Futures League Notebook - June 8, 2026

ROCKLAND, Mass. -- The first two weeks of Futures League action in 2026 are officially in the books.

After making their first-ever championship appearance last summer, the New Britain Bees won four of their five games last week to control first place with a 7-2 overall record. The Vermont Lake Monsters and Worcester Bravehearts also find themselves above .500 as the new week begins. 

This week's look around the Futures League covers the games of June 1-7.

Zephyr Hats Futures League Player of the Week: Jack Fitzgerald, Vermont Lake Monsters (University of Montevallo)

Fitzgerald put together a powerful second week of the summer for Vermont, going 10-for-25 with two doubles, three home runs, 10 RBI and seven more runs scored. He highlighted a six-game week with a four-hit, six-RBI performance, including three of his extra-base hits, on Thursday against the Nashua Silver Knights. As of June 8, Fitzgerald tied for the Futures League lead with 14 RBI in 11 games this summer.

Firecracker Sports Futures League Pitcher of the Week: Nigel Cross, Nashua Silver Knights (Wentworth Institute of Technology)

Cross continued a dominant start to his second summer in Nashua with a shutout Saturday performance against the Norwich Sea Unicorns. Leading the Silver Knights to a 16-0 win, he pitched a rain-shortened complete game, striking out nine while allowing just one hit and no walks. The right-hander now boasts a 0.93 ERA with 13 strikeouts through his first two starts (9.2 innings).

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

LOWELL SPINNERS (3-7)

• The Spinners went 3-3 last week, earning their first Futures League win in a 15-8 showing on Wednesday at Worcester. Lowell was a 5-4, walk-off winner over Norwich at LeLacheur Park the following night.

• First baseman Esteban Dessureault (Stetson) showed his power last week, hitting two doubles, a homer and a team-high five RBI in four games. Four of his first six hits this season have been for extra bases.

• Lorenzo Camilleri (NJIT) was 5-for-12 last week and has a team-high seven RBI on the season.

• On the mound, Jake Zawatsky (UMass Lowell) has allowed just one earned run through 6.1 innings, while Ian Keusch (Brown) threw a rain-shortened complete game in his Sunday start against Vermont.

NASHUA SILVER KNIGHTS (5-7)

• The Silver Knights went 3-4 this past week, but showed strong offensive production, scoring 52 runs highlighted by a 16-0 win over Norwich and additional wins over Lowell and Worcester. 

• The offense was led by Phoenix Williams (Mount St. Mary's), Connor Smith (Gannon), and Ben Peterson (Saint Joseph's), who each delivered multiple key multi-hit and RBI performances throughout the week. 

• On the mound, Nigel Cross (Wentworth) highlighted the staff with five scoreless innings and nine strikeouts, while Will Perkowski (Dayton) and Cam Piwnicki (Brown) combined for strong starts, allowing just one earned run across 12 innings. 

• Despite finishing below .500, Nashua remained competitive throughout the week, including two one-run losses, and looks to carry over its offensive momentum and strong pitching performances.

NEW BRITAIN BEES (7-2)

• The Bees launched to an outstanding 7-2 record to open their 2026 season. They secured key wins over Vermont, Nashua, and Westfield to put themselves on the top of the league standings.

• The Bees' pitching staff relied on dominant performances from Dominic Carollo. He posted a perfect 2-0 record with a 0.00 ERA across 4.2 innings of relief.

• The lineup showed great discipline across the board. There were strong multi-game performances from core members of the lineup such as Nico Amecangelo (La Salle), who drew five walks and picked up a pair of stolen bases during the week to keep the lineup moving.

• New Britain was highly effective during their close matchups. They executed in tight situations during two consecutive close wins against Nashua, 2-1 and 3-1.

NORWICH SEA UNICORNS (3-6)

• The three-time defending league champion, Norwich has had a 3-6 start, but secured key wins over Westfield and Worcester.

• Infielder Mike Fiatrone (Bryant) sits at the top of the offense. He batted .412 and went 5-for-5 on stolen bases last week, including a four-RBI performance last Wednesday at Westfield and three multi-hit games.

• Outfielder Jackson Powers (Saint Anselm) homered and knocked in a team-high seven runs in his last five games.

• Matt Tabet (Amherst) and Sam Hutchinson (UConn) anchored the pitching rotation, dealing scoreless outings in their most recent starts. Tabet pitched five no-hit innings and walked only two last Tuesday at Westfield.

VERMONT LAKE MONSTERS (7-4)

• Vermont has posted a 7-4 start through its first 11 games, winning six of its first eight, quickly becoming one of the league's most powerful offenses. The Monsters put up at least nine runs in each of their last three wins.

• First baseman Jack Fitzgerald (Montevallo) is coming off a monster week with three home runs and 10 RBI through his last six games.

• Outfielder Bryan Richman (Cal Poly Pomona) was another hot hitter with 10 hits, two doubles and three stolen bases through five games last week. He leads the league with a .447 average.

• Chase Burrows (Babson) has already appeared in five games on the mound, earning two victories. 

WESTFIELD STARFIRES (4-6)

• Westfield highlighted its week with a 7-3 road victory at Vermont on Friday behind a strong outing from pitcher Cam Fisher (UMass Boston), who struck out five batters in five innings.  

• The Starfires are tied for the Futures League lead in home runs in the early going, with four of the team's five coming from catcher Will Briggs (UMass). 

• Briggs had three RBI in Friday's win and finished 4-for-11 with eight RBI and six more runs scored last week.

• Despite finishing the week 1-5, Westfield remained competitive in several contests, including a narrow 11-10 loss to Vermont on Saturday and is entering the new week looking to build momentum behind a productive lineup.

WORCESTER BRAVEHEARTS (6-5)

• Worcester bounced back from a 1-2 start to win five of its next eight games and accumulate 84 runs through the season's first two weeks.

• Outfielder Tate Bannish (Tufts) stacked up runs for the club, hitting a home run and driving in eight throughout the second week of the season.

• Alan Carpenter (Worcester State) was another hot hitter last week, with eight hits and six RBI in four games. He leads the Bravehearts with a .480 average in six games this summer.

• Gavin Price (Worcester State) was dominant in the early season, holding opponents to just two runs through nine innings of work. He was the Futures League's Week 1 Pitcher of the Week.