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2021 All-Futures League Teams Named

WEYMOUTH, Mass. (September 21, 2021) -- Following a successful 2021 season, the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) recognized the top players from around the league in the annual All-FCBL Teams as announced on Tuesday.

Commissioner Joe Paolucci unveiled the All-FCBL First and Second Teams following a vote of the league’s field managers earlier this month. Both squads include a player at each position on the field, five starting pitchers, one reliever and four or five designated hitters/utility players.

The All-FCBL First Team, which is sponsored by NPI Sports and OnDemand Storage, includes representatives from all eight franchises. It is led by Westfield Starfires outfielder Cole Bartels (Penn State), the 2021 Most Valuable Player and batting champion with a .389 average and league-leading totals in hits (65), runs (43), home runs (6, tied), total bases (98) and OPS (1.092) in 51 games.

Vermont’s FCBL Pitcher of the Year Patrick Harrington headlines a starting staff that also includes his Assumption teammate Jack Choate, who set the league’s single-season strikeout record with 82 in 54.1 innings for the Worcester Bravehearts, Brockton’s Juaron Watts-Brown (Long Beach State) and Dillon Ryan (UMass Boston), and Pittsfield Suns righty Izaiya Mestre (New Haven). Another Pittsfield veteran and a two-time FCBL All-Star, Relief Pitcher of the Year Ryan Langford (Florida Southern) was the final selection on the mound.

Also on the top All-FCBL roster is Top Pro Prospect Ethan Anderson, a University of Virginia freshman who caught for the championship-winning Vermont Lake Monsters and hit .427 with 32 RBI in just 29 contests.

New Britain Bees first baseman Jake Hyde (Georgetown) and Norwich Sea Unicorns second baseman Kaelen Culpepper (Kansas State) represent the Connecticut clubs on the All-FCBL First Team infield. Westfield shortstop Jaden Brown (Iowa Western CC) and New Britain third baseman Luke Broadhurst (Eastern Connecticut State) play the left side. Broadhurst starred during the first half of the summer before an injury, hitting five home runs across 26 games.

Bartels joins Brockton’s Michael Golankiewicz (Merrimack) and Jacob Studley (Wheaton) in the outfield. Golankiewicz was the league’s top hitter for average and flirted with the top spot in all three Triple Crown categories over the majority of the summer, while Studley also hit .300 to earn a second consecutive All-FCBL spot after being named to the Second Team in 2020.

Four designated hitter/utility slots round out the top unit: Nashua Silver Knights infielder Sam McNulty (Boston College), Westfield’s Peter DeMaria (Tufts) and Hunter Pasqualini (Central Connecticut State), and Pittsfield’s Jake Blinstrub (Mount St. Vincent).

Harrington and Second Team right-hander Billy Oldham (Eastern Connecticut State) were a combined 11-0 between the regular season and playoffs for the Lake Monsters, who won both the regular-season and playoff championships during their first year as a Futures League franchise. 

Nashua southpaw Nick Guarino (Southern Connecticut State) is another two-time honoree on the Second Team, as he was named to the 2020 All-FCBL First Team after helping the Silver Knights to their fifth league crown. Worcester’s Top Pitching Prospect Dennis Colleran (Northeastern) is the relief arm.

Also on the Second Team, presented by HomeLight, is Brockton outfielder Ben Rounds (Harvard), the league leader with 41 RBI and 22 extra-base hits during the regular year. Norwich’s Hunter Yaworski (Mitchell) finished second in the league in hits (54) and third in total bases (79) while playing in 55 contests.

See below for a full listing of the All-FCBL teams.

ALL-FCBL FIRST TEAM
P: Patrick Harrington, Vermont Lake Monsters, Assumption University (Pitcher of the Year)
P: Dillon Ryan, Brockton Rox, UMass Boston
P: Izaiya Mestre, Pittsfield Suns, University of New Haven
P: Jack Choate, Worcester Bravehearts, Assumption University
P: Juaron Watts-Brown, Brockton Rox, Long Beach State University
RP: Ryan Langford, Pittsfield Suns, Florida Southern College (Relief Pitcher of the Year)
C: Ethan Anderson, Vermont Lake Monsters, University of Virginia (Top Prospect)
1B: Jake Hyde, New Britain Bees, Georgetown University
2B: Kaelen Culpepper, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Kansas State University
SS: Jaden Brown, Westfield Starfires, Iowa Western Community College
3B: Luke Broadhurst, New Britain Bees, Eastern Connecticut State University
OF: Cole Bartels, Westfield Starfires, Penn State University (Most Valuable Player)
OF: Michael Golankiewicz, Brockton Rox, Merrimack College
OF: Jacob Studley, Brockton Rox, Wheaton College
DH/Utility: Peter DeMaria, Westfield Starfires, Tufts University
DH/Utility: Sam McNulty, Nashua Silver Knights, Boston College
DH/Utility: Jake Blinstrub, Pittsfield Suns, College of Mount St. Vincent
DH/Utility: Hunter Pasqualini, Westfield Starfires, Central Connecticut State University

ALL-FCBL SECOND TEAM
P: Alex Amalfi, Worcester Bravehearts, UMass Boston
P: Billy Oldham, Vermont Lake Monsters, Eastern Connecticut State University
P: Jack Snook, Brockton Rox, Saint Mary’s College of California
P: Nick Guarino, Nashua Silver Knights, Southern Connecticut State University
P: Ryan Bruning, Brockton Rox, UMass Dartmouth
RP: Dennis Colleran, Worcester Bravehearts, Northeastern University (Top Pitching Prospect)
C: Jackson Appel, Pittsfield Suns, University of Pennsylvania (Defensive Player of the Year)
1B: Gavin Noriega, Worcester Bravehearts, Marist College
2B: Brandon Fish, Nashua Silver Knights, UMass Lowell
SS: Pat Roche, Brockton Rox, Boston College
3B: Nick Mistone, Brockton Rox, Saint Mary’s College of California
OF: Javier Rosales, Pittsfield Suns, Long Beach State University
OF: Ben Rounds, Brockton Rox, Harvard University
OF: Ryan Bagdasarian, New Britain Bees, Eastern Connecticut State University
DH/Utility: Brendan Jones, Pittsfield Suns, Kansas State University
DH/Utility: Erick Ramirez, Brockton Rox, UMass Dartmouth
DH/Utility: Randy Flores, Worcester Bravehearts, Franklin Pierce University
DH/Utility: Hunter Yaworski, Norwich Sea Unicorns, Mitchell College
DH/Utility: Jackson Linn, Nashua Silver Knights, Tulane University