Tristan Nemjo off to Hofstra after summer with Albany Dutch, South Troy Dodgers
ALBANY, NY » Going into the summer of 2020, Tristan Nemjo wasn’t planning on playing baseball in the ICBL, but that’s exactly what happened.
“This summer has been pretty good because I’ve played more than I think I usually do,” Nemjo said, who just graduated from Tamarac High School in Troy. “I was playing for the South Troy Dodgers this summer, but playing with the Dutch has allowed me to get some extra work in during the week.”
“Coach Davey called my other coach and asked if it was okay if I played with them. They agreed, so here I am and I’ve been here pretty much every game.”
Nemjo was needed to help bolster an Albany Dutch lineup that had been decimated with injuries. He immediately stepped in and provided solid defense at first base. He had a big first day against the Mohawks with the bat as well. In the double header in late July, he doubled in the first game and homered
in the second.
“With the Dutch especially, I’ve faced a lot better competition than I ever have. Overall, I think this summer has been really successful,” Nemjo said.
Jump to the season finale for the Dutch on August 6, who were trying to get the best of mighty Albany Athletics one last time. Nemjo’s had found a home in the five-hole in the batting order and his bat showed up. In the game one victory, Nemjo hit a sixth inning, two-run homer off of former Tri-City Valleycat Chris Salamida, bringing the Dutch within one run of the A’s.
The Dutch would go on to come back and win the game 9-5, thanks to 3 RBIs from the Hofstra University commit. He helped hand the other Albany team their third loss of the summer. The Dutch are the only ICBL team to defeat or tie the A’s, who went undefeated against the Mohawks and Independents.
Nemjo discussed his approach at the plate, since during double headers it is easy to go from a good game to a bad game, without much time to determine why.
“You just have to come with an open mind everyday. You have to know to have the same approach as the last day and the day before that. You have to keep things consistent. Even if you have a bad game, when you start to change things, that’s when you start to go into a slump, instead of it just being one game,” he said.
“Summer ball has always been where you get your serious work in and you face much better competition and I think I’ve gotten to see a lot of that this summer.”
Nemjo will be taking his talents to Hofstra University in Hempstead, NY this fall and will play baseball for the Pride, who actually used to be called the Flying Dutchmen.
“Ever since school ball got cancelled, I’ve been way more excited about college than I was before,” Nemjo said. “I’m excited to be able to play baseball every single day and pretty much dedicate myself to baseball for the first time in my life and become a much better player.”