White River Junction
That’s because no one wants to think about it.
Whatever New England Collegiate Baseball League coaches and general managers look for in a true leadoff man, the Nighthawks didn’t have it. Gone were the days when Alex Hanson, now at Mercer, split time between a roving presence in the Nighthawks’ outfield and a speedy, shifty presence at the top of the Upper Valley lineup.
Nighthawks gerneral manager Noah Crane and manager Jason Szafarski knew it, too. Szafarski remembers asking Sanders, a dynamic shortstop from Troy University, if he could fill the void. Sure, the soft-spoken Sanders said. That’s where he hit in college.
“It’d definitely be different without him up there,” Szafarski said on Thursday after his team’s 11-0 win over North Adams. “I’m not even sure who it would be.”
Three weeks later, Sanders serves as an essential cog on the most productive lineup in the NECBL. The Madison, Ala., native is the only player to start all 18 games for the Nighthawks, all at shortstop, after starting all 56 spring games for the Trojans. Crane and Szafarski have found their guy.
“Leadoff guys aren’t just our big hitters in the order; they’re guys who get on base,” Szafarski said. “Matt can run a little bit. … He’s smart out there.”
The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Sanders entered the weekend batting .294 with a .392 on-base percentage and is currently riding a 14-game on-base streak dating back to a 4-1 win over the Sanford Mainers on June 12. He had a nine-game hitting streak snapped last week against the Keene Swamp Bats. He’s ranked seventh in the NECBL with 20 hits and is second in the league with 68 at-bats in 18 games.
“This is my first time playing (in the summer). It’s kind of new,” Sanders said on Thursday. “But it’s fun. … The wood bat (takes some getting used to), but it’s not to much difference. I like stealing bases (eight through Saturday). Whatever I can do to score.”
Sanders had similar numbers in the spring, when he batted .303 and scored a team-high 51 runs for the Trojans. Though heavy workloads don’t seem bother him, nor does the spotlight of being the first batter up against opposing pitchers, having a quiet personality helps.
“You just start off the first inning,” Sanders said. “I’m used to it. … It’s just fun to be out there playing.”
Added Szafarski: “He takes good care of his body, going to the gym, things like that. He’s the type of person who understands why he’s here. He takes to baseball and loves the game. He does not want to be out of the lineup.”
Sanders is one of three Nighthawks who came from Troy this summer, following in the footsteps of Upper Valley’s 2016 NECBL All-Star Joey Denison. For Szafarski, Sanders’ consistency has been an important piece to his team’s offensive surge.
“Part of the reason he stepped into that role is that’s where he hit with Troy,” Szafarski said. “With us not having a true guy that hit there all year, he was kind of the guy that I could plug in who had experience hitting there. Once we gave him that in the second game, he took to it. He’s always on base, he always has good at-bats, he does have some pop. He’s feisty up there, fouls up tough pitches … That’s the definition of a stable player.”
Just what the Nighthawks needed.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.