White River Junction
Al Molina wears the shirt of Vincent Martin, a pitcher from Iona College who was forced to stay home due to injury. But it hasn’t stopped the Seton Hall commit from making a name for himself with the team.
Molina arrived with the Upper Valley Nighthawks a mere hours before an early season game against the Sanford Mainers at Maxfield Sports Complex. Down 8-4 in the ninth inning, Molina entered the game as a shortstop substitution for Matt Maul and hit an RBI double down the right field line in his first at-bat in a Nighthawks uniform.
Molina started his collegiate career at Coastal Carolina, but circumstances put the Freehold, N.J., native at Brookdale Community College.
Molina only recently committed to the Pirates, and with that behind him, he wanted a chance to play summer baseball. “I’m kind of used to the higher level of competition,” Molina said.
“It was definitely a lower level at the community college. But once you get your timing down with the faster pitches, it’s a pretty easy adjustment.”
The situation worked out well with Nighthawks GM Noah Crane, who had just lost his starting shortstop, Clemson’s Grayson Byrd, to a back injury. Seton Hall coaches, who already had sent pitchers Dylan Verdonk and Billy Layne to the Upper Valley, called Crane and asked if he’d have a spot for a middle infielder. Coincidence in timing made Molina a perfect fit.
“When you know you’re going to have a chance to play every day, you’re relaxed and you can go out and do your thing,” Molina said. “I like to play the game. I didn’t want to take a whole summer off.”
Molina is one of several reinforcements that have given the Nighthawks an offensive boost. Through 11 games, he’s batting .325 with 13 hits, five runs scored, three doubles and six RBIs. He also is second on the team with two stolen bases, giving Upper Valley some more speed in its lineup.
With the departures of several other Nighthawks infielders, including Sean Breen, Blake Rowlett and Brian Mims, Molina has become a crucial cog in a defense that, all of a sudden, lacks the depth it started the season with.
“It’s a good group of guys,” he said. “They’ve welcomed me with open arms. It was a pretty easy transition.”
It hasn’t taken Molina long to adjust. He thought it would be more difficult than it has been. With a tough stretch of seven games in seven days on the horizon, the Nighthawks know Molina will be needed more than ever.
Molina has a chip on his shoulder. Not that he has more to prove, but it certainly gives him an edge to play on.
“Just to go out there and take nothing for granted and play every day hard,” he said.
“I love this game because it’s a team game, but it’s also an individual game. I want to go out there and do well for myself, but helping myself also helps the team win.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.