Futures League season is on with Opening Day set for July 2

Merrimack shortstop Nick Shumski will play for the Nashua Silver Knights in the Futures League. (William Powell)

High-level college baseball will be coming to a ballpark near year next week.

The Futures Collegiate Baseball League today announced the dates and start times for its 2020 season. Featuring six teams and a 39-game slate, regular season play will begin July 2 and conclude August 19.

“After welcoming its 2,000,000th fan in history last summer, the Futures League looks to maintain its momentum as the most popular summer collegiate league in New England,” said league commissioner Joe Paolucci. “Our team owners and operators put a tremendous amount of work into positioning our ballparks to open as safely as possible in order to provide fans with our unique brand of baseball and entertainment. We’re excited to get going.”

The 10th season in Futures League history will feature six teams -- the defending, four-time champion Worcester Bravehearts, Brockton Rox, North Shore (Lynn) Navigators and Westfield Starfires, all of whom play within Massachusetts, as well as the New Britain (Conn.) Bees, and Nashua (N.H.) Silver Knights. The Pittsfield Suns, members of the FCBL in 2019, will not operate in 2020 but are working towards bringing baseball back to Wahconah Park and the Berkshire County of Massachusetts next summer.