Former Upper Valley Nighthawks outfielder Alex Hanson decided to transfer to NCAA Division I Mercer (Ga.) College from St. Petersburg College a few days before making the trek to White River Junction for the Hawks’ inaugural New England Collegiate Baseball League season last summer.
Georgia Southern University and St. John’s University — Upper Valley manager Nick Cenatiempo’s alma mater — had also shown interest in the speedy Tampa native, but Mercer felt like “the right fit,” Hanson said on Friday. “The right environment.”
It’d be hard to argue with that logic given the amount of success he and the Bears have had since. Mercer was 25-6 headed into a three-game home series with Samford University this weekend, and Hanson has solidified his position in the Mercer outfield in his first spring with the club, hitting .301 in 28 games with 31 runs scored, 21 RBIs, three home runs and 16 stolen bases in 18 attempts.
The transition, he said, has been relatively smooth given Mercer’s early-season success. Spending a summer against Division I-caliber pitchers in Upper Valley’s first NECBL campaign made it even easier.
“It was more pitching-wise, just seeing better pitching and seeing how they pitch,” Hanson said, his Bears getting ready for a Friday afternoon game against the 19-10 Bulldogs. “I feel like I played well in the outfield, getting more comfortable with the center field position. But mostly it was the environment, just playing baseball for the summer. There was no homework or anything else you needed to worry about. You could just focus on baseball.
“It was a good experience,” he added. “Coming from Tampa, I definitely wasn’t used to that area. It was cool to the see the Vermont environment, on off days go to the lake or whatever, see the scenery. It was cool.”
Hanson batted ninth and played center field in the Nighthawks’ inaugural game at the Vermont Mountaineers’ Montpelier Recreation Field and was one of only two batters that night to get a hit. He finished the season batting .305 in 33 games for Upper Valley with 36 hits, 21 runs scored, 10 RBIs and seven stolen bases. The Nighthawks fell in the first round of the NECBL playoffs to the Sanford Mainers.
Hanson then began the transition to a new school, a new team and a new coaching staff. St. Petersburg was a junior college, with not nearly the amount of depth of talent seen in many D-I lineups. Still, Hanson said he felt ready.
“In the fall, I worked out a lot. I tried to build a bond with my coaches and my teammates,” he said. “I feel like I’m a pretty friendly person. I’m pretty easy to get along with. I bonded with some of the other kids. This felt like home for me.”
Hanson said he isn’t sure yet if he will play summer baseball again this year; playing in the Cape Cod League was certainly a goal, but he hasn’t been designated to a team just yet. Until then, Hanson will enjoy the ride.
“A lot of aspects of our team are pretty good right now,” the junior outfielder said. “We hit, that’s one thing we do well. And we score runs. That’s why we’ve been successful. We’ve got a bunch of good talent on the team, and we’ve been in some tough games and we’ve battled back. It’s been a good thing (to be a part of).”
It’s going to be tough keeping Grayson Padgett off of the scoreboard this summer. Padgett, the former Nighthawks outfielder who is currently slated to make his return to the Upper Valley this summer, is batting .327 in his sophomore year at the University of Houston with 20 runs scored and 36 hits. He’s also started all 28 games for the Cougars.
The other returnee from last year’s squad is Marist College pitcher Mike Coss, who holds a 2.57 ERA in 10 appearances — one start — and 21 innings pitched this spring. Nighthawks GM Noah Crane has also signed two of Coss’ Marist teammates: Frankie Gregoire, an outfielder batting .262 with a team-leading five home runs, and Anthony Lazar, who second on the Red Foxes with 17 runs scored.
Crane is high on his outfield thus far, with former Winnipesaukee Muskrat and Wagner College standout Anthony Godino is batting .328 with 21 hits in 19 games. Of course, initial rosters are subject to change as college coaches tend to shut down athletes with heavier spring workloads toward the end of the college season, and it’s difficult to know who on the current Nighthawks roster will actually make it to White River Junction in early June.
Several other former Nighthawks are putting up big numbers at their respective schools.
Seton Hall’s Al Molina, an NECBL All-Star for Upper Valley last summer, is third on the team with 23 hits, and pitcher Billy Layne Jr. is 3-0 in four appearances with a 3.48 ERA. Joey Denison, another All-Star, is batting .232 at Troy.
Wes Engle, a utility pitcher for much of last summer, is 2-0 in seven starts with a 3.69 ERA and has emerged as an ace at Texas State. Bill Maier was named the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s pitcher of the week, leading Iona to a 7-2 victory over Rider last weekend, a game in which the Flemington, N.J., native logged seven innings with eight strikeouts and no earned runs. Maier, the Nighthawks’ strongest starting pitcher last summer, holds a 2.23 ERA and is 3-3 in six starts.
Saint Joseph’s shortstop Matt Maul is leading the Hawks with a .315 batting average. Also at Saint Joe’s, Charlie Concannon is batting .244 in 19 games played, and Brian Lau — still splitting time between catching and relief pitching — holds a .246 batting average and a 8.31 ERA in five appearances.
But most impressive so far this spring have been Trent Leimkuehler and James Morisano from St. Louis University. Leimkuehler, who was hurt for much of last summer, is batting .350 with a team-leading 36 hits — including 13 doubles — in 26 games. Morisano is batting .301 with 25 hits and 14 runs scored. The Billikens are 18-8 this season, 9-2 at home.
The Nighthawks open their season on June 9 on the road against the Newport Gulls and play their home opener 24 hours later against the North Adams SteepleCats at the Maxfield Sports Complex.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.