Knights

Monday, June 3, 2024

By: Dan Allison | Silver Knights media relations

With the Silver Knights in their 14th season at Historic Holman Stadium, Nashua’s boys of summer have been a community staple for over a decade. Young ball players from the area dream of playing under the Holman lights someday, and this season, one of the Nashua kids is fulfilling that fantasy.

River Hart, a rising sophomore at UMass Lowell, is returning to his hometown this summer to play for the Silver Knights. Growing up watching games in Holman and even playing with Nashua South High School, Hart’s return to Nashua means more than meets the eye.

“It’s been great,’ Hart said “Growing up in Nashua and watching the Silver Knights when I was younger, putting this jersey on is kind of surreal for me. The fans are amazing, having the locals in my corner has been great.”

As part of a generation that has grown up with the Knights, playing for the red and black was always in mind for the South graduate. 

“In high school, kids would say ‘Are you gonna play for the Knights?’ like, man I hope so!” Hart chuckled, “I played here for junior and high school baseball. I had actually never been in the locker room before which is kinda crazy. So when I walked in for the first time this week, I was like ‘Oh, this is real.’”

Despite countless games at Holman, it wasn’t always a straight path for Hart and baseball. After dropping basketball and football to focus on the game in high school, Hart took a gap year to work on his craft before entering the collegiate level.

“The goal was to play Division One baseball,” Hart said, “I had a good senior season, kind of a late bloomer. So I thought maybe if I do another year, let’s see where it can take me.”

After graduation, Hart played summer ball in New York before heading to Tennessee for a developmental year. Before long, Hart received an offer from UMass Lowell to play Division One ball in the America East conference.

“I definitely wanted to stay local,” Hart said “At Lowell, I received a really good offer for me and I liked the coaches down there. Along with having my support staff of my family around me, that’s what really went into my decision.”

Hart made the most of his first year for the Riverhawks, starting 10 games as a freshman with nine RBI and a .283 average. Entering year two, Hart looks to cement his name in the Hawks lineup.

“It was a very productive year for me,” Hart said, “Just getting used to that full-year routine of waking up, lifting, class, and practice. It also helped me for this summer where you’re playing five to six times a week on top of your routine.”

And it has helped, with Hart putting up three home runs and eight RBIs through the first week of play. Becoming a regular in the cleanup spot for the Knights, Hart will be a player to watch for all summer long. 

You can find the rest of this interview and more on the “Summer Knights” podcast on Spotify at https://open.spotify.com/show/5b4qBOWjC85DzVRjV1yC5O?si=a580fa2ec547415d

To watch Hart and the rest of the Silver Knights in action, visit nashuasilverknights.com or call the office at 603-718-8883 for tickets and more information.