White River Junction
It rang, finally, a little more than a week ago. Padgett, a sophomore outfielder with the Cougars, was headed to the Upper Valley to play for the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s expansion team, the Nighthawks. After breathing a sigh of relief, Padgett — who had never been this far north and had never even heard about the NECBL — started learning more.
“I pretty much started immediately packing,” he said after the Nighthawks’ 6-4 win over Vermont on Saturday. “I was excited, just because I had someplace to play. I did some research on the NECBL and found out it was a great league. … I had never heard about it. But after looking it up and doing some research, I’m really so blessed to have this opportunity.”
Padgett showed up to Maxfield Sports Complex last Tuesday, coming straight from the airport to catch the tail end of practice. Given his offensive production through two games so far this season, the Nighthawks are happy to have him.
Padgett leads all batters after sitting out Upper Valley’s first game, a 2-0 loss at Vermont last week. The 6-1, 205-pound switch-hitter made the lineup three days later in the organization’s home opener with the Mountaineers, scoring three runs on three hits and a walk. On Sunday, he added a run and a walk in four at-bats as the team’s designated hitter in Upper Valley’s 7-2 win over Winnipesaukee. Padgett leads all Nighthawks with a .429 batting average and a .556 on-base percentage.
“It definitely gives you more confidence,” Padgett said of his strong start. “But I’m going to make sure not to let my head get big.
“For me, the at-bats I’m getting and the reps I’m getting are definitely going to help me become a better player,” he added. “That’s the biggest part for me.”
Padgett was an important late addition to the Nighthawks, replacing Missouri State outfielder Alex Jefferson, who was forced to stay home with an injury. With the addition of Troy University’s Joey Denison, along with speedy St. Petersburg College outfielder Alex Hanson and Saint Louis’ Trent Leimkuehler, who both were tabbed early for Upper Valley’s roster, Upper Valley general manager Noah Crane has assembled one of the stronger outfields in the NECBL, and that’s without perhaps its most dominant offensive player, Vanderbilt sophomore Walker Grisanti.
“Outfielders are always the most prevelant,” Crane said on Saturday. “No offense to outfielders, but there are a lot of them. … You never want to lose anybody, but those are the guys you can find. If you lose a shortstop or you lose a catcher, now you’re in trouble. We were fortunate that (Padgett) was still available.
“He had good numbers as a freshman. A little bit of limited action, but good numbers.”
Grisanti, whose Commodores were knocked out of the NCAA tournament’s regional round, is scheduled to arrive in the Upper Valley on Thursday night and join the Nighthawks this weekend.
But Padgett’s presence also represents a growth in Crane’s network of college coaches, establishing a relationship with the University of Houston’s coaching staff that wasn’t previously there.
“(They) called me and said, ‘Hey, we’ve got this guy.’ I think he was supposed to go to a different league, and it fell through. They just said, ‘We’re looking for a spot for him, do you have any room?’ It just so happened we had lost Alex Jefferson and needed an outfielder,” Crane said.
“They’re one of the better programs in the country, so it made perfect sense for us to bring him up. Talking to the coaching staff, they had a lot of good things to say about him both as a player and as a person. It just seemed like a good fit. And just to start the relationship with the University of Houston is going to pay dividends down the road.”
The Nighthawks outfield took a hit Sunday night as Leimkuehler, who is batting .417 and has started every game in right field, fell awkwardly on his way to first base and pulled his hamstring. Upper Valley manager Nick Cenatiempo said Monday that Leimkuehler was “day to day” and should be available later this week. But Leimkuehler’s absence gives Padgett a chance to play and solidify his position in the lineup, particularly before Grisanti arrives.
“It’s tough getting to know the whole team and getting comfortable with your teammates,” Padgett said. “Helping the team win definitely helps with (getting comfortable). You’re transitioning to a brand new team.
“It’s amazing,” he added about the opportunity. “I couldn’t ask for anything more.”
Cenatiempo also said Monday that he will start Marist junior Mike Coss on the mound tonight against New Bedford, forcing the Bay Sox to face a lefty after going up against right-handed pitching in their first two games. New Bedford is 0-2 to start the season.
Coss, a Pompton Lakes, N.J., native, pitched 2 scoreless innings in Wednesday’s 2-0 loss to Vermont, allowing two hits and recording two strikeouts. He was 1-6 in 21 appearances and four starts for the Red Foxes this spring, accumulating a 3.58 ERA, 55 hits and 29 runs allowed in 55 innings as a middle-innings pitcher.
The Nighthawks are taking things slow with their walking wounded, particularly Clemson infielder Grayson Byrd, who came out of Saturday’s victory with a sore back. Byrd, who sat out this spring due to NCAA transfer rules, is scheduled to return later this week.
University of Bridgeport pitcher Dakota Edwards, who struggled in his first start of the season on Saturday, has been demoted to a reliever role after saying that his shoulder was hurting from his spring workload. His status this week is still up in the air.
University of North Carolina Wilmington infielders Brian Mims and Zack Canada are scheduled to arrive in the Upper Valley on Saturday, taking some time to rest up from their NCAA regional run before joining the Nighthawks. Grisanti, Vanderbilt’s young outfielder, will join the team on Friday. Seton Hall pitcher Cullen Dana, slated to be Upper Valley’s ace, is still healing a forearm issue and should join the Nighthawks at some point next week, according to Crane.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.