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WEYMOUTH, Mass. (September 22, 2023) 一 With the conclusion of its 13th summer collegiate season in New England, the Futures League is pleased to recognize its top players with Friday’s announcement of the annual All-Futures League Teams.
The All-Futures League First and Second Teams, which are presented by Zorian Bats and Zephyr, highlight players by position after nominations were received from each of the eight franchises’ field managers. Each Futures League organization is represented across the two lineups, which both include five starting and two relief pitchers, one player at each infield position, four outfielders, and a pair of designated hitter/utility spots.
A full listing of both teams can be found at the end of this release.
The top squad is led by three of the league’s major award winners. Leading the champion Norwich Sea Unicorns was third baseman Dean Ferrara (Fairfield), who earned Futures League Most Valuable Player honors while setting a new single-season league record with his .422 batting average. Francis Ferguson (Eastern Nazarene) anchors the pitching staff after becoming the third straight Pitcher of the Year honoree from the Vermont Lake Monsters and posting a league-best 2.25 ERA, while the New Britain Bees’ Brian Hart (Hofstra) earned a spot with his Relief Pitcher of the Year status.
Two more of the league’s top batters reside along the first-team infield with Ferrara. First baseman Nick Serce (American International) socked a league-leading 13 home runs for the Westfield Starfires. The Worcester Bravehearts’ Tyler Bastunas (Drury) earned the nod at second base as the top producer in the hits (76) and runs (46) departments and the second-leading stolen base threat (37). Pittsfield Suns shortstop Jimmy King (Holy Cross) is the fourth player on the dirt.
The first-team outfield is led by the Nashua Silver Knights’ Shane McNamara (Eastern Nazarene), whose 44 RBI on the summer were tops in the circuit and tied a franchise record. Pittsfield’s Austin Rachiele (MCLA) and New Britain teammates Garrett Scavelli (St. John’s) and Christian Scanlon (Merrimack) were the three other outfielders selected, and fellow Bee Jimmy Keenan (St. John’s) was the top catcher with nine homers to his name.
Rounding out the top team’s positional group is a pair of utility players in switch-hitting Vermont infielder/outfielder Tommy Martin (Yale) and Pittsfield’s Matt Lussier (Fairfield), the former who posted an outstanding .434 on-base percentage.
Joining Ferguson among the best starting pitchers are league strikeouts leader for the Westfield Starfires, Ryan Bailey (Alfred State), Vermont teammate Evan Maloney (Rhode Island), Nashua’s Michael Gemma (Northeastern), and Worcester’s Max LeBlanc (UMass). Top honors were also bestowed upon another reliever in Lake Monster Callan Fang (Harvard), who matched Hart with seven saves.
Both Top Pro Prospect award winners highlighted the crop of second-team All-Futures League players in Worcester pitcher Dylan Vigue (Michigan) and Nashua catcher Will Fosberg (Northeastern). Both are just beginning their freshman year at their respective schools.
The second-team positional lineup includes Norwich first baseman Andrew Bianco (Seton Hall) and New Britain second baseman Tyler Pettorini (Ohio State), who are each repeat All-Futures League performers after earning the same distinction last season. Pettorini, who hit .328 and had 31 RBI in 31 games, was also the Home Run Derby champion at the Futures League All-Star Game in July.
Ferrara and Bianco are joined by four teammates from the title-winning Sea Unicorns including Postseason MVP and two-time Futures League champion Johnny Knox (Nichols), who earned an infield slot at shortstop. On the mound, Matt Wootton (Eastern Connecticut) was one of Norwich’s top starting pitchers while Christo Garrelts (Elon) logged an unblemished ERA over 26 innings during the summer, primarily in relief.
Other second-team notables include two Westfield outfielders in Corey Zientek (Coastal Carolina) and Kiernan Caffrey (American International), who are joined by Norwich veteran Brennan Hyde (Nichols) and Brockton’s All-Star rookie Ryan Gerety (Northeastern). Southpaw Clay Robbins (Southern Maine), whose 54 strikeouts in 47.2 innings ranked second in the league, is one of four total Worcester second-team pitchers.
Nashua’s Andrew Chenevert (Saint Anselm) and Worcester’s JT Raab (Stony Brook) rounded out the second-team starting staff. Also representing the Bravehearts, Griffin O’Connor (Assumption) joined Garrelts in relief and third baseman Dan Bucciero (Fordham) finalized the positional lineup. Jack Thorbahn (Northeastern) and New Britain’s Freddy Forgione (SUNY Maritime) were the two DH/utility players.
New Britain and Vermont each boast four first-team players, tying for the most in the league. A league-high eight Worcester Bravehearts were listed between the two squads, with six being slotted with second-team honors.
For the latest Futures League news and information throughout the year, visit thefuturesleague.com and follow the league’s Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), and Instagram pages.
FIRST TEAM
P: Francis Ferguson, Vermont Lake Monsters, Eastern Nazarene College (Pitcher of the Year)
P: Evan Maloney, Vermont Lake Monsters, University of Rhode Island
P: Ryan Bailey, Westfield Starfires, Alfred State University
P: Michael Gemma, Nashua Silver Knights, Northeastern University
P: Max LeBlanc, Worcester Bravehearts, University of Massachusetts
RP: Brian Hart, New Britain Bees, Hofstra University (Relief Pitcher of the Year)
RP: Callan Fang, Vermont Lake Monsters, Harvard University
C: Jimmy Keenan, New Britain Bees, St. John’s University
1B: Nick Serce, Westfield Starfires, American International College
2B: Tyler Bastunas, Worcester Bravehearts, Drury University
SS: Jimmy King, Pittsfield Suns, College of the Holy Cross
3B: Dean Ferrara, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Fairfield University (Most Valuable Player & Batting Champion)
OF: Shane McNamara, Nashua Silver Knights, Eastern Nazarene College
OF: Austin Rachiele, Pittsfield Suns, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
OF: Christian Scanlon, New Britain Bees, Merrimack College
OF: Garrett Scavelli, New Britain Bees, St. John’s University
DH/Utility: Tommy Martin, Vermont Lake Monsters, Yale University
DH/Utility: Matt Lussier, Pittsfield Suns, Fairfield University
SECOND TEAM
P: Dylan Vigue, Worcester Bravehearts, University of Michigan (Top Pro Prospect – Pitcher)
P: Matt Wootton, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Eastern Connecticut State University
P: Clay Robbins, Worcester Bravehearts, University of Southern Maine
P: Andrew Chenevert, Nashua Silver Knights, Saint Anselm College
P: JT Raab, Worcester Bravehearts, Stony Brook University
RP: Christo Garrelts, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Elon University
RP: Griffin O’Connor, Worcester Bravehearts, Assumption University
C: Will Fosberg, Nashua Silver Knights, Northeastern University (Top Pro Prospect – Position Player)
1B: Andrew Bianco, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Seton Hall University
2B: Tyler Pettorini, New Britain Bees, Ohio State University
SS: Johnny Knox, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Nichols College
3B: Dan Bucciero, Worcester Bravehearts, Fordham University
OF: Ryan Gerety, Brockton Rox, Northeastern University
OF: Kiernan Caffrey, Westfield Starfires, American International College
OF: Brennan Hyde, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Nichols College
OF: Corey Zientek, Westfield Starfires, Coastal Carolina University
DH/Utility: Freddy Forgione, New Britain Bees, SUNY Maritime
DH/Utility: Jack Thorbahn, Worcester Bravehearts, Northeastern University
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