A new manager will guide the Westfield Starfires as they prepare for their sixth season in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League.
But to most inside the organization, it’s just another familiar face with a different job description.
Earlier this year, Starfires owner Chris Thompson announced that the team hired Paul Bonfiglio to become its third manager in team history before the upcoming 2024 season.
“Paul Bonfiglio is an outstanding baseball mind who is the perfect fit to be our next manager,” Thompson said. “Coach Fig has the respect of our players in the clubhouse, and he is deeply committed to our organization and the Westfield community. His leadership will bring us success on the field this summer.”
Before his role with the Starfires, Bonfiglio honed his coaching skills at Wayland High School, where he served as the head coach from 2018-2022. His dedication and expertise were further recognized when he transitioned to the team’s assistant coach role for the last three years.
“Over these past few summers, I’ve gotten to love the team, organization, and players,” Bonfiglio said. “They have a good and strong competitive fire inside them.”
The Starfires open their summer against the Worcester Bravehearts during Kids Opening Day on Friday at 10:30 a.m. Meanwhile, the team’s more traditional Opening Night is scheduled for Saturday, June 1, against the six-time FCBL champion Nashua Silver Knights at 6:30 p.m.
“As of right now, no goosebumps are running through my body,” said Bonfiglio of the season opener. “But I’m excited and sure as game time rolls around, butterflies will be inside my stomach. Nonetheless, we’re sure the crowd will be great and help us kick off the season.”
The Westfield Starfires’ complete schedule can be found here.
In addition to Bonfiglio, the Starfires welcomed three new faces to their coaching staff. Westfield named Nate Cormier as hitting coach, Joe Colucci as bench coach, and Scott Ross as assistant coach.
Cormier, who currently serves as an assistant coach at the University of Saint Joseph, played a crucial role in guiding the Blue Jays to a 2023 GNAC tournament appearance.
Colucci, who played four seasons at Emerson College and had a year of additional eligibility at Milligan University in 2023, is set to bring a diverse range of experiences to the team.
Ross, a graduate of the University of Connecticut, will bring a wealth of coaching experience to the team.
The Starfires are also excited to welcome back pitching coach Zach Gitschier once he is finished helping No. 1 Southern New Hampshire baseball compete against No. 2 Molloy University in this weekend’s 2024 NCAA East Super-Regional best-of-three series.
And when Gitschier isn’t throwing 90-mph fastballs in relief or coaching future athletes, he’s teaching statistics at Greater Lowell Technical High School and studying for his doctorate. In 19 appearances this season, Gitschier has struck out 19 across 33.2 innings pitched.
Gitschier was also vital to the 2022 Nashua Silver Knights FCBL championship. The 29-year-old posted a 3.00 ERA and struck out 57 over 37 appearances.
“Zach is a guy who, honestly, is just going to be successful at anything he decides to do in life,” Starfires Director of Player Personnel Hunter Golden said. “For such a young guy, he’s mature past his years. Zach’s been in the league for a few years now. And every few years, there’s a player who pops up that the whole league knows about, and maybe not so much for their success on the field.
“There are guys you come across in the game at a young age, and you can just kinda tell they’re going to have long, successful coaching careers. And Zach will be one of them. Hopefully, this will be his first step in coaching.”
Several familiar faces will visit Westfield this summer, including Jake Jachym (Keene State), Jackson Haker (American International College), Kiernan Caffrey (American International College), Jake Risedorf (Southern New Hampshire University), Devin Divita (Southern New Hampshire University), Chris Suter (Union College), and Trey Yesu (Bridgewater State University).
The Starfires also signed multiple Vanderbilt University teammates, including local phenom Julio Solier Ramos and Alex Grant. Westfield’s complete roster can be viewed here.
“We’ve practically lapped the field regarding draft talent,” Golden said. “We’ve had over 25 guys drafted in six years, which is insane. Reggie Crawford was with us in 2020 and is already in Triple-A with San Francisco. And he will likely see some big league time this year, which would be our franchise’s first major-league player.
“We’re getting talent from programs like Vanderbilt and Miami now. Things are good and heading in the right direction. But we’re hoping to take that championship step forward this year.”
Speaking of future team goals, the Starfires are looking to make their second postseason appearance and build upon their success from last year as they won a franchise-best 31 games.
Following several impressive offseason moves, the odds are in Westfield’s favor to have a memorable summer.
“What I’m looking forward to this season is watching the guys compete and seeing the fire inside them,” Bonfiglio said. “Most summer baseball players want to take things easy. But great players don’t because they love the game so much and let the fire burn inside them.”
Golden couldn’t agree more with his new manager.
“Like I said before, our goal is to take a championship step forward this year,” he said. “On the offensive side of the coin, this is undoubtedly the most athletic team we’ve had in terms of raw talent and probably our most talented.
“Our young players are extremely advanced for their age, and we expect them to make a big impact, and much of our success will hinge on that. We’ve got nine of the top 16 players out of high school in New England this year and the No. 3 ranked player out of Louisiana. And if we hit on most of them, we could be pretty scary.”
