Five former stars will be inducted into the Futures Collegiate Baseball League\u2019s Hall of
Fame as part of the Class of 2026.<\/p>\n
The class will be honored at the Futures League Hall of Fame Gala on Saturday at the Hogan Center on the College of the Holy Cross campus in Worcester.<\/p>\n
The class is headlined by a recent World Series champion. Locally, it\u2019s big news that two area standouts are part of the induction class, Lowell native Mike Hart and former UMass Lowell star Zack Tower.<\/p>\n
Hart was a leading offensive force during the best season in Seacoast Mavericks history in 2016 and has since enjoyed a decade-long professional career that has taken him around the globe.<\/p>\n
The center fielder was the third-leading hitter in the Futures League that summer, posting a .364 average with 10 home runs, 31 RBI, 42 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 45 games. Hart\u2019s performance garnered first-team All-Futures League honors, helping Seacoast to a franchise-best 36-18 record and its first and only postseason series appearance in the original franchise\u2019s seven seasons.<\/p>\n
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts, he signed with the independent American Association and has played in the majority of his 700 career games for the Sioux Falls Canaries.<\/p>\n
In 2026, he hit .303 and had the second-highest RBI total of his career (67) in 84 contests. He has also played winter league stints in Australia and Mexico.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf they\u2019re going to pay me to travel the world and play a little baseball, I\u2019ll do it,\u201d he told The Sun a couple of years ago.<\/p>\n
Hart was a terrific player at Lowell High and also starred in American Legion baseball for Post 87 of Lowell.<\/p>\n
The story of Tower\u2019s career at UMass Lowell and Franklin Pierce University could not be
told without the Futures League.<\/p>\n
The slugging first baseman from Auburn played in 164 regular-season games for the Pittsfield Suns (2014), Worcester Bravehearts (2015-16) and Wachusett Dirt Dawgs (2017). Tower remains prominent in the league\u2019s record books as the career leader with 44 home runs, 86 extra-base hits and 113 runs scored, and his 13 playoff hits also rank among all-time leaders.<\/p>\n
After helping Worcester capture a second straight title as the championship series Most Valuable Player in 2015, Tower saved his best for last in 2017, becoming the lone MVP in Wachusett franchise history. His 18 homers for the Dirt Dawgs remain second in the single-season league annals, while his 50 RBI, 123 total bases and .676 slugging percentage also led the league that summer.<\/p>\n
Tower has played professionally in the Empire League, coached at the collegiate level, and currently owns his own college baseball advising business.<\/p>\n
The most well known inductee is Lexington native Sal Frelick, who recently helped the Milwaukee Brewers defeat Tampa Bay in the World Series.<\/p>\n
The most distinguished player in North Shore Navigators history, Frelick put together dominant Futures League seasons in 2018 and 2020 en route to a Major League Baseball
career.<\/p>\n
The event will run from 5-9 p.m., featuring a cocktail reception and buffet dinner, a moderated panel discussion with the Hall of Fame Class of 2026, a silent auction and more.<\/p>\n
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