Former Nashua Silver Knight Dom Keegan was taken in the fourth round Sunday by the Tampa Bay Rays in the MLB Draft. (Telegraph file photo by TOM KING)

NASHUA – The Nashua Silver Knights allowed their fans to say farewell to the league title favorite Vermont Lake Monsters in style on Sunday.

Farewell for now, anyway.

If the Silver Knights have their way, the next time their fans here see the Lake Monsters at Holman Stadium would be in the Futures Collegiate League finals. Vermont isn’t scheduled to come to Holman again this season, although Nashua makes the trip to Burlington one more time for a July 27 matchup.

The Silver Knights, currently percentage points ahead of New Britain in second, would love to keep that spot – or at the very least avoid finishing fourth as a playoff team. A fourth place spot would make them play the Lake Monsters in the first round.

But that’s getting way ahead of things, as right now, if you concede first to the 33-13 Lake Monsters, that means Nashua (24-20), New Britain (25-21), Norwich (22-24), Westfield (21-23), and perhaps Pittsfield (20-25) as five teams in the mix for three spots. Worcester (19-26) and Brockton (17-29) are a Nashua-type winning streak away from joining the race, but they’re out of it for now.

But here’s the thing: The Silver Knights love to play Vermont, and they really love to beat the Monsters.

“We want to face them,” Nashua’s Kyle Wolff said. “They’re the best team in the league. They have some of the best pitchers, they have some of the best players in the league.

“So you want to face the best compeition. At least that’s how I look at it. I want to play them. I love playing every team, but Vermont, it seems (the competition) is a little big heightened.”

MORE KNIGHTS DRAFTEES

One of the more popular Silver Knights over the last few years was Dom Keegan, who helped put Nashua in position to win the 2020 FCBL title before having to miss the Finals to head back to Vanderbilt. A catcher-first baseman here, Keegan was just drafted on Sunday in the fourth round, No. 134 overall, by the Tampa Bay Rays.

And how about this: Right after Keegan was plucked, Nick Biddison out of Virgina Tech, a Silver Knight in 2018, was taken with the 135th pick by the L.A. Dodgers. Two former Knights back-to-back.

Meanwhile, a third former Silver Knight may be joining the New York Yankees fold. The Yanks drafted Northeastern University pitcher Cam Schlittler, who was briefly a Knight in 2019, in the seventh round on Sunday. Schlittle appeared in three games that season, all in relief, just a total of 2.1 innings.

With Northeastern this spring, he made 15 starts, going 5-8 with a very respectable 3.53 earned run average, tossing 91.2 innings with 85 strikeouts.

Remember, former Knights Mickey Gasper and Max Burt are teammates on the Yankees Double A Somerset Patriots.

DOUBLEHEADER TODAY

Given the standings we just mentioned, there are two big games (seven innings each) on tap for Nashua at the Westfield Starfires, beginning at 5 p.m.

The doubleheader is to make up a rainout from last week, and Nashua could really create some distance between their spot and fourth/fifth place with a sweep.

Gabe Van Emon (1-0, 1.35) will get the Game 1 nod, while late last week Knights manager Kyle Jackson said the nightcap nod would either go to Shea Ryan (1-2, 4.72) or the FCBL leader in wins, Cole Glassburn (6-1, 5.40). Glassburn has made 13 appearances, but only two have been starts.

TIDS AND BITS

While Glassburn leads the league in wins, Wolff is 10th in hitting at .327…

Brayden Clarke (0-2, 4.23) is back from his kidney stone procedure, being used out of the bullpen until he can build back up into a starting role….

Yes, Nashua South alum Albert De La Rosa, who still has very slim outside chance of being drafted in the later rounds tonight, walked away from the Silver Knights after being with them for just two games, playing in one. General manager Cam Cook was not pleased, as Nashua has lacked infield depth…

Speaking of which, third baseman/shortstop Carmelo Musacchia (thumb) is due back Wednesday night, which is Nashua’s next home game. The Worcester Bravehearts will be the opponent beginning at 6.