed his game in ways that should continue to show success.”
On the season, Ruggiero has been one of the best at the plate for Westfield, second on the team with his .288 average, improving that mark over .100 points from last summer with Nashua. He is also second on the squad with three home runs, third with 17 runs driven in, and is only behind Ben Williams with 10 stolen bases.
I think just slowing the game down and not trying to get too sped up was the difference for me,” he said. “Seeing more reputation, better arms, and feeling more comfortable at the plate was all it took.”
Ruggiero also takes pride in his teammates and coaches for helping him get to where he is now.
“Coach Molinari helped me tremendously and so has Josh Frometa,” he said. “Cooper Tarantino also helps me out a lot and knows the type of player I am.”
After this season playing with Westfield, Ruggiero will look to take his talents to Northeastern for his rookie season with the Huskies. Long-term, his hopes are to either get drafted or become a DEA officer with his criminal justice major.
“I know that whether it is with baseball or law enforcement, Northeastern will lead me to success,” he says.
“I’m a great teammate and want to cheer on my guys,” he says about his character. “I care, I compete, and I’m willing to go out and play.”
“You can’t be results-driven, and you’ll get plenty of opportunities,” he says to young players trying to step up their game. “You need to stick with a plan and keep a clear mind.”
Ruggiero’s versatility has been one of his best assets, being able to hit for average, power, and his speed and defense are also big parts of his game. All of these factors will give the young man from Mendon a bright future and a lot of things to look forward to.
