Westfield Starfires announce coaching staff for 2025 season
Mar 18, 2025
WESTFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - The Westfield Starfires have announced their coaching staff for the upcoming 2025 season, with 2024 FCBL Manager of the Year Paul Bonfiglio leading the mix of returning and new faces in the dugout.
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Among the key staff moves, Nate Cormier has been promoted to associate manager, while Scott Ross returns as an assistant coach. Ben Farber joins the organization as the pitching coach, and two-time Starfires alumnus Ryan Molinari returns to Westfield as the bench coach. Rounding out the staff are Emma Grenier and Joe Hartzell, who will serve as the team's mental performance coaches.
Courtesy of the Westfield StarfiresCourtesy of the Westfield Starfires
Bonfiglio expressed confidence in the new coaching lineup, praising their balance of traditional and modern approaches to player development.
“This is a highly intelligent group and a potentially dominant mix of traditional and emerging developmental approaches. There's no doubt that our players will have a chance to connect and be supported here,” Bonfiglio said.
Cormier, who served as the team's hitting coach in 2024, played a crucial role in the Starfires' offensive success last season. Under his guidance, Westfield led the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) with a .769 on-base plus slugging percentage and 41 home runs, all while maintaining the fewest strikeouts per nine innings among all teams.
“I’m extremely excited to get back on the task of bringing a championship back to Westfield,” Cormier said. “Last year’s experience created a new brand of baseball for the Starfires, and we want to win.”
Ross returns for a second season with the Starfires, bringing experience from the Garciaparra Baseball Group and previous coaching roles at Wayland and Franklin High Schools.
“Last year was a great season, and we are hoping once again for a successful summer and coming home with the title this time around,” Ross said.
Farber arrives from New York University, where he is the team’s director of pitching analytics, assistant pitching coach, and bullpen coach. During his first full season at NYU, the team set a program record with 279 strikeouts.
Molinari, a former Starfires player, brings first-hand knowledge of the team’s culture. He played 31 games across two seasons for Westfield, posting a .333 batting average and a .432 on-base percentage over 111 plate appearances. At the collegiate level, he was a .319 hitter while playing at Wesleyan University and Milligan University from 2021-24.
The Starfires will open the 2025 FCBL season at Billy Bullens Field with a highly anticipated rematch of the 2024 FCBL Championship against the Norwich Sea Unicorns on May 28 at 10:30 a.m. Their official Opening Night game will take place on May 31 at 6:30 p.m. against the New Britain Bees.
With a strong mix of returning leadership and new coaching talent, the Starfires are setting their sights on bringing a championship to Westfield in 2025.
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