LYNN, Mass. -- The North Shore Navigators have added three players from the powerful Atlantic Coast Conference to their roster for the upcoming New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) summer season.

Evan Blanco will join the Navs from the University of Virginia, but he is no stranger to the New England scene as a native of nearby Woburn. The 6-foot, 200-pound southpaw was a two-time Boston Globe All-Scholastic and three-time Catholic Central League All-Star at Austin Prep, where he was a perfect 21-0 with 216 strikeouts and a 0.58 ERA over 134.2 career innings. Blanco helped Austin finish as undefeated Division 3 state champions in 2022, going 12-0 and earning Boston Globe Player of the Year and League Pitcher of the Year honors. The southpaw opened his collegiate career with a scoreless, three-strikeout inning Friday against Ohio.

Pitt outfielder AJ Nessler is another incoming Nav whose college career got off to a strong start this past weekend, as he went 3-for-9 with a home run and six RBI in three games for the Panthers. The Florida native Nessler finished his prep career at Tampa Jesuit as a .433 hitter with 56 hits, 49 RBI, seven homers and 41 runs scored. His high school teams won two state titles including one in 2022 and earned a No. 1 national ranking two years in a row.

Joining Nessler at Fraser Field will be a Pitt teammate and another Massachusetts native in Matt Travisano, who hails from Carlisle and attended Noble & Greenough. The outfielder was an Under Armour All-American, Rawlings and Perfect Game Preseason All-American and All-Region, and 2021 All-New England Prep performer during his time at Nobles. Before heading off to Pitt, Travisano had four RBI in a nine-game stint with the Futures League champion Nashua Silver Knights in the summer of 2022.

The Navs kick off their 16th summer of collegiate baseball on Wednesday, June 7 and will host their home opener at a renovated Fraser Field on Friday, June 9. The 2023 season includes 22 home games, as well as the return of the NECBL All-Star Game to Lynn on Sunday, July 23.

Stay up to date on the latest Navs news by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Single-game and season tickets are now available for purchase online.