'Ten seasons; it’s a milestone worth celebrating': Worcester Bravehearts win for kids in Futures League opener
WORCESTER — With a retooled roster and a revamped entertainment experience, the Worcester Bravehearts are back for their milestone-marking 10th season.
The Bravehearts hosted Norwich on Wednesday morning in a kids-only Baseball in Education Day game, rallying for a 14-11 win to open their 64-game, regular-season slate.
Worcester visits Westfield Thursday morning to take on the Starfires, then the Bravehearts host defending league champion Nashua in prime time, at 6:30 p.m. Friday at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.
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“Ten seasons; it’s a milestone worth celebrating,” said general manager Dave Peterson, who has been with the Futures League club since its inception in 2014.
The festivities will include promotions during the season that center around the 10th anniversary and an alumni weekend for coaches, players, staff members, and host families that will be held the last weekend of July, highlighted by former Braveheart players participating in an exhibition between the Worcester police and fire departments on July 28.
And not to look too far ahead, but the Bravehearts can tie the Worcester IceCats as the longest running organized sports team in the history of Worcester when they take the field next season. The IceCats, who were a member of the American Hockey League, skated here from 1994 to 2005 before relocating to Peoria, Illinois.
“Ten years is a huge milestone; 11 is even bigger,” Peterson said. “So as we’re saying this summer, the future is bright.”
This summer again will see postgame fireworks following four of the six Friday night home games.
There will be postgame concerts in the left-field tent for all five Saturday night home games with Between the Waves, the Hip Swayers, Stone County, the trio of Connor Henry, Kevin Michael and Bravehearts alum Kevin Doody, and the Gary Backstrom Band on the docket.
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And at the conclusion of each of the six Sunday afternoon games — all of which are free to any kids who join, at no cost, the Worcester Bravehearts Kids Club — there will be an exhibition home run derby between the two teams.
“We always talk about entertainment, and I think this year we wanted to be more thoughtful in our approach,” Peterson said. “We wanted to have more staple events that happen every Saturday, every Sunday."
Shoring up for return to playoffs
As for the product on the field, Peterson and fifth-year manager Alex Dion have taken steps to shore up the pitching staff and defense, areas that led to the four-time league champion Bravehearts failing to make the playoffs last summer for the first time in franchise history.
“A priority in building this roster while obviously still trying to maintain the standard of an offense that is going to get the job done … was to really buckle down on our six-man rotation and add another four guys who could be starters if need be,” said Dion, a Westborough High grad and the Milford High coach.
“And then just build the best bullpen we can and try to find as many guys — and sometimes you don’t know what you’re going to get — who are plus-defenders as we can.”
The local contingent of talent includes pitchers Nick Choate (Grafton/Westborough High/Anna Maria), Axel Johnson (Grafton/St. John’s/Stevens) and Dylan Vigue (Leominster/Groton School/UMass) and infielder Joey Rubin (Charlton/St. Peter-Marian/Rollins).
Those coming from out of town include University of Michigan first baseman Mark Willi, SUNY Maritime outfielder Matt Milone, the Northeastern duo of infielder/outfielder Jack Thorbahn and pitcher Dennis Colleran, and UConn-bound pitcher Tommy Turner.
Willi and Milone can mash the ball — Milone hit one onto the 290 on-ramp at practice Monday — and Thorbahn, like Willi is a New England Collegiate Baseball League-caliber talent. Colleran threw in the high 90s when he pitched for the Bravehearts in 2021, and Turner is the No. 1-ranked high school right-hander in Rhode Island.
“I feel good about where we’re at from a roster standpoint,” said Dion, whose team will be short-handed for the first couple of weeks of the season as many of his players are involved in the college playoffs.
“I feel much better about the bullpen. I’ve gotten to work out with these guys three times and it’s all been positive.”
After spending Saturday and Sunday on the road, the Bravehearts will return to Fitton Field to host New Britain at 1 p.m. on Memorial Day.
—Contact Rich Garven at rgarven@telegram.com. Follow him on Twitter @RichGarvenTG.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Bravehearts please kids with win in Futures League opener
