(Jason Cooke photo) “The Lowell Spinners debuted their new uniforms in a November announcement at the Tsongas Center.“
Jason Cooke
Connector Editor
The Lowell Spinners are coming back to LeLacheur Park.
And with that comes a bevy of familiar faces who will wipe the dust off the beloved uniforms for the first time since 2019.
After UMass Lowell officials and Futures Collegiate Baseball League top brass announced that a new franchise would break ground in Lowell last summer — and a new ownership group was unveiled in November — it is almost time for first pitch in the Mill City.
The season kicks off on May 27 before returning to Lowell on May 29 for the season opener. The Spinners were a treasured fixture of the New York-Penn League as the short-season Class-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox until Major League Baseball restructured the minor leagues in the aftermath of the COVID pandemic.
Summers along the shores of the Merrimack River have been without baseball since.
Red Sox draft picks and prospects may not be taking the field with the reinvigorated Spinners — Mookie Betts notably played for Lowell amid his rise throughout the minor leagues — but the Spinners’ roster is loaded with college talent, including some familiar faces at UMass Lowell.
River Hawks Cal Chance, Chris Klueber, Seamus Scott and Jake Zawatasky will suit up for the Spinners when UML’s college season comes to a close next month.
The FCBL is a premier summer baseball league for college players that fosters an environment focused on player advancement while ensuring all players keep their amateur status. Cam Schlittler, a Walpole native who pitched at Northeastern before debuting with the New York Yankees last season, once played in the Futures League.
All four UML players have impressed on the college diamond so far for the 11-16 River Hawks.
Chance, a freshman catcher, is hitting .274 at the plate and has notched 31 hits and 15 RBIs. Klueber, another freshman, has thrown 16.0 innings and is freshly removed from a clean 1.2 innings of work against Dartmouth, where he struck out three batters and didn’t relinquish a hit.
Scott has made one appearance so far on March 24 against Merrimack, allowing no runs in 3.1 innings. The Lowell native starred at Lowell Catholic last spring. Zawatsky, a sophomore, hasn’t allowed a hit in his last two outings.
LeLacheur Park has also undergone some upgrades to prepare for a slate of 30 home games, highlighted by a top-end video board in left field. Structural improvements were also made on the concourse to accommodate what is expected to be large crowds making their way to Lowell throughout the hot summer months.
