SERIES PREVIEW

GAME 1: Bullens Field, Monday, August 5, 6:30 p.m.: Tickets | Stream
GAME 2: New Britain Stadium, Tuesday, August 6, 6:00 p.m.: Directions | Stream
GAME 3 (If Necessary): Bullens Field, Wednesday, August 7, 6:30 p.m.: Tickets | Stream

WESTFIELD, Massachusetts (August 5, 2024) - The second season is here, and for the second time in franchise history, Futures Collegiate Baseball League Playoff action will happen at Bullens Field as the Westfield Starfires take on the New Britain Bees in a best-of-three series with a trip to the championship round on the line.

The series is in a 1-1-1 format; the Starfires, as the second seed, will host the opening game and, if needed, a winner-take-all third game, while the Bees will host the second contest.

New Britain is no stranger to this time of year; longtime FCBL manager Matt Gedman has brought the Bees to the playoffs in each of his three seasons with the squad, and managed the Pittsfield Suns to an FCBL Championship appearance in 2021 as well.

Though the Bees hit .245 as a team, when they do make contact it is usually hard; they are second in the FCBL in total doubles and home runs and third in triples. They are also strong at driving up pitch counts, finishing one walk behind Vermont for the most in the league with 287 in 55 games.

Their top hitter, Freddy Forgione, is a second-year Bee and brings a .260 batting average with 11 doubles and five home runs, the latter third and fourth in the FCBL. His 33 RBI are tied for fourth in the league as well. Another bat to look out for is Daniel Perez. At .253, his average does not stand out, but thanks to 27 walks he boasts a .380 OBP, and with 15 swipes in 17 attempts, he can be a problem on the bases, a key part of why he is fourth in the FCBL with 38 runs scored.

The Bees are fifth in the league in team ERA and batting average against, but do have two strong arms at the front of their rotation in Benjamin Oliveira and Esteban Rivera III. Oliveira is second in the FCBL in strikeouts with 46, while Rivera is sixth with 39, a key factor against a Starfires team that does not often fan. Rivera’s 1.91 ERA is remarkably low for a starter, as he has held opposition to a .190 average.

Westfield has been powered by its offense, which has produced a league-best 365 runs in 56 games thanks in no small part to a league-high 41 home runs. The Starfires are the only FCBL team to exceed 700 total bases, and strike out the least of any team in the league. Despite the pop, the team has shown a willingness to win with small ball, as the Starfires also lead the FCBL with 29 sacrifice flies, and their 82.8 percent stolen base rate is best in the FCBL.

That offense is powered by the Central Connecticut State University duo of Gianno Merlonghi and Aidan Redahan, who are batting .314 and .306 respectively. Each has 11 extra-base hits, and have combined for 62 RBI and 65 runs scored. Merlonghi, at 16 of 17 on the basepaths, is also a threat to steal. Behind those two, the catching duo of Jayden Novak and Cam Papetti have hit six and five home runs while batting .312 and .281 respectively, and both have driven in at least 20 runs, and with a .408 OBP, Kyle Garbowski presents a problem whether he hits at the top of the order or in the middle.

At a .263 batting average against and 5.12 team ERA, the Starfires pitching staff has not overwhelmed opponents, but the team is third in the league in runs allowed per game thanks to strong defense. At .959, the Starfires are second in the FCBL in fielding percentage, and tops among the four teams in the postseason, eight points better than the Bees.

However, Westfield boasts the league’s ERA leader among qualified pitchers, Jake Jachym. The FCBL All-Star and second-year Starfire is 5-1 with a 2.70 ERA, including a complete-game two-hit shutout at New Britain Stadium where no Bees batter reached second safely. Over his last five appearances, he has a 1.78 ERA in 25.1 innings. Daniel Cantafi has also been solid with 30 strikeouts in 38 innings, as has Chris Suter with 29 punchouts in 37.1 frames. In the bullpen, Cam Fisher is 3-0 in three appearances, while Jacob Thomas has a 2.29 ERA in six appearances, including five two-hit shutout innings at New Britain on July 27.

Tickets are still available by clicking the ticket link at the top bar on the page.