Futures League Notebook - June 29, 2026

ROCKLAND, Mass. -- Just before the calendar flips to July, the Futures League action is heating up.

The Vermont Lake Monsters still top the standings through five weeks of play, but a winning run by the Worcester Bravehearts makes them a new close competitor alongside the New Britain Bees in the playoff race. 

This week's look around the Futures League covers the games of June 22-28. 

Zephyr Hats Futures League Player of the Week: Zach Geertsma, Vermont Lake Monsters (Mississippi State University)

Geerstma enjoyed a dominant first week as a Lake Monster, going 10-for-21 with a double, three home runs, eight RBI and five runs scored over five games. The rising Mississippi State freshman hit safely in each contest and capped off the week with a pair of homers as part of a 4-for-6, four-RBI performance in Sunday's 12-9 win at Lowell.

Firecracker Sports Futures League Pitcher of the Week: Matt Pappalardo, Lowell Spinners (Endicott College)

Pappalardo turned in a spectacular pitching performance in Lowell's 1-0 win over Nashua on Thursday, allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out nine across six shutout innings. The veteran righty, who previously pitched for the Silver Knights, is the first Futures League weekly honoree in Spinners history and now has 10 strikeouts through 15.1 innings on the season so far.

TEAM-BY-TEAM NOTES

LOWELL SPINNERS (9-20)

• The Spinners enjoyed perhaps their most successful week of the Futures League season, beating Nashua in back-to-back games before starting the weekend off with a win over first-place Vermont.

• Strong pitching highlighted the recent stretch, with Matt Pappalardo (Endicott) dealing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts in a Futures League Pitcher of the Week-worthy performance on Thursday at Holman Stadium. Dylan Izenman (Mount St. Mary's) worked five scoreless frames the following night against Worcester.

• Infielder Zander Bratspis (Kansas State) went 7-for-16 with three RBI on the week, highlighted by a 3-for-4 Sunday against Vermont, while Cam Biller (Mount St. Mary's) roped four doubles among his six total hits. 

• Outfielder Quinn Murphy (Maine) had a team-high five RBI in his last six games, driving in a pair of runs in two of Lowell's three wins.

NASHUA SILVER KNIGHTS (14-14)

• Nashua went 2-3 during the week but closed on a high note, winning two of its final three games, including an emphatic 10-0 road victory over New Britain on Sunday. The Silver Knights outscored the Bees 14-2 over their final two meetings of the week after snapping a three-game skid with a 4-2 home win on Friday. 

• Hunter Troiano (Gannon) continued to be one of Nashua's most consistent hitters, collecting six hits during the week while driving in three runs, highlighted by a three-RBI performance in the June 26 win over New Britain. 

• Nashua's pitching staff turned in several strong outings. Malcolm Klingler (Northeastern) struck out eight over six scoreless innings in a tough-luck 1-0 loss to Lowell, while Nigel Cross (Wentworth) earned his third victory after allowing just one earned run across five innings against New Britain. On Sunday, Josh Florence (Stonehill) and Michael Cobb (Johnson & Wales) combined on a three-hit shutout against the Bees.

• Sunday's offensive breakout featured contributions throughout the lineup. Ben Peterson (Saint Joseph's) drove in three runs with a two-run double and a solo home run, Hudson Story (Bryant) collected two hits and three RBI, and Mason Campagna (Penn State) launched a two-run homer during a seven-run first inning that propelled Nashua to its largest win of the season. 

NEW BRITAIN BEES (15-11)

• The Bees were powered by some hot bats last week. Ben Kuja (Brandeis) went 5-for-11 with a double, two RBI and two stolen bases, while Danny Rogers (Salve Regina) was 4-for-10 and scored three runs. Rafael Rodriguez Rosa (Franklin Pierce) provided a spark in his two appearances, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBI.

• Trey LaMay (Stonehill) fired five scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out seven batters in his performance on Wednesday against Westfield.

• The Bees additionally received outstanding relief this week. Alex Casey (Union) struck out four over three innings of one-run ball (unearned), and Jake Harmony (Endicott) worked two hitless and scoreless innings with three strikeouts and earned a victory.

• Dominic Carollo (Salve Regina) sat down two batters across 1.2 frames.

NORWICH SEA UNICORNS (11-13)

• The Sea Unicorns relied on disciplined at-bats and effective relief options this week. Caden Williamson (Quinnipiac) helped lead the offense with nine hits, five runs scored and three stolen bases in his five games.

• Mike Fiatarone (Bryant) highlighted a five-hit week with hits in each of the first four straight games and had a three-RBI effort on Thursday against Vermont. He also scored multiple runs in back-to-back outings. 

• Kenny Noe (Monmouth) saw both of his hits last week go for doubles, as he slugged 1.000 in two games. John Bureau (Stonehill) showcased elite discipline by drawing five walks to post a team-high .625 on-base percentage.  

• It was a strong week for several Norwich pitchers, as Jacob Schrage (Post) pitched four scoreless, one-hit innings to earn a victory. Matt Shampine (Yale) struck out 5 batters and allowed only one hit and one unearned run across three innings.  

• The Sea Unicorns also received scoreless relief from Jackson Pray (UConn Avery Point), who struck out 3 in 2.2 innings.

VERMONT LAKE MONSTERS (18-9)

• Vermont continued its strong season by posting a 4-2 record during this past week, scoring 38 runs, the most of any Futures League team.

• Zach Geertsma (Mississippi State) paced the Vermont offense with three home runs, eight RBI, five runs scored, and two stolen bases, turning in a performance worthy of Futures League Player of the Week honors. 

• Jack Fitzgerald (University of Indianapolis) also turned in a productive week with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. He leads the circuit in batting average and RBI entering the week. 

• Doug Pyle (Azusa Pacific) led the Lake Monsters' pitching staff, earning a win after tossing four innings, allowing four hits, two earned runs, and striking out three.

WESTFIELD STARFIRES (11-16)

• The Starfires continued to showcase offensive firepower in Week 5, led by Ryan Ventrelle (Notre Dame), who turned in a standout performance at the plate with a .500 batting average, a home run, an RBI, and two runs scored.

• Nic Frink (Saint Joseph's of Maine) remained one of Westfield's most consistent hitters, batting .400 while posting an impressive .571 on-base percentage, helping spark the offense and create scoring opportunities throughout the week.

• Westfield's pitching staff delivered several strong outings, highlighted by Dillon Harding (UMass Dartmouth), who earned a win after throwing five scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Thomas Pirog (Keene State) also picked up a victory, allowing just one run over four innings of work.

• With key contributions from Ventrelle, Frink, Aiden Barclay (Cornell University), and Anthony Armenia (Bridgeport), the Starfires continued to receive production from both veteran leaders and emerging contributors as they begin to push toward the midpoint of the season.

WORCESTER BRAVEHEARTS (16-10)

• Worcester turned in one of the league's strongest weeks, going 5-1 with wins over Nashua, Westfield, Lowell, and Norwich.

• Cordell Clinkingbeard (Kansas State) led the offense, going 4-for-6 with four runs scored, including a grand slam home run that provided all of the offense in Friday's win over Lowell. 

• Cade Centracchio (Florida Southwestern) continued his hot stretch, hitting 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Mason Bordelon (LSU Eunice) drove in five runs and Gabe Malaret (Boston College) went 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBI to help fuel the Bravehearts' week.

• On the mound, Worcester veteran Davis Kahn (Harvard) anchored the pitching staff, earning a win after tossing seven innings of one-run ball. Jake Shaughnessy (Eastern Connecticut) struck out six over 6.2 innings of one-hit ball.