Strikeout Specialist Charlie Jones Returns to Nighthawks

By Thaddeus Sawyer

Strikeout specialist Charlie Jones will return to the Nighthawks for a second season in 2026, restoring a key arm to the Upper Valley bullpen.

With the Nighthawks last summer, the 22-year-old flashed plus stuff while striking out 19 batters over 11 ⅓ innings.

“It was super special,” Jones said in April. “I've never been a part of something where, even though we know we're only going to know each other for really three months, we got super, super close. Guys I still talk to all the time.”

Across eight appearances with High Point University this spring, Jones worked to an elite 1.17 ERA, giving up an earned run in only one outing. The right-hander struck out over a batter per inning.

It will be the redshirt junior’s fourth season of collegiate summer ball. Jones previously spent summers with the Olney Cropdusters of the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League in 2023 and the Carolina Disco Turkeys of the Southern Collegiate Baseball League in 2024 before becoming a Nighthawk last summer.

After redshirting as a true freshman with Wake Forest and then throwing 13 innings in 2025 for the Panthers following a transfer to High Point as a redshirt sophomore, Jones said that pitching for the Nighthawks gave him the opportunity to try new things and become more comfortable on the mound.

“What Upper Valley got me was just a ton of reps,” Jones said. “I was able to kind of come into the fall and just be more confident when I toed the rubber. Confident in where I was going to throw the ball. Confident in how my at-bats were going to go as far as me pitching. I felt a lot better coming into August than I did the year prior, and that was a lot thanks to Upper Valley.”

Beyond his success and development on the mound, Jones said he made friends from the experience that he still talks to now, such as pitchers Tyler Hemmesch and Will Harrigan.

“The camaradere that we had up there for summer ball was elite,” Jones said. “

It was super special.”

One of Jones' Nighthawks teammates, fellow returner Mateo Wells, also shares a bullpen at High Point with the New Jersey native. Wells said that his Panthers teammates call Jones “The Outlaw,” which carried over from last summer in the Upper Valley.

“Jones is an absolute dog,” Wells said. “He's a competitor, always learning. He brings a lot of positive energy. 

Here at High Point, I love playing with that guy. The kid can make anyone laugh. Team leader and just overall, amazing.”

Jones said that he’s also excited to spend time with his teammates away from the Maxfield Sports Complex, especially if it involves hitting the links at the Montague Golf Club in Randolph, Vermont.

“Me, Nick Tamburro and a couple other guys played Montague almost every day,” Jones said. “ ... We would go up there as much as possible. Even sometimes, if we knew we weren't going to throw, we'd go up on a game day and just get in a quick 18 or nine [holes]. 

It's so much fun. It's such a beautiful course.”

Jones, who described himself as a problem solver, said that he strives to work incredibly hard to improve both as a pitcher and teammate.

“I work very hard, and I always have,” Jones said. “It's something that has been taught to me by my father, something that I definitely learned at Wake and something that I continue to learn at High Point. What you put in, you get out. So, if you're not giving 100%, you're not going to get 100% in return. You can't be half pregnant. You gotta go all in.”

One of Jones’ favorite memories with his teammates from last summer came on the road in Martha’s Vineyard, where he punched out four batters across 2 2/3 innings of work against the Sharks, both highs on the summer.

 “That was super fun because, A, people had gotten to kind of see what my best stuff looked like and how I was able to really compete in big situations, and then, B, that trip is so cool together. We made so many memories just through waking up at 5:30 a.m., 6 a.m., hopping on a bus then hopping on a ferry and playing two baseball games,” Jones said.

Back at home at the Max, Jones is looking forward to reuniting with the Upper Valley fanbase for another season, one that he said supports him and his teammates night in and night out.

“It was such a cool thing because all the other summer ball programs that I've ever played for, you might get like 15 to 20 fans,” Jones said. “In the Upper Valley, a little part of Vermont where, even during the day, you don't see a ton of people. All of a sudden, at night, it's like, holy cow, it feels like everyone in the town is out supporting.”