Last year's Silver Knights ace Griffin Young is slated to make his 2021 Nashua debut tonight vs. Vermont at Holman Stadium. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – They certainly don’t want to dwell on the past, because that’s no way to win in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.

But the Nashua Silver Knights will certainly welcome the sight of last year’s overall ace, Griffin Young, taking the mound for the first time this season tonight vs. the Vermont Lake Monsters at 6 p.m. at Holman Stadium.

Young went 3-2 with a 1.75 earned run average last season for the Knights, grabbing ahold of the ace designation in late July/early August.

And he followed that up with a spectacular season at Wheaton College, going 5-0, 2.10 with two saves. Young allowed only 40 hits,walked just nine and struck out 62 in 60 innings pitched (10 appearances).

He may be the spark the team needs, with lefty Nick Guarino, last year’s best postseason pitcher, to follow on the mound on Wednesday night.

“He’ll bring an energy,” Silver Knights manager Kyle Jackson said, “and then you have Guarino after him.”

What was so special about what they did last year?

“They threw strikes,” Jackson said. “I think that’s the biggest thing we’ve been preaching to the pitchers, that when you throw strikes, you can go five, six, and keep the team in the game.”

But Jackson knows the biggest issue right now with the Silver Knights is the hitting, as they are hitting just a league-worst .195 with a league low 72 runs in 20 games. They are also next to last in pitching with a 4.79 team ERA, in the middle of the pack with 113 walks allowed. The feeling is if the team starts hitting, the pitchers won’t have to walk such a fine line.

“If the bats come alive, then we’re in a different situation,” Jackson said. “It’s easier to pitch from a lead than it is always being behind, and afraid to give up one run or two runs, because we don’t know if we’re going to get (those runs back).”

Jackson said Young will do what he did last year – compete like crazy.

“He is just going to go out there and compete,” he said. “He had a great season this year for school at Wheaton. I think in his last start he pitched a complete game.”

Jackson said nothing has changed with Young.

“Same guy,” he said. “He just goes out there and compete. He wants to win.”

It should be fun to see both out there. Guarino was the Opening Night starter this year, and is 1-1, 2.93 in 15.1 innings. He’s probably given up more hits (16) than he’d like, but has walked just four and struck out 13.

“They’re excited about it,” Jackson said of his dynamic duo.

WOODEN BAT WOES?

Is the fact that they’re hitting with a wooden bat causing part of the problem for the Knights? It’s obviously not for the other teams, but Nashua is struggling.

“It’s different,” Jackson said. “It (the wood) is heavier, it’s a different feel. It’s not light and the ball’s not going to fly off your bat. I think Dom Keegan said it last year, it’s slow. You can get through the inside pitches (with aluminum), but you can’t do it with a wooden bat. You have to be ready.That’s the biggest thing for the guys.”

Has there been any thought to bringing in a hitting instructor for a day or two from the outside to work with the players and reinforce whatever Jackson and pitching coach Ariel Ramos are telling them?

“Personally, no, because I think they all know how to do it, they’ve done it,” Jackson said. “It’s not me being a pitching guy, telling them to go the other way. They know how to do it, they’re expected to do it in college.

“That’s the thing, what is changing here, what’s changing from college?”

DIFFERENT VIEW

Jackson watched the rest of Friday night’s big comeback win over the Lake Monsters from the luxury suites with his father after being ejected in the later innings for arguing a play at second base.

What he saw surprised him.

“Different view,” he said. “I didn’t know the stadium was that big. I really didn’t. I was talking to my dad and said ‘That’s a big outfield.’ Balls that (Logan) Ott hit and (Sam) McNulty hit (to the outfield), that’s a long way.”

NOTES

Speaking of Keegan, the Vanderbilt University team the former Silver Knight catcher is playing with right now beat Arizona in the College World Series in Omaha and but dropped a tough 1-0 game to the North Carolina State on Monday to fall out of the winners bracket….

After the two home games vs. Vermont, Nashua hits the road, at Worcester Thursday, at Norwich on Friday with the resumption of Saturday’s suspended game and then the regularly scheduled meeting, then at Westfield on Saturday night and back to Worcester Sunday for a 4 p.m. matinee. It’s their longest road stretch thus far of the season, with their next home game after that to be a week from tonight…

Nashua is currently third in the league in attendance after four figure crowds this past Friday and Sunday. They’re averaging 885 in 13 dates, most of them early-mid weeknights. Vermont leads the way with a whopping 1,534 average in 11 dats, while New Britain (946) is second.