Another honor coming down the pike: the Worcester Bravehearts have been named the summer-collegiate Futures Collegiate Baseball League‘s 2014 Organization of the Year.
In their inaugural season, the Bravehearts finished second in the FCBL in average attendance, attracting over 1,800 fans per game and eclipsing 50,000 fans throughout the summer. On the field, the team posted the league’s best regular season record and went on to win the Futures League Championship with a weep of the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks.
Under the ownership of the Creedon family and the direction of General Manager Dave Peterson, the Bravehearts engaged the community of Worcester in a team-naming contest, secured a stadium naming-rights sponsorship with Hanover Insurance, hosted the Taiwan National Team in July, and gained national media coverage in Ballpark Digest and on ESPN’s SportsCenter in a period of 11 months.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a year,” said General Manager Dave Peterson, “but I’m truly proud of our players & coaching staff, front office, and particularly our gameday staff and interns who made customer service a top priority this season. Because of their work, we put smiles on the faces of thousands of Central Massachusetts residents this summer.”
“Everyone in the organization worked our tails off to give the City of Worcester the baseball team that it deserves,” said owner John Creedon, Jr. “It’s an honor to be named Organization of the Year by our peers in the Futures League, who include some of the best owners and operators in the country. Many thanks to everyone who was part of our team, including our key partners: The Hanover Insurance Group, The College of the Holy Cross, the City of Worcester, the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, and our Advisory Board.”
After the City of Worcester went without baseball in the summer of 2013, the Bravehearts turned the lights back on at historic Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field on June 5th, 2014. The Bravehearts won their first six games of the season and withstood the departure of Manager Alex Trezza in late-June to roll to a #1 seed in the playoffs. During an undefeated postseason, shortstop Andy Lack (Southeast Missouri St) was named Futures League Defensive Player of the Year. The Bravehearts were also awarded a Key to the City of Worcester by Mayor Joseph Petty in August following their championship victory.
“The Worcester Bravehearts enhanced the caliber of the entire league as our tenth franchise,” said FCBL Commissioner Chris Hall. “Everyone in the league is proud of what the Bravehearts accomplished in their first year and we look forward to the momentum they will build on in the future.”