FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Red Sox will face off against some hometown heroes when they play their annual exhibition game against Northeastern University on Friday at JetBlue Park.

Coach Mike Glavine, of Concord and Billerica, Ma. – the brother of Hall of Famer Tom Glavine – is planning to start Aiven Cabral, a sophomore from Lynn, Ma who attended the same high school as Red Sox legend Tony Conigliaro.

As a freshman, Cabral owned a 2.26 ERA over 18 games (15 starts, one complete game), with 68 strikeouts and only 12 walks issued across 79 ⅔ innings.

The Red Sox will counter with “a bunch of relievers,” Alex Cora said on Wednesday, including some from big league camp. Helcris Olivarez, one of their non-roster invitees, will start the game. Olivarez, 23, missed all of the previous minor-league season and the majority of the one before. He struggles with control but offers a high-velocity fastball and strikeout ability.

Fans can also see a potential ‘24 first-round draft pick in Huskies centerfielder Mike Sirota, who led the ‘23 team with 18 home runs and set a new program record by scoring 73. The turned down the Dodgers when they selected him late in the ‘21 draft, choosing to play for Northeastern, instead. He also spent the last two summers playing for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

Sirota has an impressive baseball pedigree, too. He’s the great-nephew of Hall of Fame pitcher Whitey Ford, who passed away in October 2020. The southpaw played 16 years in the Majors all in Yankees pinstripes, won six World Series, was a 10-time All-Star, two-time ERA titleholder, and won the 1961 Cy Young Award, which was only given to one pitcher at the time.

The Red Sox and Huskies play at 1:05 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 22.