SilverNash0527

NASHUA – The yellow busses will pull into the Holman Stadium parking lot, oh,anytime between 9:30-10:30 this morning.

The chatter in the stands will begin. Cheers, excitement and …. Silver Knights baseball.

The Knights begin their 15th Futures Collegiate League season today with a 10:30 a.m. Education Day game vs. the Worcester Bravehearts.

And for owner John Creedon, Jr., it never gets old.

“I’m super excited with the dawn of a new season,” said the Worcester, Mass. based businessman who bought the team with his family back in 2019. “Cam (GM Cook) and the sales staff have done a fantastic job filling up the ballpark and coming up with some substantive promotions for the summer that folks will look forward to … You don’t want to be a sitcom re-run on loop here, we want to keep writing a story and keep the story line fresh, and keep progressing season after season.”

They’ve done just that. Just for starters, former Red Sox player Brock Holt will be on hand next Friday,June 6 and be an active participant with the crowd throughout the game. And, on June 27, the franchise will engage in a full-fledged celebration of its predecessor as a Holman tenant, the popular former professional independent league franchise the Nashua Pride. Popular former Sox and Pride manager Butch Hobson is expected back for that as well as other Pride players and front office staff.

“We’ve definitely invested some more money and energy into what we’re doing,” Cook said. “There is something for everybody here. Our whole mantra from a baseball standpoint but also a front office standpoint is the little things. We want to execute the little things.”

Believe it or not, the Silver Knights are the lone team remaining from the original four franchises that began the FCBL 14 years ago.

“We kind of take that role as the senior franchise in the league very seriously,” he said. “We’re just very excited.”

And while hoping for on field success, Creedon feels that this could be a special year for the team off the field. Suite sales have been so good they’re hard to come by. Next Tuesday’s second Education Day morning game has been sold out for weeks. Today’s crowd should be in excess of 2,000.

“From a business perspective, I’m more bullish and more excited than I’ve ever been since we’ve been the owners of the team,” Creedon said.

This is also a key year for the team on the field. For the first time in the team’s history, it has missed the playoffs two years straight. Remember, this is a franchise that leads the FCBL with six championships.

Former manager – and longtime team coach overall – Kyle Jackson stepped down, but remains in the league as a special assistant to Commissioner Joe Paolucci. The new manager is the pitcher Jackson tabbed to start a must win at Brockton in the next-to-last regular season game of 2020 at Brockton, left Nick Guarino. Guarino, now the pitching coach at Eastern Connecticut State, won that game lights out, the team went on to win a championship, and now he’s going to try to steer the ship out of what has been troubled waters.

“I’m looking forward to Nick Guarino’s leadership in the dugout and the locker room, and looking forward to seeing what he’s got up his sleeve for us this summer.”

Guarino has tabbed a righty, Tommy Flaherty, from his alma mater, Clark of Worcester, to start today’s game. All Flaherty did was go 7-0 for the Division III school this past spring.

Creedon is anxious for the team to return to the playoffs. With just six teams this year, the competition is steep. Norwich is a two-time defending champion. Vermont has been perhaps the best overall franchise in the league the last few years. Westfield made the finals for the first time last year, New Britain has been a playoff constant since coming into the league with Vermont and Norwich in 2021, while the Bravehearts are looking to return to prominence.

“There’s a lot of priorities each summer with what we do and how we try to do it,” Creedon said. “But the postseason run is always at the top of the list. It’s our way of thanking the fans for their support year after year, all summer long, try to boost the community and give the good folks of Nashua something exciting to root for.”

The rooting begins this moring and Creedon and the Knights hope it continues for the next three months.