Bravehearts

After announcing the first nine players of their 2021 roster two weeks ago, the Worcester Bravehearts revealed more of the team today, introducing seven Central Mass residents.

Three Grafton natives will join the team this summer, including Assumption’s Jack Choate (Westborough HS). Choate is a current sophomore left-handed pitcher for the Greyhounds and stands at 6-foot-7. He made four appearances for Assumption before the season was cut short in 2020 and secured a four inning save in his first college game. Although he starred for Northborough last summer in the Worcester County Baseball League, he is a graduate of Westborough High School just like the Bravehearts’ Manager, Alex Dion. The other two Grafton residents, Tyler Nielsen and Andrew Eppinger, were teammates at St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury. Eppinger, a freshman outfielder for New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), was ranked as the fourth best outfielder in New England as a senior at St. John’s. He recently transferred from Purdue University and is now studying engineering at NJIT. He is also a pitcher and third-baseman, a position he expects to play with the Bravehearts. Tyler Nielsen is a freshman left-handed pitcher at the University of Maine. Last summer he played for Shrewsbury in the Worcester County League and threw a complete game on just 88 pitches with 15 strikeouts. Both Nielsen and Eppinger were named Central Mass. Conference all-stars following their 2019 junior seasons.

Another member of the 2019 St. John’s H.S. team that will be playing for Worcester this summer is right-handed pitcher Michael Bean (Auburn, MA). Bean, a sophomore at Merrimack, was an Under Armour Preseason All-American as a senior. In two appearances during the shortened 2020 season, he pitched 2.1 scoreless innings for Merrimack. Carson Hauben, who was previously announced as part of the Bravehearts’ 2021 roster, was also a member of that St. John’s team

The Bravehearts will also add Shrewsbury’s Tyler Mudd to the pitching staff. Mudd was a member of the St. John’s team that won the 2017 Massachusetts Division 1A Super 8 Championship. Some of his teammates that year include former Bravehearts Matthew Stansky, Jack Gardner, and Jake Hamel. Mudd, now at Deerfield Academy, has excelled in both baseball and hockey, captaining both teams. The lefty pitcher also played for the Shrewsbury Post 397 Legion team and is committed to play baseball at Holy Cross in the fall.

Additionally, two Holden residents will play for the Bravehearts this season. L.J. Keevan (Phillips Academy) and Luke Delongchamp (Saint Paul H.S.) were previously teammates on the Mizuno Northeast travel team and now will reunite on the Bravehearts’ pitching staff. Keevan, a left-handed pitcher headed to UMass-Lowell in the fall, has won over 75 games on the mound for Mizuno. Right-handed pitcher Delongchamp is a top-rated recruit and will join former Bravehearts pitchers John West and Evan Moore at Boston College next season. Delongchamp was named a Central Mass Conference All-Star following each of his freshman (2018) and sophomore (2019) seasons.

The Futures League expects to announce its 2021 schedule in mid-March, with opening weekend slated for Memorial Day. Bravehearts Season Tickets, Flex Plans, and Group Outings at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field are now available by calling the Bravehearts box office at 508-438-3773.