Jacek Krol Finds Family In Baseball

By Thaddeus Sawyer

Jacek Krol is no stranger to summer baseball. 

Spending time in the New York Collegiate League, the Perfect Game Collegiate League and the Futures Collegiate League across three summers, the former St. Michael’s College pitcher finished last summer with the Westfield Starfires after feeling the itch to play again following an injury-plagued spring. 

The 5-foot-11 hurler even punched out 6-foot-8 University of Connecticut slugger Jackson Marshall, the 2026 Big East Player of the Year, for his last collegiate strikeout before finishing his playing career earlier this spring.

Even now, Krol still toes the rubber a few times each week, this time as part of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The only difference now is that the mound is usually on wheels, and instead of mixing in offspeed pitches, the right-hander grooves fastballs from behind an L-screen during batting practice. 

After serving the Nighthawks in a multitude of roles last summer, including a stint as acting manager that made him the youngest skipper in NECBL history, Krol has returned to the Upper Valley in 2026 to serve as bench coach under new manager Chase Allen. 

“I just love the game,” Krol said. “Baseball is kind of the only family I've ever really known. By not being the best player, but being able to stay in the game by being a coach, that's all I can ask for. It was a no-brainer.”

Krol had a reunion of sorts with one of the members of that family this past spring, Nighthawks reliever Eric Santaella, under unique circumstances.

“I was coaching first [base] last year at Pace [University] and he was chirping me from the dugout,” Krol said. “He's a great guy to have around and I’m happy to play against him and now be his coach.”

Santaella, who spent time with Krol and the Nighthawks last summer and was a Northeast 10 All-Conference First Team pitcher for Pace this past spring, said that the heckling was all in good fun with someone who he credited with helping him grow up as a player.

“It's great to know that he's also a really good friend,” Santaella said. “Easy to talk to and also a great coach. 
I was talking to him about pitching this summer during the school season, so good to talk to him before I came here and reconnect with him.”

High Point pitcher Mateo Wells, another second-year Nighthawk, also praised Krol for not only the impact that he has had on his game, but how the coach also continues to learn himself from those around him.

“He's an amazing human being,” Wells said. “He's very knowledgeable about the game. One thing that I really like about him is that he's trying to learn more. He's talked to me, he's talked to [reliever Tyler Hemmesch] and some of the other coaches, trying to pick our brains about how we view things.”

Wells said that, with much of the coaching staff turning over this season, having the existing relationship with Krol helped him to settle back in.

“I was really excited to see him again because, that's the thing with summer ball, you never know if you're ever going to see some of these people again,” Wells said.

For Krol, making those connections is what makes summer ball special.

"The people you meet from all different corners of the Earth are really truly special," Krol said. "The bond that summer ball is, you can't really find that too many different places."

Krol said summer ball is less a developmental substitute for offseason bullpens and trips to the batting cage and more an opportunity for players who truly love the sport to keep playing.

“It’s guys who just want to play baseball and compete,” Krol said. “
I think that's what's truly special. I played college summer baseball for three or four years, and I knew I wasn't going to be professional at all, but I just love the game and being around the game. Spending my summers putting on a jersey and running out there was what really meant a lot to me.”

While this will be Krol’s second summer in the Upper Valley, the Connecticut native will be sticking around this time. After earning spots on multiple NE10 Academic Honor Rolls, the secondary education and history double major will be attending graduate school at Dartmouth College while also joining the Big Green coaching staff this fall, where he says he’ll be doing a little bit of everything.

“I love the area, and I finally finished up my playing career up at St. 
Mike's," Krol said. "I definitely wanted to get into college coaching.” 

When the former St. Michael’s team captain arrives in Hanover, New Hampshire, he will be surrounded by a few familiar faces, including current Nighthawks AJ DeMastrie, Alejandro Puig, Trey Sejnoha and Ethan Brown.

Those four have now joined Santaella and Wells as part of an ever-growing baseball family Krol has slowly built on every diamond he has stepped onto. 

“I’ve been on my own since I was 15 and baseball is kind of the only family I've ever known,” Krol said. “
I lived in a minor league clubhouse for two summers. Just everywhere I went, it was always baseball people who had my back, so loyal to a fault. I'll be as good to the game as the game is good to me.”