After an up-and-down week, the Westfield Starfires hope some home cooking helps the team climb the standings in the FCBL. The team is slated to play six games at Bullens Field and reinforcements have begun arriving that should help the team rise in what has been a close start for all seven squads in the league.
The Westfield bats are still being led by UMass Amherst junior Will Briggs, who launched two more home runs this past week, to bring his season total to four, which leads the FCBL. Briggs also leads the FCBL in RBI, with 14, while only playing six games. He is 9-for-20 on the year. While Briggs has contributed massively, he has only had 26 plate appearances, which is 8th on the team. Of the seven batters ahead of Briggs, Hobart sophomore Jack O’Neil leads the team with 40 plate appearances and has a .324 average. Stonehill senior Jamison Howland has an impressive .360 average and .500 OBP across his 32 plated appearances, and UMass Amherst junior Vance Bonior has a .423 slugging percentage through his 31 PA. In the scoring department, brothers Nick and JJ Fox (of Central Connecticut and St. Joseph’s) are second and third on the team with 7 and 6 RBI, respectively. Overall, the Starfires team batting average of .254, on-base percentage of .366, and slugging percentage of .364 are all fifth in the league. The team’s 24 extra base hits are good for second in the league.
Westfield pitchers have combined for 1.45 WHIP, which is second in the league, and their 9.67 K/9 is the best in the league. Their 5.67 ERA is fourth. The pitching staff is clearly capable of missing bats and limiting baserunners, despite 20 unearned runs against. As for individual performances, UMass Boston senior Cam Fisher has led the starters, pitching 10.0 innings across two starts, allowing three earned runs and a single walk, which is good for a 2.70 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP. Central Connecticut sophomore Zach Worzel is the only other Starfire with two starts, and he has only allowed a single earned run. As for the bullpen, Rhode Island College senior Casey Williams has made team-leading five appearances and has an impressive 2.70 ERA and 9.45 K/9. WNEU junior Sullivan Quirk also has five appearances and is yet to let up an earned run. Keene State sophomore Thomas Pirog has faced 20 batters and struck out 9 of them, giving the righty a 14.29 K/9.
The Starfires have a game every day this week, and all of them besides Sunday’s will be at home. Monday’s game will be against the Nashua Silver Knights at 10:30 a.m. In their one prior matchup this year, the Starfires won, 8-5. Nashua’s pitching staff has a 4.45 ERA which is second in the league. On offense, Nashua’s .397 OBP is second best in the league, but .326 slugging percentage is second lowest in the league. The Silver Knights have a record of 5-6. The Starfires will play Nashua again on Thursday, and expect dogged determination from the Starfires – as well as their four-legged friends, with the team’s annual Bark In The Park Night. On top of the invitation for everyone’s furry companions, hot dogs will be sold at a special $1 price.
Tuesday’s matchup will be the toughest, as the Starfires face the first-place New Britain Bees, who have a 7-2 record. New Britain’s offense has a .289 average, which is second in the league, but their .362 slugging percentage is fourth. However, their pitching staff is the best in the league, with both their 4.22 ERA and 1.27 WHIP leading the FCBL.
Wednesday will be against the Lowell Spinners, who, in contract to the Bees, are the worst team in the FCBL with a record of 3-7. The Spinners’ 7.99 ERA, 2.04 WHIP, and 6.90 K/9 are all the worst in the league. They are slightly better offensively, but their .350 OBP is the worst in the league, and their .232 average is second-to-last. When Westfield played Lowell on May 31, Westfield won, 9-3.
The Starfires also play Lowell on Friday, which will be the team’s annual Westfield Gas + Electric and Whip City Fiber Night. The Voice semifinalist Madison Curbelo will sing the National Anthem before the game, and fans are invited to stick around after the contest for a fireworks show.
The Starfires will end the week with a home-away series against the Norwich Sea Unicorns, who are also 4-6. Westfield is 1-3 against the Sea Unicorns so far this season. The Sea Unicorns have a.214 average and .273 slugging percentage which are both at the bottom of the FCBL, but their .365 OBP is only a single point behind Westfield’s. On the mound, Norwich’s 6.14 ERA and 1.70 WHIP are both fifth in the league. However, Norwich leads the FCBL with 35 steals, so they utilize their baserunners.
Overall, this upcoming week provides a good opportunity for Westfield to win their matchups and build toward making a return to the FCBL playoffs for the third time in five seasons.
