Staff file photo by TOM KING Luke Tyree, shown sliding home during an early season game last summer, is one of the few holdovers from the 2017 roster for the Nashua Silver Knights.

NASHUA – The Drive for Five will be without a lot of familiar names making up its engine.

But don’t mistake that as a sign that the Nashua Silver Knights won’t be vying for a fifth Futures Collegiate League championship, and third straight, in their eight years of team and league existance.

Players report to Holman Stadium early this week (likely Monday), and the season opens up on Wednesday night at Worcester in a rematch of the last two FCBL Finals with the big Holman Opener this Friday. As usual, there’s a lot of turnover from the improbable title team of 2017, which finished the regular season at 26-27 but stormed through the playoffs with a 5-0 mark, and now the Knights will be looking for another crown.

Because last year’s team was loaded with players who were set to be college seniors and thus can’t be part of the 2018 team, there are only a handful of roster players set to return as of now, among them first baseman Tom Joyce, catcher Mitch Baker, outfielders Luke Tyree (Marymount) and Tom Blandini (hitting .341 for Division II World Series bound Southern New Hampshire University), and pitcher Manny Ray.

“It’s pretty much a brand new list of guys,” Neverett said. “It’s the same every year, when you put a whole new group together, it takes time to mesh and takes time for the staff to figure out lineups, how we can use them.

“We definitely have some talented kids coming in. It will be interesting.”

And may take the month of June to sort itself out.

“I think what will happen is by July 1 we’ll have a lineup,” Neverett said. “And they’ll have their opportunity to make the lineup. The players will make the lineup, how they’re performing, perhaps more so than in the past.”

One thing Neverett says this roster has to do – play well at home.

“We have to play better at home this year,” he said. “Which is weird because we played so well on the road. Because we batted first on the away games we seemed to score first. At home, we were always chasing, trying to come from behind.”

The other thing: the team doesn’t appear to have the power it had the last couple of years and Neverett will try to find out who his clutch hitters will be – a role Ryan Sullivan performed so well the last two years of his near five-year tenure.

“These kids are pretty athletic, it’s going to be a different looking lineup,” Neverett said. “We’re not going to have a lot of power in the middle of the lineup. We’re going to try to run a lot more, and put the pressure on defenses that way.”

Here’s a look at the bulk of the squad reporting for duty:

PITCHERS

It all begins with this, and the Silver Knights were able to get through the last two tournaments with late additions and bullpen depth. So it’s no surprise there’s 17 pitchers due to arrive.

Potential starters: Northeastern’s Brandon Dufault (from Windham, 1-1, 6.30 this spring), Salve Regina’s Pat Mabach (good numbers at 4-4, 1.87 this spring), St. Mary redshirt Casey Candiotti – as we reported, son of former MLB knuckleballer Tom Candiotti – Bentley’s Luke Dawson (led the school in wins at 6-4, 3.16 in 85.1 innings Spencer Langdon of Tufts (great spring at 5-0, 2.00), Stonehill’s Mike White, and high school grad (headed to Boston College via San Diego) Mason Pelio. All are right-handed. Lefty Owen Batchelder of Northeastern (Souhegan alum) has been shut down for the summer due to injury, and Pelio won’t be here until June 26.Sophomore Aidan Welch (Millersville) is a tweener; Neverett wants to see him pitch first before deciding if he will start.

Dawson, who lost a tough post season walkoff complete game to SNHU, could be the Holman opener starter this Friday. He pitched for Seacoast against the Knights last year, and was second in the FCBL in strikeouts.

“We had a tough time with him (last year),” Neverett said. “But we’re going to open on the road (at Bristol and Brockton) and we’re just going to get everybody out there (for a few innings each). We won’t do that on June 1 though.”

Keep an eye on Dufault. “He’s been pretty consistent 90-92 (mph) and becoming a prospect,” Neverett said.

Relievers: Returning flamethrower Manny Ray (Tufts, Bedford, but he needs to have more control as he walked nine in 14.1 innings, allowing 17 runs here last summer; however he walked just four in 17 frames this spring), Boston College’s Nick Couhig, Bedford soon-to-be grad Geoff Mosseau (St. John’s bound), Franklin Pierce’s Derek Duffey, Hartford soph Jared Norcross Plourde, Salve Regina’s Andrew Roman and Souhegan alum Joey Grassett out of Univesity of Hartford (0-0, 4.15 in 13 innings).

And last, but certainly not least, another Hartford hurler, lefty Drew Farkas. Farkas may close, as he went 6-2, 2.72 in 38.2 innings, all in relief, with opponents hitting just .229 against him.

“We’ll figure it out,” Neverett said. “If I had to use somebody in the first game it would be him based on what he’s done in college. He’s had a really, really good season at Hartford as their set up guy. If he’s been doing that, then moving into the ninth inning shouldn’t be a problem.”

Another potential closer could be Duffey, who was a seventh-eighth inning pitcher at Franklin Pierce for former Silver Knights manager Mike Chambers (1-2, 4.78, one save).

“We’ll find that out as we go,” Neverett said. “When you’ve got 17-18 pitchers, you can use guys to soak up some innings if you have to.”

CATCHERS

The Silver Knights appear to have plenty of them. Neverett had penciled in returnee Baker (Umass-Dartmouth, he joined the team last last season), Franklin Pierce junior Dylan Jones (.226 in 29 games) and Yale sophomore Cal Christofari (.270 in 22 games). But Virginia Tech has asked that Biddison see some time there and Neverett also has the return of Kyle Maurice, plus Ted Beaudet, recovering from injury. “I’ll sit in a meeting with those guys,” Neverett said, adding Jones may see more outfield (slowed this spring after being hit by a pitch in his hand), and Biddison will move around.

Baker played in 40 games this spring, hitting .336 with four homers and 25 RBIs. “Christofari has been playing at Yale, so that’s good,” Neverett said, adding he’ll avoid the “personal catcher” trend. “There’s going to be days where one guy may catch seven and another guy will go in and finish the game.”

INFIELD

The key here will be what happens at first base with soon-to-be Bedford High School graduate Grant Lavigne. It’s very likely Lavigne, who has a scholarship at Wake Forest, will be drafted by a Major League team and headed for a huge signing bonus. He may not ever don a Knights uniform.

But Bentley University’s Ryan Berardino (.289, 5 HR, 36 RBIs this spring), grandson of former Sox standout outfielder Dwight Evans and Sox player development consultant Dick Berardino, can play first along with returnee Joyce (Merrimack College). Joyce (.325, 3 HR, 29 RBIs) is the lefty hitter and Berardino the righty part of the first base combo.

But who will be the combo up the middle and also take over at third, where former Knight Cam Cook ruled admirably for the better part of two championship seasons.

“They’ll be more than one guy playing (at third), “ Neverett said, and possibly includes returnee Blandini, an outfielder who is sometimes playing third for the Penmen.

Assumption’s Jared Brecia will see time there as will high school grad Nick Biddison, one of the state of Virginia’s best players who is bound for Virginia Tech. He should arrive June 3. “He’ll probably be our first high school kid in,” Neverett said.

What about up the middle (second and short)? There’s University of Houston redshirt Tyler Littlefield (drafted by the Reds in the 38th round last year), Stetson’s (and Exeter native Kyle Ball, who tortured area football teams as the Blue Hawks QB), plus soon-to-be Exeter grad Cody Morissette, who hopes to win a second Divsion I state title before reporting to Nashua

OUTFIELDERS

Neverett,when he was overstacked at other positions, only brought in three – returnees Blandini and Tyree, and newcomer Jeff Costello (.243) out of Northeastern. “I passed on a couple of good guys because then I’d really be in (roster limit) trouble,” he said. “Costello is a very athletic kid and he started playing a lot the second half of the season at Northeastern. We’ll move those guys around, they’ll all play different spots.”

Blandini has scored 50 runs for SNHU, with 13 doubles and 10 triples, driving in 47 – a breakout spring. Tyree hit .288 at Marymount but stole 18 bases and scored 37 runs. Neverett has many who can play center plus other outfield spots — the above three and even Jones and Biddison – and Lavigne if he comes.

“We’ll have good defense in the outfield, and I know that,” Neverett said. “Those guys can go get a ball. If we’re, say, at Worcester, it would be an advantage to have Blandini in right. … He’s a guy that’s going to be in the lineup every game.”

And, Neverett said, he’ll be a potential leadoff hitter when he’s able to report, as he’s done that at SNHU.

As always, there will be late arrivals, late additions, injuries, draftees, etc. What you see in June certainly may not be what you see in August, but that’s just standard operating procedure for a team that has won four FCBL championships in the league’s seven years.

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