The Futures League

AIC Athletics/Leon Nguyen

Courtesy of Seth Dussault | Director of Communications, Westfield Starfires & Coordinator of Athletic Communications, American International College

SPRINGFIELD, Massachusetts 一 The American International College baseball team, which featured seven student-athletes who played in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League across four of the FCBL's teams in 2024, and 10 FCBL alums in total, were named a Finalist for the 2025 NCAA Division II Award of Excellence, the NCAA announced on Tuesday, January 7.

The AIC team was lauded for its annual Home Run for the Hungry campaign, which collects donations for Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen, a food pantry based in Chicopee, Massachusetts, and Square One, an educational services organization in Springfield, Massachusetts.

The initiative was a particularly important one for two-year Westfield Starfires star and 2023 Adam Keenan Award winner Josh Frometa, a Chicopee native, who said “It’s very important to be able to give back to the community and those who need it most. Being somebody who had to face that adversity makes me appreciate it a little more. The team understands that this fundraiser has been very important to these organizations and year in, year out we want to be able to get as much as we can to give as much as we can.”

Per the NCAA’s release, the Award of Excellence is “an accolade recognizing initiatives in the past year that exemplify the Division II philosophy, community engagement and student-athlete leadership…Division II honors its members each year for conducting events that promote student-athletes giving back and serving as leaders within their communities or on their campuses.

Hayden Mutz, a senior pitcher who earned All-FCBL honors for the Vermont Lake Monsters in 2024, said “Our initiative for Home Run for the Hungry means the world to our program. Knowing that we have a hand in helping families in the greater Springfield area means more to us than any on-field championship that could be won.”

Fellow senior pitcher Anderson Cuello Batista, an FCBL All-Star with the Nashua Silver Knights in 2024, added “It means so much to me to be part of it and be able to help the community. It’s about the people locally that we help each year to bring food to their table. I’m just grateful to be part of it.”

The team was able to collect over 4,000 pounds of food, and also donated $500 worth of diapers, a new part of a campaign that, over seven years, has collected nearly 16,000 pounds of food for the Springfield area.

The Yellow Jackets roster also includes three other student-athletes who appeared in the FCBL in 2024: Aidan Greene, who pitched with the Worcester Bravehearts, and Kiernan Caffrey and Alex Perez, who suited up in Westfield. Additionally, current Yellow Jackets  Brendan Edvardsen, Tim Krol, and Nick Serce are 2023 FCBL alums with the Starfires.