NASHUA – J.P. Pyne wasted no time on Monday in lining up his starting pitching for the first couple of games of the Nashua Silver Knights’ third season.

Expect to see New Mexico product Chris Goode as the Opening Night starter on Friday after the team’s second straight championship rings are handed out at Holman Stadium.

“He was our number one starter all of last year and he’s earned that same spot this year,” Pyne said.

Goode last summer went 5-2 with a 1.57 earned run average, and this past year he transferred from the University of New Mexico to Belhaven University in Kansas City, Mo. He ended up going 14-3 and being named Second Team NAIA All-American.

Pyne’s second starter, a game this Saturday at Brockton, is certainly a familiar name – former Nashua North and current Merrimack College pitching standout Alek Morency.

Morency is back for his third year with the Silver Knights, as Pyne began workouts Monday with most of the squad present.

“He was a huge part of what we did last year and even the year before,” Pyne said. “He’s a guy who is going to be an anchor for us right away.”

Morency followed up a good summer of 2012 (4-1, 1.68 in 48 innings) with a sensational spring, where he was the ace of the Merrimack staff. He went 7-3, 1.17, and threw a whopping 922?3 innings and opponents hit just .220 off him.

Morency says he wouldn’t be the college pitcher he is now had he not pitched for the Silver Knights the last two summers.

“I don’t think so, no,” he said. “The level of play here has really given me a chance to learn how to pitch. It’s a really good experience. Just maturity. Just developing mentally. I’ve always had the talent I’ve had, developing mentally has been the big thing.

“I’ve learned how to pitch. When I came out of high school, I was more like a thrower. I didn’t have any concept of how to throw in college. Coming here, having a pitching coach (Pyne last year) teaching me how to throw to batters in certain situations … I just learned.”

“He had a real successful spring at Merrimack,” Pyne said. “You could just see it. He threw a short side today but you could just see the confidence that comes with the success that he’s had.”

Morency, who took the fall off to rest his arm, said he developed a couple of new pitches during his Silver Knight time, adding he never envisioned himself pitching for the Silver Knights for three years.

“No, but I’m glad to be back,” he said.

“It should be a fun year … It’s great, get to live at home, five minutes from the stadium, and play in front of everyone I played in front of in high school. Just a nice atmosphere to play in.”

Roster shuffle

As is customary, the Silver Knights have tweaked their roster. Assistant manager and vice president for player personnel B.J. Neverett had to make some changes. Eric White, an infielder for the University of Maine who was with the Knights for part of last season, injured his wrist in the America East tournament and had surgery to end his season.

Also, a pitcher for Boston College, Jeff Burke, was shut down by the Eagles coaches after pitching 351?3 innings this spring as a freshman.

In their place are pitcher Tim Cashman, one of Morency’s teammates on Merrimack who went 3-4 4.22 as the team’s third starter.

The team also inked Southern Maine lefty Dan Kinnon of Londonderry, who went 1-0, 4.81 for the Division III national runnerup that beat Daniel Webster in the NCAA New England Regional. Kinnon is seen as a lefty relief specialist. “We needed a guy who could get a lefty out with two outs, and he was doing that at Southern Maine,” Neverett said.

Also signed is Bowdoin infielder Aaron Rosen, who hit .346 with 14 RBIs for the Polar Bears. “A real nice player, good athlete,” Neverett said. “We’re at 29 players, that’s where we’re going to stay.”

Tough break

One downer: The Knights will have to wait about a month for the return of the 2012 FCBL Defensive Player of the Year, outfielder Connor Lyons. Lyons broke his collarbone running into a wall at University of North Carolina-Wilmington. He’s not expected back until early July.

Opening crowd

The Silver Knights will be getting a large crowd on Friday, weather permitting, as vice president Jon Goode says 1,500 tickets have been sold already.

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