Nighthawks Release 2026 Schedule

White River Junction, VT - The Upper Valley Nighthawks released their official schedule for the 2026 season on Thursday, Jan. 30. The Nighthawks will be celebrating 10 years of representing the people and places of the Upper Valley this summer. The team will be looking to make a deep playoff run after reaching the postseason for the first time since 2021 in 2025. The squad will open the season with a pair of games on the road, with Opening Day being scheduled for Thursday, June 4 in Sanford, Maine against the Mainers. The Nighthawks will then travel to Newport, RI to face the Gulls, a stop multiple returning players, including catcher University of Hartford catcher Cam Boardman, are already looking forward to. “I think Newport on day two will be awesome,” Boardman said. “I think, last year, Newport was a super great crowd and one of the only places we got chirped at.” Upcoming fourth year Nighthawk and Monmouth University pitcher Nick Tamburro also named Newport as one of his favorite places to play. “Obviously, Newport is awesome [because] of the history in that ballpark,” Tamburro said in a text. “I had the privilege of pitching there and it was one of the coolest baseball experiences of my life.”

The Newport trip will also be a homecoming of sorts for new field manager Chase Allen, who was a pitcher for the 2022 Gulls. “That'll be a first on the coaching side of things, obviously having played there,” Allen said. “I think going back, Newport's such a great city and they always have a great fan turnout. It'll be a lot of fun to go back.” After an off day, the Nighthawks officially kick off their Summer at the Ballpark campaign at the Maxfield Sports Complex with their home opener against the Valley Blue Sox on Sunday, June 7. The game will be Allen’s introduction to the Upper Valley fanbase. “Before we even get to the first game, it'll be good to kind of get up there and see the town and... start to see what the place is all about,” Allen said. Tamburro also said that the Maxfield Sports Complex is another of his favorite places to play. “Our field is underrated for sure,” Tamburro said. The following weekend will see another long trip for the team, as they travel to Cape Cod to take on the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks in the only scheduled double header of the season for Nighthawks. "The obvious one is the Vineyard,” Allen said when looking ahead at the away schedule. “It's hard to get to, but I think good or bad that there's a lot of memories from that one.”

Two games later, Upper Valley gets its first crack at the Vermont Mountaineers as they travel to Montpelier in the first edition of the 2026 Governor's Cup series. “I think Vermont will be important to us,” Boardman said. “Beating them in the series this year for the Governor's Cup would be great.” The Mountaineers will travel to Hartford for the first time a week and a half later. Four additional matchups between the in-state rivals are scheduled for July, including a home finale on the final day of the regular season. “[The Mountaineers] was always fun,” Tyler Hemmesch said. “Before we played them, I didn’t really know what that was about. But knowing that there is kind of rivalries in the division, that was always fun knowing that there was a little something more on the line, especially in regular season games.” One of the Vermont contests seems likely to have some extra fireworks, as the third game in the series will see the Nighthawks travel to Montpelier on the Fourth of July. Upper Valley will start the holiday weekend at home against the North Adams SteepleCats before heading upstate “Fourth of July was a happening night [in Newport],” Allen said. "Getting to see the fireworks off in the distance while you're playing or the game's wrapping up and just to see people coming out and giving them something to do. I think it'll be awesome to see the smaller city or town side of things and to see the community come out and come together and celebrate a historic day for the United States.” The Nighthawks will also get six chances at the reigning NECBL champion Keene SwampBats, including a pair of trips to Alumni Field in July. “Keene is always a great place to play,” Boardman said. “
Super electric crowd [and] the small field.” In late July, a select group of Nighthawks will get a chance to return to place the season began, as Sanford was selected to host the 2026 NECBL All-Star Game on Sunday, July 26 at Goodall Park. Last season, Upper Valley saw five players get selected to the North Division roster, including returning P Mateo Wells (High Point). Following the conclusion of the regular season on July 30, the Nighthawks will have a scheduled off day to make up any remaining postponements before the start of postseason play on to open the month of August.

First pitch for weekday and Saturday home games at Maxfield will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday home games will start at 5 p.m. #TalonsUp