NASHUA – Finally you can plan your summer, Silver Knights fans.

Nashua Silver Knights general manager Cam Cook has been begging the Futures Collegiate League for a schedule for well over a month, and now he and the team’s loyal fan base finally has one.

The Silver Knights, as was reported last week, will celebrate their 2020 FCBL championship with a pre-game ring ceremony at their home opener on Thursday, May 27, with a 6 p.m. contest vs. Worcester.

“I’ve had this mock schedule for a month, and was dying to share it and get it out to people,” Cook said. “And now I can.”

They will open their longest season ever – 68 games — by traveling to Burlington, Vt.on Wednesday, May 26, to welcome in the Vermont Lake Monsters, one of two new franchises in the FCBL

The other is the Norwich (Conn.) Sea Unicorns, whom the Silver Knight will see for the first time at Holman on June 3. They make their first trip to Norwich on June 3.

Norwich was announced Tuesday as a new franchise, and like Vermont, it’s a former affiliated New York Penn League team. It’s also another team with a facility, as the Sea Unicorns play in Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium. It had been a Detroit Tiger affiliate since 2010, and provides an in-state rival for last year’s FCBL addition, New Britain.

“Bringing in another former minor league organization and facility is outstanding for our league,” FCBL Commissioner Joe Paolucci said. “We can’t wait to continue providing high quality baseball to a great New England community for years to come.”

Remember, the FCBL lost North Shore (Lynn) to the NECBL, gained the two new franchises and also welcomes the return of the Pittsfield Suns, who opted to sit out last year due to the pandemic.

Worcester, meanwhile, will not have to play in Leominster’s Doyle Field this year as it did last summer due to the pandemic as the stadium at Holy Cross was not available. The Bravehearts reached an agreement over a week ago to return to the college’s Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.

All of these maneuvers had delayed the FCBL schedule for weeks, if not months. But everything appears good to go now.

The team’s longest homestand is six games from June 1-6. Mondays will generally be a day off in the league with the exception of Memorial Day, May 31, which sees the Knights at Worcester for a 1 p.m. game.

Games will start at 6 p.m. at Holman weeknights and Saturdays. Sunday games at home will start at 3 p.m.

The Knights will have seven Thursday home games, which are usually their Dollar Beverage nights. They will have six Friday night home games with fireworks: June 4 and 18, July 9, 16, 30 and August 6. There are only four Saturday night games: June 5, 12, and July 3 and 17. The team will be at Pittsfield for a 4:35 p.m. game July 4.

“Every team had to adjust a bit,” Cook said of the low number of home Saturdays. “But we’re probably the only team in the league that benefits from a lot of Thursday games. So I’ll never be upset with more Thursdays and Fridays.”

Nashua’s longest extended road trip will be July 23-29, with a day off mixed in. The state Senior American Legion tournament will be at Holman then, so, as Cook said, “It’s not as if Holman will be empty and not being used.”

The league’s All-Star Game will be in New Britain, Conn.on Tuesday, July 13. It’s a three day break, July 12-14, and they come out of the break visiting Brockton.

It appears there will be some overnight stays by teams in the league this year, mainly with Vermont. The Silver Knights have back-to-back road games in Burlington July 27-28 and August 7-8.

The Lake Monsters are in Nashua on June 22-23.

“We have to decide if we’re going to do (overnights),” Cook said, adding that if it can be cost effective, they may opt for that. “We’re kind of centrally located.”

The longest FCBL regular season ever will conclude on Friday, Aug. 13, with Nashua at Worcester. The playoffs will begin on Aug. 14, and evidently four teams will qualify (likely no play-in games), with best-of-three semifinal and finals.

“Because of the number of games, things will be tight so I believe it will just be four teams, semis and finals,” Cook confirmed.

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