The Vermont Lake Monsters are honored to be recognized for the third time in four years as the Futures League Organization of the Year. Below is the official Futures League media release announcing the award.
WEYMOUTH, Mass. (November 26, 2024) 一 The official reveal of Futures League annual award winners concluded Tuesday as the Vermont Lake Monsters were named the 2024 Organization of the Year.
Commissioner Joe Paolucci presented the award during the Futures League’s Fall Organizational Meeting, which was held last month in Worcester.
ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR
Vermont Lake Monsters
Led by President & CEO Chris English and Senior Vice President C.J. Knudsen, the Lake Monsters earned Organization of the Year honors for the third time in four years after initially winning the award in back-to-back years upon joining the Futures League in 2021 and 2022. Only the Worcester Bravehearts (2014, 2016, 2017, 2019) have taken this title four times.
“Vermont did an outstanding job this year both on and off the field,” Paolucci said. “They have become a model franchise in our league and they do everything first-class. The leadership of Chris and C.J. ensures that the Lake Monster fans have a great experience at the ballpark and they don’t go home disappointed.”
Vermont continued to set the pace in the Futures League in terms of attendance, welcoming a league-leading 90,710 fans through the gates of historic Centennial Field in Burlington during the summer. The Lake Monsters’ attendance total ranked inside the top-25 of all summer collegiate teams, according to Ballpark Digest’s national rankings.
The 2024 season marked the third straight in which Vermont hosted more than 2,000 fans on a per-game basis, with nine games being sold out (eight of 3,000+ and one of 4,000+). The largest crowds came on the team’s three “Hot Dog Hysteria” nights, as fans chowed down on more 25,000 25-cent hot dogs. When fans were unable to attend in person, the team continued a partnership with 15 home games being broadcast on WYCI television to homes across Vermont and western New York.
The Lake Monsters continued to be outstanding community partners during the past season, raising money via a ticket fundraiser program for local schools, non-profits and little leagues, as well as through game-worn jersey auctions, 50/50 raffles and various other donations.
Vermont was the home to the Futures League’s Best Ballpark Food for the second time in three years with Champ’s Fury Original Hot Sauce, while the team’s Concessions & Assistant Merchandise Manager, Grace Vincent, was selected as Staff Member of the Year.
As for the on-field product, manager Matt Fincher led Vermont to its fourth postseason appearance in as many summers, playing eventual champion Norwich to three games in their semifinal series. The ballclub produced the Futures League’s Most Valuable Player for the first time in catcher Mark Quatrani (Cornell), while Sean Gamble (Minnesota State) was named the Relief Pitcher of the Year during his second season in Vermont.
“The Vermont Lake Monsters are truly honored to be named the Organization of the Year. The 2024 season marked our 30th season for our franchise and this is a great tribute to wrap up the year,” Knudsen said. “We wish to thank and recognize our amazing fans, sponsors, host families, and supporters. We also want to thank our outstanding employees, coaches, and players that help provide a wonderful fan experience. This is a total team effort, both on and off of the field.
“As we prepare for next season and welcome our 3,000,000th fan in franchise history, we’ll continue to work hard and strive for another successful winning season on the field and bring back a championship to Centennial,” Knudsen added.