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Coastal Carolina infielder Dean Mihos (8) runs to third during an NCAA baseball game against Ohio State in Jacksonville, Fla., Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough) -
Columbia infielder Cole Fellows (3) celebrates with teammates after scoring a run during an NCAA baseball game against Fairfield, Tuesday, April 15, 2025 in New York. Columbia won 18-7. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis) -
Before the start of their game, Upper Valley Nighthawks Matthew Russo, left, Jake Bullard and Nick Monistere order maple creamees at the Mac’s Maple food truck on Wednesday, July 5, 2023, in White River Junction, Vt. Justin White takes their order. (Valley News – Jennifer Hauck) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. -
Nighthawks President Noah Crane speaks with the team about logistics as their practice in White River Junction, Vt., winds down on June 3, 2021. The team opens their season in Keene on June 4. (Valley News – Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. -
Upper Valley Nighthawks manager Mat Pause, right, talks about the field of play with Keene Swamp Bats manager Shaun McKenna, second from left, and officials before the first pitch of their NECBL game in White River Junction, Vt., on June 15, 2023. (Valley News – Geoff Hansen) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — Housing is always an issue in the Upper Valley, even in the world of sports.
As opening day lurks around the corner on June 3, multiple players for the Upper Valley Nighthawks are without host families.
“One of the most challenging dynamics of running a summer ball team is finding homes for your players,” said Nighthawks’ president and founder Noah Crane, who noted that rosters in the New England Collegiate Baseball League can go up to 40 spots.
As of this week, the Nighthawks are 10 beds short.
“We’re at a place right now, feeling fairly nervous about what to do,” said Crane.
He emphasized that there are no great contingency plans if his remaining players cannot bunk with a host family, noting the prohibitive cost and lack of access to food and laundry for players to stay in hotels.
And it is also not as simple as playing the season without the unhoused players.
“Our hope is that the community responds to the need and we get the final beds together here in the last remaining days, and everything goes smoothly,” Crane said.
The lack of housing for players is impacting nearly the entire NECBL. Crane said that finding housing has been more of a challenge this year and has been getting more difficult each year.
“I understand,” he said. “It’s a sacrifice, and the host families that we have and the ones that we’ve had doing this since day one are really incredible, remarkable, philanthropic people.”
Information about becoming a host family is available by contacting Crane, and his email address is on the team’s website.
While work is left to be done off the field, the Nighthawks are looking to rebound on the field after last season, which Crane described as disastrous.
“We had a myriad of injuries and players who wound up leaving for various reasons, and it felt very much like a revolving door, and we were never able to have the degree of consistency that we needed in order to be successful,” he said.
The Nighthawks finished 18-25 last season, which was good for last place in a North Division that includes the Vermont Mountaineers, Sanford Mainers, and Keene SwampBats.
Manager Mat Pause said he looked forward to a clean slate coming into the season and is excited about the roster put together by Crane and general manager Matt Wright.
“On paper, right now we should be pretty strong,” said Pause. “You never really know until everyone gets here and you see how everyone gels together.”
Among those expected to make significant contributions, Pause mentioned Dean Mihos, Cole Fellows and Ryan Preisano.
Mihos, an infielder and outfielder, is in his junior season at Coastal Carolina University. He has appeared in 44 games this season for the Chanticleers and is hitting .320.
Fellows, an infielder and outfielder, is in his junior season at Columbia University. He is hitting .333 for the Lions this season and was an All-Ivy League Honorable Mention last season. Fellows also played for the Nighthawks last season, when he finished with a .308 batting average and competed in the NECBL All-Star game.
Preisano is a first baseman in his sophomore season at Wake Forest University, where he has started eight games and is hitting .263.
“Those are just a couple of guys … a lot of times, especially guys coming up here for the first time, you might not necessarily know what you’re going to get when they get up here,” said Pause. “For the most part, we have an idea of where we’re going to put guys and know how we’re going to structure our lineup and hopefully get production from certain guys we expect.”
While the Nighthawks staff would love to see more wins this season, Crane and Pause emphasized the focus on development.
Pause said he tries to get to know his players as ballplayers and human beings.
“We want them to enjoy their time here and we want them to improve as baseball players,” said Pause.
Players are often micromanaged at the collegiate level, and he encourages them to relax and focus on playing.
“The ultimate goal for us on the baseball side is to help our players develop,” said Crane. “And if we go .500 and miss the playoffs, our players can still accomplish that goal of succeeding, of getting better, and marketing themselves to the professional community.”
The Nighthawks will open their season on the road when they take on the North Shore Navigators June 3 at Fraser Field in Lynn, Mass.
The Nighthawks will have their home opener at the Maxfield Sports Complex in White River Junction against the Mountaineers on June 7 at 6:00 p.m.
Michael Coughlin Jr. can be reached at mcoughlin@vnews.com.