Nighthawks Save Leader Mateo Wells Returns for 2026

By Thaddeus Sawyer

Mateo Wells, the Nighthawks’ save leader from last summer will be returning to the Upper Valley for the 2026 season. 

Following a summer in which the right-hander picked up four saves and finished 12 games as one of the Nighthawks’ most reliable relievers, Wells’ success traveled with him back to North Carolina.

In 50 innings for High Point University this season, the Indiana native maintained a 4.32 ERA while also starting three games and picking up two wins and a save. 13 of his 18 outings were multi-inning affairs.

One of his wins came in the Big South Baseball Championship tournament against Charleston Southern University after Wells twirled five innings in relief, striking out six.

Wells said that pitching for the Nighthawks helped him to prepare for a move from an opener role to the bullpen and adjust his routine.

“I firmly believe that if I didn't play summer with the Nighthawks and I wasn't relieving then, I would not be doing as good as I'm doing right now,” Wells said. “

That's really the biggest takeaway from summer is just getting that experience of a new role, so that, when my time is called here at High Point to relieve a game or be put in one of those types of situations, I know what to do and I'm prepared for it.”

Off the field, Wells is a fan favorite in the Upper Valley, evidenced by the fact that he won the 2025 All-Star Fan Vote for the North Division. Wells said that he’s looking forward to meeting even more Nighthawks fans this summer.

“I enjoy connecting with other people,” Wells said. “Learning their experiences, just trying to pick their brain because, who knows? You never know who you’re going to meet along the line.”

Wells is also a favorite in the dugout with his teammates, both at High Point and in the Upper Valley.

“Off the field, Mateo is the man,” said Charlie Jones, a fellow Panther and returning Nighthawk. “Just straight up, he’s such a great dude. His values, the ways he goes about life, he’s so well driven.

Wells, who lived with the same host family as Jones last summer, said that some of his favorite memories from last summer came from exploring nature in the Upper Valley area.

“Me and Charlie, … we walked around a lot to places, I didn't really even know what they were called,” Wells said. “We just put it into Google Maps and just went all over the place. 

I remember, I walked with my parents around the Quechee Gorge during the All Star Game last year during that little stretch, and that was beautiful.”

Wells also said that he’s really excited to have a maple creemee when he gets back to Vermont.

The maple creemee truck will be a change of pace from the fine dining options on the High Point campus. The school, which gained a national spotlight during March Madness after the Panthers upset Wisconsin in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament, is known for its focus on preparing students with life skills for potential professional careers.

“High Point is absolutely incredible,” Wells said. “

 … Sometimes the media blows out of proportion, but this place is truly unbelievable. The weather's amazing. 

The faculty here are amazing. They give us so many opportunities to grow as students. It's kind of hard as a student athlete to take advantage of it, but the teachers understand and they're willing to help us. They just give us, honestly, more than we could ever desire, getting us ready for the real world, which I don't believe many universities do.”