This social media flyer tells the story for the Nashua Silver Knights' "Turn Back The Clock" night honoring the Nashua Pride this Frdiay night. (Photo courtesy of Nashua Silver Knights)

NASHUA – The phone has been ringing off the hook in the Nashua Silver Knight offices the last last couple of weeks.

And the subject has been constant: Ticket availability for Friday night’s game vs. the Worcester Bravehearts.

A game with Worcester is always a big deal, but there’s even a bigger deal:

Butch Is Back.

The Silver Knights are honoring the Nashua Pride, the independent minor league team that until the Silver Knights arrived had been the longest tenant of Holman Stadium, going from 1998 through the end of the 2008 season.

And returning to sign a one-day contract to manage the Knights for a couple of innings or so will be the most popular Pride figure next to, well, Monkey Boy: Former Red Sox standout and Pride manager Butch Hobson.

“I loved that ballpark,” Hobson said. “It was a chance to have my family in Nashua, the kids were starting school, it’s a wonderful city, a wondrful area, the people are wonderful. I made a lot of family friends, it’s going to be a very special time for me.

“I’m really, really excited about it, looking forward to seeing the fans and sitting in that dugout in Historic Holman Stadium again.”

Monkey Boy will of course put in an appearance as well. Also expected, among others, are former Pride players Glenn Murray and Rich “El Guapo” Garces. Murray, who still lives in the area, won an Atlantic League title with the Pride in 2000 as the team’s premier power hitter and one of its most popular players. Garces, of course, was a popular former Red Sox pitcher and was the Pride’s closer in Hobson’s final year as the team’s manager in 2007. He was on the mound recording the final out of the 2007 Can Am League finals when the Pride beat North Shore to win that league’s championship.

And that’s just a few of the list of former players and team employees expected to attend.

“It’s amazing,” one Pride staffer said. “Of all the calls we get the most by far are about the Pride game.”

Since leaving the Pride, Hobson has managed elsewhere in the Atlantic League -three seasons as the skipper of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, and six as manager of the Lancaster Barnstormers. He also spent a season managing the Kane County Cougars in the Class A Midwest league and then returned to indy ball to manage the Chicago Dogs of the American Association from 2018-2023.

Hobson wrapped up a career managing 24 seasons in independent baseball and became the first modern indy ball manager to win 1,500 games (1538-1325, .537).

ROAD TRIP CONTINUES

Meanwhile, the Silver Knights until Friday are in the midst of a six-game road stretch in seven days. They were at New Britain, Norwich, (wins) then Vermont (loss) before having Monday off; they head to Westfield tonight before another two-nighter in Vermont, likely staying overnight in the Burlington area Wednesday night.

This time they faired better at the start of the trip, extending their win streak to six games before Vermont snapped the streak Sunday with a 7-1 win.

STATS AND SUCH

The Silver Knights have two key league leaders. First, second baseman Ernie Little leads the FCBL in hitting at. 477. River Hart is third in homers with three, three behind the leader – guess who – Worcester’s Jackson Marshall (6).

On the pitching side, Silver Knights ace Andrew Chenevert leads the league in wins with four and is second in ERA at a superb 1.04. Knights starter Tommy Flaherty is tied for second in strikeouts with 19.

ATTENDANCE

Nashua is third in the league in attendance, averaging 1,779 fans per game in nine openings. A rainout and the usual June mid-week three-figure crowds certainly had a little impact. If you were at the walk-off thriller vs.Worcester last Thursday night, however, you’d head to Holman in a heartbeat. Vermont has moved past Worcester to lead, averaging 2,476 per game. The Bravehearts are at 2,212. Behind Nashua is New Britain at 1,639 in fourth. Fifth is actually Westfield (1,577) and sixth is Norwich (1,321). Overall it’s been a strong attendance start for the league, averaging 1,866 fans per game league-wide.