WORCESTER — Andrew Schmit is enjoying a homecoming this summer.
From eating egg sandwiches made by his dad or meatballs made by his mom, to working a remote internship and then playing baseball for the Worcester Bravehearts, the 20-year-old outfielder from Shrewsbury has reveled in his return home.
“It’s nice to be home and also enjoy summer ball in a good league, too,” said Schmit, who lives roughly 10 miles away from the Bravehearts’ home at Fitton Field.
And Schmit isn’t the only homegrown player enjoying his time with Worcester this year.
Along with Holden’s Connor Herlihy and Worcester’s Gavin Price, and a few other locals, the Bravehearts currently find themselves in third place in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League standings with a 19-15 overall record as they embark on the second half of their summer season.
“I used to go to a bunch of Bravehearts games as a kid,” Herlihy, 21, said. “I remember I always wanted to play here. It’s almost like a hometown team and all that, it’s really cool.”
“It’s a blessing,” Price, 23, said.
With Worcester set to play 10 games in a span of 12 days before the All-Star break (July 20-22), let’s look at some of the top locals who have helped the Bravehearts so far this summer.
Connor Herlihy
A crafty right-handed pitcher with a three-quarter arm slot, Herlihy appeared in 20 games (4 starts) with the Division III Stevens Institute of Technology baseball team this spring.
He posted a 1-1 record across 31 innings while leading the Ducks’ pitching staff in saves (4) and was second in appearances and third in innings pitched.
“I kind of ran with it,” said Herlihy of his reliever role at the college located in Hoboken, N.J.
With the Bravehearts, the 5-foot-11, 165-pounder finds himself in a similar role this summer.
In 11 appearances (all relief), Herlihy has a 1-0 record and 2.00 ERA with 13 hits, 4 earned runs and 5 walks allowed to go along with 12 strikeouts across 18 innings.
“He’s not a guy that’s obviously going to light it up with the radar gun, but he knows how to pitch,” Worcester first-year manager Joe Galvin said. “He gets guys out. And that’s what you need.”
The Brooks School grad and former player for Shrewsbury American Legion Post 397 has enjoyed his own homecoming at Fitton Field so far.
“It’s cool. Total full circle,” Herlihy said. “When you’re a kid, you watch all the guys before you and now you get to wear their jersey. I’m just super fortunate and super lucky that it worked out.”
Gavin Price
With a hairdo and facial hair that makes him look like a baseball Jesus, this right-handed pitcher has been another savior on the mound for the Bravehearts.
“I take that as a compliment,” Price told the T&G.
Coming off a successful spring with the Division III Worcester State baseball team, where Price played for his dad, Phil, the Lancers’ head coach, and went 2-3 with a 4.60 ERA and 49 strikeouts across 43 innings, Price has served as a Swiss-army knife for Galvin’s pitching staff this summer.
The 6-foot, 177-pounder from Worcester has pitched in 6 games (3 starts) with a 3-0 record and 3.43 ERA across 21 innings. Price has allowed 21 hits, 8 earned runs and 7 walks while striking out 24.
“He’s probably the most selfless pitcher we have. It’s whatever you need,” Galvin said. “To have him in that role, a lead-by-example role, where he just does what’s best for the team and then performs at a high level is great, too.”
The 2021 graduate of Quabbin Regional High School and rising senior at Worcester State has played four seasons for the Bravehearts — but feels like his game has elevated to another level this year.
“Always trying to get better and evolve,” said Price, whose last haircut came two years ago. “I’m definitely more consistent right now.”
Andrew Schmit
A rising sophomore on the Salve Regina University baseball team, Schmit hit the ground running in his first season with the Division III program located in Newport, R.I. this past spring.
The 6-foot, 185-pound outfielder played in 21 games (5 starts) for the Seahawks and hit .240 with 6 runs, 5 RBIs and 4 walks.
“It was a really easy transition,” said Schmit, who graduated from St. John’s High School in 2025. “It was a successful first year.”
In his first year with the Bravehearts, Schmit is slashing .291 with 9 runs, 9 RBIs and 6 stolen bases in 17 games played. Another smooth transition for the Shrewsbury resident who used to play for Post 397.
“He’s on the same level as everybody,” Galvin said, “if not exceeding those other guys.”
“The talent levels are a lot higher,” said Schmit, who is also enjoying sleeping in his own bed this summer. “It’s just a lot to learn from.”
Uxbridge’s Talen Rosborough gets an RBI hit here and finished his first home start with the Worcester Bravehearts going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs and 2 runs while playing catcher in this heat at Fitton Field. pic.twitter.com/8DZD3SlDNt
— Tommy Cassell (@tommycassell44) July 3, 2026
Other than Herlihy, Price and Schmit, there are a few other players with local ties in James Anastasopoulos (Worcester Academy), Kyle McLaughlin (Auburn High) and Talen Rosborough (Uxbridge High, post-grad Worcester Academy) suiting up for the local Futures Collegiate Baseball League team.
Being on the Bravehearts has served as a homecoming (with some home cooking) for a few of Worcester’s players this summer.
“It means so much to me,” Price said. “It’s like being in New York and you get to play for the Yankees; you know what I’m saying? I’ve been here for a majority of my whole life and being able to come here to the field in Worcester; to represent the city, it means a lot to me. And I know it means a lot to the people around me as well.”
—Contact Tommy Cassell at tcassell@telegram.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @tommycassell44.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: ‘Nice to be home’: Locals enjoy homecoming with Worcester Bravehearts
