Published: 8/5/2018 1:00:06 AM
Modified: 8/7/2018 1:12:52 PM
Hartford High graduate and Upper Valley Nighthawks pitcher Jordy Allard is searching for a new college home.
The Bridgewater native de-committed from Southern New Hampshire University during his time with the Nighthawks this summer, narrowing his search for a new collegiate baseball programs to three universities as of the final week of the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s regular season. Allard made five appearances for the Penmen this spring, pitching in only six innings during his freshman season. He said lack of opportunity with the program was his biggest reason for leaving.
Allard thrived during his time with the hometown Nighthawks, finishing the season with a 1-0 record and a 2.73 ERA. He pitched 23 innings in 16 appearances and three starts for Upper Valley, striking out 30 while allowing 23 hits and five walks. Allard said he is deciding between Fairfield (Conn.) University, a NCAA Division I program in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Babson College, a D-III program in Wellesley, Mass., or the University of Massachusetts – Boston.
Headed to Hyannis: Outgoing Nighthawks Brian Weissert (Fordham) and A.J. Franklin (Vanderbilt) were both signed by the Cape Cod League’s Hyannis Harbor Hawks on Wednesday, joining the team before their playoff run began last week.
Franklin, from Lebanon, Tenn., was Upper Valley’s closer for much of the summer. He finished the season 0-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 15 appearances and 22⅓ innings, allowing 25 hits and six walks. Only five of his appearances were more than one inning. He also finished the season with 24 strikeouts.
Weissert, from Bay Shore, N.Y., finished his season 0-1 with a 4.97 ERA in only seven appearances and four starts. He struck out 14, walked nine and allowed nine hits in 12⅔ innings and missed a month of the season to rest a sore back.
Former Nighthawk Wes Engle, from Texas State, was released from Hyannis on Wednesday.
Statistics Say: UNC-Greensboro’s Greg Hardison and North Florida’s Chris Berry finished their seasons in second and third all-time in Upper Valley’s three-year history. Hardison batted .349 in 37 games for the Nighthawks; Berry batted .339 in 34 games. Troy’s Joey Denison, from the team’s inaugural season, remains the team leader in multiple offensive categories including batting average (.356), hits (63), RBIs (37) and doubles (14).
Upper Valley’s offense as a whole was on-par with its 2017 numbers. It finished the summer with a .273 collective batting average, down from its .277 average last year. The Ocean States Waves (.294) and Keene Swamp Bats (.283) completed the regular season with better offensive numbers. It was the third straight summer Upper Valley’s offense has finished top five in the NECBL.
The Nighthawks pitching staff finished the season third in the league with a 3.79 ERA, identical to its 2017 numbers. Upper Valley had more strikeouts this year (335) than last year (312) and allowed fewer runs (180) than last year (192). Its pitching staff was the second worst in the league in 2016, finishing with a 4.20 ERA with 230 runs allowed and 268 strikeouts in 46 games.
So Long, Farewell: Several Nighthawks took to Twitter to say goodbye to the Upper Valley before heading home.
Plymouth State’s David Sampson: “Wow can’t believe my very last college summer ball season has come to an end, it’s been a hell of a ride!”
Bryant’s Jack Ipsen: “Thank you to the Upper Valley Nighthawks for an incredible summer. Grateful to have met some amazing people both on and off the field. It’s been real Vermont … until next time.”
Allard: “Gotta give back to the people/community that gave me a start. I look forward to being here for years to come. #homesweethome.”
GM Noah Crane: “While the end came sooner than expected, what a great group of players we had this summer. Thank you for representing the Nighthawks with class and humor. Good luck to you all. #Nighthawks4Life.”
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.