New Englanders help power co-champ Martha’s Vineyard Sharks

It didn't take much time for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks to establish themselves as the top team in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League this summer.

It also didn’t take much time for firstyear manager Jhonneris Mendez to realize the potential his team had.

"To be honest, it all started with the first day we all met and had practice," said Mendez, who coaches at Suffolk University in Boston during the spring and spent the two previous summers with the FCBL’s Seacoast Mavericks. The Portsmouth, N.H.-based club did not operate in 2018. "I interviewed with the Vineyard Gazette and told them this is one of the best teams I’ve ever seen assembled in this league.