A couple was walking away from the parking lot at Holman Stadium a week ago Friday night when one of them said, “Well, that was fun.”

Yes, another satisfied customer for the Nashua Silver Knights after their final home game, a win and a fireworks show to boot.

That’s the idea, to provide entertainment, and it’s been mission accomplished ever since the franchise was born in 2011. Whatever management/ownership that has been in place, that theme has continued.

“When folks walk out of here, nine times out of 10 they want more Silver Knights baseball in their life,” owner John Creedon said. “…When it comes to families in the Nashua and southern New Hampshire area, they’re thinking of Silver Knights baseball.”

Problem is, this past week there were no Silver Knights to think about. Norwich has just captured its second straight FCBL title, while the Knights have now missed the Futures Collegiate League playoffs two straight seasons, for the first time ever. They tried to recover from yet another slow start, but never made it to .500, finishing 27-29.

The team’s offense really came alive the last two-thirds of the season. The team’s starting pitching was very good. But the bullpen – just four saves – was atrocious, with very few exceptions. You had to wonder if every time manager Kyle Jackson made a pitching change was he walking back into the dugout with his fingers crossed. And to make it worse, only the 18-win Brockton Rox issued more walks.

Bad start to the season, bad bullpen plus too many free passes equals no playoffs.

How does the owner feel about that?

“It’s always disappointing,” Silver Knights owner John Creedon, Jr. said. “It’s gotten a lot more competitive to qualify for the playoffs in the Futures League the last couple of years since they shrunk the number of playoff teams down to four. So in that sense, yes.

“We had a lot of talent on the roster this year. We’ve got some wins we can point to, some building blocks for next year.”

If you think it was frustrating for the owner and the hard core fans – the season ticket holders are always the ones who pay close attention to the roster, etc. – think of how it was for Jackson and general manager Cam Cook. Despite the record, in these eyes Jackson did one of his best managing jobs, nipping the very few times he saw any lack of effort in the bud, and trying to put his players in the best spot possible to succeed. He always tries to make sure they get the most out of their summer ball experience – but also is aware the franchise’s expectations is to win in what is a for-profit league.

And Cook has won titles as a player and executive, and puts a ton of time in. The roster he put together was solid – except the pen. Sure, there were a couple of holes but the lineup after maybe three weeks of nerves got into a groove.

“I don’t fancy myself a baseball mind,” Creedon said. “I rely on my baseball brains, which are Cam, Kyle, and the assistant coaches. They assembled a terrific roster. A lot of players make the All-Star team, and the only active player in the league to sign (after being drafted).”

That would be Londonderry’s Owen Carey, who got snagged by the Braves in the 15th round. There’s the eye for talent. But the pen, the walks, it just proved to be too much.

Like Creedon, we’re no baseball experts. But it’s clear that the stakes get higher because no longer do five or six teams make the playoffs. We say the league should go to five, with a play-in game between fourth and fifth. But first it needs to get its house in order in terms of franchise number, but that’s a topic for another day.

The onus for Nashua has to be on strike throwers, if possible. A better start to the 2025 season is imperative.

The team also lost a couple hundred per game in attendance, and it will have to figure out a way to get that back. Cook and Creedon have addressed it, with the idea that group sales and some more promotions can help solve it, as the glut of weeknight games hurt the bottom line.

And the bottom line here is simple. The Silver Knights are still very popular, run well, and the Creedons are very customer oriented. And yes, a Silver Knights night is fun.

Bet that couple misses them already.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on X (formerly Twitter) @Telegraph _TomK.