Florence, Donahue to Play with Westfield Starfires in Futures League

WESTFIELD, Mass. – Westfield State sophomores' Nolan Florence (Chicopee, Mass.) and Ryan Donahue (Medfield, Mass.) will be joining the Westfield Starfires out of the Future Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) of New England to start the 2022 summer season. The FCBL is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league with four teams from Massachusetts, two from Connecticut, and one from Vermont and New Hampshire. The league is mostly comprised of Division I and II players across the country with a small number of Division III players. More than 150 Future League players have been drafted by Major League Baseball organizations

The Starfires play their season opener on Thursday, May 27 as they host the Vermont Lake Monsters from Bullens Field in Westfield, Mass. at 10:30 A.M. The Starfires play a condensed schedule of over 60 games running from the end of May to the beginning of August.

Florence played 35 games for the Owls during the season, earning recognition on the MASCAC All-Conference Second Team. He compiled a .304 batting average and a .463 on-base percentage, while belting a team-leading eight home runs. He tied school history with a three home run game against MCLA, and posted the fourth highest slugging percentage in the MASCAC (.618). The sophomore catcher was one of three Owls' players to reach 30 or more RBI during the year. Florence was a member of the Starfires last season where he collected three hits in seven at bats, two of which went for doubles.

Donahue joins the Starfires after a strong rookie campaign for Westfield State. The Quinnipiac transfer led the Owls' pitching staff in innings thrown (58.0) while posting a 3.57 earned run average across 11 appearances. He tied the team-lead in wins (5) and was fourth in the MASCAC in strikeouts (62) and second in strikeouts per nine innings (9.62).