NASHUA, N.H. —Wednesday was opening day for the 2026 season of the Nashua Silver Knights at historic Holman Stadium. It was the first of two “Education Days” being held at the ballpark. About 2,200 students from 13 local area schools attended the first of two scheduled Education Days.
General manager Cam Cook said, “Just that the pop from the crowd is different when it's 2,000 to 3,000 kids than when it's adults and our normal fans. It's just a really feel-good day, and it's nice to see the kids happy to be out of the classroom and getting to experience a historic stadium,” adding, “Whether all of them realize it or not, it'll be cool for them to say it.”
Education Days are one of the Silver Knights’ signature community events, giving students the opportunity to experience a professional-style ballpark atmosphere. During the 2025 season, more than 6,000 students went to the Education Day Games
Rivier University partnered with the Knights for a day of baseball and a community celebration. During the opener against the Vermont Lake Monsters, the team wore custom Silver Knights/Rivier University uniforms. After the second Education Day game on Wednesday, June 3, against the New Britain Bees, the custom jerseys will be auctioned, with proceeds benefiting the Rivier University Fund.
Lori Hastings, a teacher at Charlotte Avenue Elementary, and 75 fourth graders walked down to the ballpark to see the game.
“It's a reward. We just finished state testing. They did a great job, and it’s Education Day. So, we said, why not take them out for a fun day?” said Hastings, “It's our first ever walking field trip. So that was exciting itself.”
Pamela Regnery, a sixth-grade language arts teacher at Fairgrounds Middle School, connected the day to the historic place Holman holds in U.S. History. The stadium is an icon of civil rights history, famous for becoming the home to the first racially integrated professional baseball team in the United States in 1946.
In April of that year, two Black stars—future Hall of Fame catcher Roy Campanella and future Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Don Newcombe— took the field alongside their Nashua Dodgers white teammates, officially breaking the color barrier in American professional baseball.
“My students are reading about segregation in different books, historical fiction books, right now. This was just another way to get them interested in knowing that right here, where some of them were born and raised, that it was part of integrating everybody. “Regnery said.
“They just love taking field trips. Field trips are super. They're essential. Even local ones like this that are only five minutes from the school we teach in, they get so much out of being here. I'm not talking just about history, but about being together with people they don't know and about seeing other people from other schools and being part of a true community that you live in.”
Silver Knights Fall to Lake Monsters in 2026 Season Opener
The Silver Knights jumped out to an early lead in the first inning when Connor Smith (Gannon) scored on an RBI groundout from Hunter Troiano (Gannon). Nashua added another run in the second inning following a Vermont error to take a 2-0 lead through four innings.
Brown University right-hander Cameron Piwnicki held the Lake Monsters scoreless through four innings before Vermont began to find offensive momentum in the fifth. Piwnicki finished his Silver Knights debut, allowing seven hits across 4.1 innings and 68 pitches before turning things over to the bullpen.
Joshua Florence entered in relief, and Vermont’s offense broke through in the fifth inning. Bennett Hewett delivered a two-run triple to center field that scored Thomas Moss and Elias Huber, helping the Lake Monsters take control of the game.
Offensively, Sam Gettinger (Stonehill) led the way for Nashua, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. The designated hitter delivered a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning that brought home Peter Keblinsky (Southern Maine) and cut the deficit to one. However, the Knights fell short as the Lake Monsters added two insurance runs late to secure a 6-3 victory over Nashua.
Despite the loss, the Silver Knights showed promise early and will look to bounce back tomorrow morning at Westfield. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., with left-hander Dimitri Skourides (Brandeis) expected to start on the mound for Nashua.
Game recap courtesy of the Nashua Silver Knights.
