Nighthawks Host Keene SwampBats Still Looking for First Home Win of 2026

By Thaddeus Sawyer

314 days ago, the Upper Valley Nighthawks (1-3-1) returned to the NECBL playoffs for the first time in four seasons.

That same night, the Nighthawks fell victim to a walk-off home run when Keene SwampBats first baseman Michael O’Brien golfed the first pitch of the ninth inning out to right field and onto the roof of the red shed next to the parking lot at Alumni Field.

More than 10 months later, the reliever who surrendered that long ball will once again face off against the SwampBats (4-0-1) on Thursday night, this time as Upper Valley’s ace.

“I'm very excited to play them,” Nighthawks starter Mateo Wells said of his upcoming start. “Obviously, they won the whole thing last year and they got through us. My performance [in] game one was obviously memorable from both sides of this game, but I'm excited. I've been looking forward to playing them.”

After leading the Nighthawks in saves last season with four, the right-hander got the Opening Day nod this season and did not disappoint. Striking out eight Sanford Mainers in 4 2/3 scoreless innings, the High Point University swingman comes into Thursday striking out 15.43 batters per nine innings after one outing.

“They're a very good team and so it's always a good challenge to see how much I've developed and excelled throughout the year and then just seeing what happens,” Wells said.

Excelling for the Nighthawks has been cornermen James Love and Charley Magoulick.

Love has cooled off just a bit after a red-hot start to the summer but is still batting .500 through five contests and demonstrating why he was the NECBL’s pick for the first Player of the Week award in 2026. The Eastern Illinois third baseman extended his on-base streak to five games to start the season on Wednesday.

Though Magoulick has been with the Nighthawks for less than 72 hours, he’s made an instant impact. The Maryland first baseman has led the Nighthawks in hits in each of his first two games with the team.

New Jersey Institute of Technology catcher Cam Boardman has also been consistent at the dish, getting on base at a .400 clip through 25 plate appearances and driving in four runs.  Virginia Tech utilityman William Hurt is also off to a nice start at the plate, picking up three hits with a double in his first ten at-bats.

Keene, which secured a convincing 12-6 win on Wednesday night over the North Shore Navigators, is expected to give the pill to Pittsburgh starter Ryan Bailey. The right-hander struggled to a 6.82 ERA in 34 1/3 innings this spring for the Terrapins before transferring to Pitt earlier this month.

In his first start for the SwampBats, the sophomore gave up three runs in as many innings of work but also struck out six.

At the plate, Cincinnati infielder Jackson Smith leads the team with a .588 on-base percentage in 17 at-bats.

Collin Anderson, Luke Boykin, Micah Kendrick and T.J. Schuyler have each played in five games and have posted on-base percentages over .400 through this point.

While first baseman Jackson Marshall has gotten off to a slow start for the SwampBats, the Big East Player of the Year posted a 1.162 OPS for UConn this spring and was named a third-team National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American earlier this week.

The 6-foot-8 slugger extended his on-base streak to 52 games on Wednesday, one that dates back to March with the Huskies.

Fellow UConn standout Chris Polemeni made his SwampBats debut Wednesday and should add even more on-base production to the outfield group.

While Tuesday night’s tie snapped a four-game losing streak against the SwampBats, the Nighthawks are looking for their first win against Keene since an 8-7 victory in game two of a doubleheader on June 19 last season.

The SwampBats will also return to the Maxfield Sports Complex next Monday, making it three games within seven days for the two teams.

With the Nighthawks still searching for their first win at home on the year, first pitch for tonight’s contest at the Max is scheduled for 6 p.m. The game will stream live on ESPN+.

“I know that Nighthawks fans just had a rough one yesterday, so we're hoping to bounce back, especially against such a high-quality team like them,” Wells said.