NEW ENGLAND KNOCKOUTS PREPARE FOR FIRST SEASON IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

BROCKTON, MA - After being awarded Frontier League membership in October, the New England Knockouts are preparing for their first season in franchise history.

This marks the first time that the Frontier League has played in the New England area. The league has previously stretched as far as Canada and New York. However, they will now get a taste of New England, as well as historic Brockton, Massachusetts.

The team is currently composed of 32 players heading into spring training. From top to bottom, there is plenty of diversity amongst the Knockouts roster. More importantly, there is plenty of local talent from the New England region.

New England's offense is led by veteran shortstop Luis Atiles. The 27-year-old is coming off a near-full year in the Frontier League, playing for the Empire State Greys. In 55 games, Atiles posted a .274 average, including 20 RBI's.

Atiles is joined by other skill players who fit the same bill. JR Disarcina, the son of former Red Sox coach Gary Disarcina, joins Atiles in the infield. The two were teammates in Empire State, and now find themselves working together again. The two shortstops are accompanied by Joel Lara - a speedy outfielder from New Hampshrie who broke the Futures League record in Stolen Bases.

In terms of the pitching staff, the army will be led by Player Coach Liam O'Sullivan. Originally from Worcester, Massachusetts, O'Sullivan has pitched everywhere in independent baseball. He will look to mentor a group of farm hands that come from across the nation. Some prominent names include James Marinan, Reeves Martin, and Richard Brito.

To round out the roster, the Knockouts recently selected two pitchers in the Frontier League Draft. They first took Casey Bargo with the number one overall selection. Bargo stands at 6-foot 8-inches, throwing an impressive 95 miles per hour. In the second round, New England took former Mets' farmhand Dan Goggin. He made it as high as AA Binghamton, being used in high-strikeout situations.

The knockouts will play all their home games at Campanelli Stadium, located in Brockton, Massachusetts. They will also share the venue with their sister franchise, the Brockton Rox. This will be the first time professional baseball has been played in the stadium since 2011.

The Knockouts are set to open their season on Friday, May 10th against the Ottawa Titans. Tickets for the game can be found at https://tickets.knockoutsbaseball.com/.