MANCHESTER — Ben Malgeri , wearing a black Erie SeaWolves practice shirt, sat in the visitor’s dugout along the third base sideline Tuesday afternoon at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.
Malgeri, a 2018 graduate of Exeter High School and 2021 MLB 18th-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers , adjusted his hat, leaned back against the dugout wall, and a smile began to emerge on his face.
“I have a lot of memories in this park, it’s a pretty special place,” said Malgeri before taking batting practice ahead of Tuesday’s Double-A Eastern League game against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats.
More: Ben Malgeri selected by Detroit Tigers, the latest Exeter High grad picked in MLB Draft
Malgeri was part of two Exeter High School state championship baseball teams, both times beating Bedford, and both games were at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium; a 7-6 win to cap an undefeated 21-0 season in 2017, and a 7-2 win in his final game as a Blue Hawk in 2018.
Malgeri then pointed over to the first base dugout.
“Thinking of all the memories from that dugout, thinking of all the memories we made here in high school is pretty special,” said Malgeri, who batted ninth and played center field on Tuesday to begin a six-game, six-day series with the Fisher Cats.
“When I first got out here to the field today (Tuesday), I made sure to take in the scenes a little bit,” Malgeri said. “It definitely reminded me of a lot of good memories, for sure.”
Grand return to Granite State
Malgeri laced an eventual game-winning grand slam over the fence in left center in the 12th inning of Tuesday's game, extending Erie's lead to 12-7. Erie went on to win 12-8. Malgeri also doubled and scored in the fourth. For the night, he went 2-for-6 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
Malgeri entered Tuesday’s game batting .248 with six home runs and 31 RBIs.
“I’ve had some good and bad moments, and I can always do better,” Malgeri said. “No matter how well I think I’ve done, I feel I can always do better. That’s my goal for the next six weeks, trying to keep improving, keep getting better every day and try to leave everything else on the table.”
Familiar faces in the NH crowd
It has been more than six years since Malgeri, in his first full season at Double-A, played in front of family and friends at Northeast Delta Dental.
Malgeri expected 13 family members and friends at Tuesday’s game, and his former high school coaches Kevin McQueen and Bruce Joyce were planning to attend Wednesday’s (12:05 p.m.) game. Malgeri expects more and more family and friends throughout the series.
Games on Thursday, Friday and Saturday all are scheduled to begin at 6:35 p.m., while Sunday is scheduled for a 1:35 p.m. start.
“I have a good amount of people coming,” Malgeri said. “It will be good to have everyone I am close with around this week. It’s always good to go back to your roots. It‘s pretty special to be where I am now, but playing in the area where I grew up and where I became what I became now, it’s pretty cool.”
Six-game series has been circled for months
When Malgeri was assigned to Erie to start the season, he looked at the schedule and definitely noticed the 10-game, 11-day road trip that began with a four-game series at the nearby Portland Sea Dogs, another childhood favorite.
“Absolutley, I had this trip circled,” Malgeri said. “You have to take it day by day in this profession, you never know where you’re going to be. But, obviously, I was looking forward to this trip, and being home. I had it circled since the beginning of the season.”
Malgeri spent Monday’s off-day at his Stratham childhood home, and visiting his brother working at JB’s On the Boardwalk at Hampton Beach.
“It was good to just hang around at the house and get some relaxation in on an off day,” Malgeri said. “It’s awesome to be back home. It’s a long season, so being able to be in area and see family and being in a familiar space definitely helps with my mindset."
Reliving Exeter High School championship memories
Malgeri didn't tell his Erie teammates that the field they were about to play on was also where he won two high school state championships.
"I keep that close to me, and share those memories with the guys I won with," Malgeri said.
In the championship game in his junior year, Malgeri and teammate Cam Flanagan collided in right center field, allowing Bedford to score the game-tying run in the 2017 title game. Malgeri also tripled and scored in that game.
“(Flanagan) was camped out under that ball,” Malgeri began to laugh. “It was a state championship, I got a little excited and ran right into him. We ended up winning the game, so I guess it didn’t matter. Looking back, it’s a funny moment for sure.”
Malgeri remembers the two “dogpiles” that ended both of the championship games the most.
“That’s what sticks out the most, for sure,” Malgeri said.
Coming to Northeast Delta Dental as a kid
Malgeri, although young at the time, remembers coming to Fisher Cat games with his family when he was a kid.
“I remember being in the stands and wanting to be down on the field, that’s my biggest memory here as a kid,” Malgeri said. “I don’t remember specific players, maybe Marcus Stroman. I was pretty young when I came to games here, and then I started playing myself when I was 12 or 13 and didn’t really have time to come to games anymore.”
Grateful for the opportunity
After graduating from Exeter, Malgeri played one year at both Holy Cross and New Mexico Junior College, before spending his final year at Northeastern University. The Tigers then drafted him in the 18 th round of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
“I thank God every day for putting me in this position and being able to be where I am now,” Malgeri said. “I just try to practice my gratefulness every moment, every day out here. It gets tough. It gets tough being away from the family, and it gets tough when you go through slumps, and you go through lulls. I just try to be grateful for getting this opportunity and being able to do what a lot of people wish they could do.”
SeaWolves going to the playoffs
The SeaWolves were the Eastern League Southwest Division first-half champions, and earned a playoff spot for the third straight season.
“I am excited about that,” Malgeri said.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Exeter grad Ben Malgeri's grand slam in 12th a dream return to NH against Fisher Cats
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