A tough goodbye: Hampshire shut out by Case in emotional state semifinal loss

By RYAN AMES

WORCESTER – In between innings during the middle portion of Thursday’s MIAA Division 4 state softball semifinal between No. 1 Hampshire Regional and No. 4 Joseph Case, Chappell Roan’s hit song ‘Pink Pony Club’ blared over the speakers.

MIAA softball: Joseph Case ends top-seeded Hampshire's title hopes again with dominant 13-0 Final Four win (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

WORCESTER — Since the inception of the new statewide tournament format, Joseph Case has been a thorn in Hampshire Regional’s side. The Cardinals knocked off the Raiders in the 2023 state championship game, and again defeated them in last season’s quarterfinal matchup en route to a second-straight MIAA Division 4 crown.

Northampton’s Hoogendyk repeats as MSTCA West Heptathlon champion

By RYAN AMES

SOUTH DEERFIELD – For the second straight season, Ella Hoogendyk took first place in the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association (MSTCA) West Heptathlon, winning with 3,742 points, following Day 2 of events on Wednesday at Frontier Regional.

Legion baseball: Jake Waller drives in winning run as Belchertown Post 239 beats Westfield in extras

By GARRETT COTE

BELCHERTOWN — The Belchertown Post 239 Senior American Legion team improved to 2-0 on the season, with its latest victory coming in walk-off fashion in extra innings on Wednesday evening at Belchertown High School.

Built to Win: Inside Hampshire Regional’s relentless work ethic and state title pursuit

By GARRETT COTE

WESTHAMPTON — A dozen Western Massachusetts titles – including 15 Western Mass. final appearances – in 18 seasons, and two state championships (2015 and 2016) to go along with it. That’s the Hampshire Regional softball program’s resume since head coach Brian McGan took over in 2008. Raiders players of the past two decades only know what it’s like to play in high-leverage games. That’s all they have done under McGan.

Tavo Vincent-Warner closes Frontier volleyball career by eclipsing 2,000 career assists

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

The Frontier boys volleyball team is still in its infancy, though coach Sean MacDonald noted a milestone reached in the team’s season finale will take a long time to break. 

Join the Ultimate Celebration: SULA’s 30th Season Takes Flight

Are you ready for the ultimate experience? If the answer is yes, plan on joining the Summer Ultimate League of Amherst (SULA) for another exciting summer of ultimate frisbee. SULA, which started in 1995, is celebrating its 30th season and has another year of fun in store over the next couple of months.

Youth baseball: Northampton 14U thumps Palmer

Maceo Nteta and Dylan Lawrence-Riddell led the way for a potent Northampton offense on Monday evening at Legion Field in a 14U baseball matchup with Palmer, as the duo combined for six hits and seven RBI. That strong one-two punch helped Northampton defeat Palmer 20-4 in decisive fashion.

MIAA softball: Can Hampshire Regional break through against Joseph Case and book spot in state final?

By GARRETT COTE

WORCESTER — The Hampshire Regional softball team has played like a No. 1 seed all year, and when it earned the top mark in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament as the brackets were released in late May, the Raiders only elevated their already magnificent play on the field.

Alum Andrew Tuetken publishing history books chronicling UMass athletics during the 2000s and 2010s

By RYAN AMES

Andrew Tuetken is a proud UMass alum.

Legion baseball: Belchertown Post 239, Northampton Post 28 win season openers

By GARRETT COTE

It was about as ideal a start as the Belchertown Post 239 senior legion baseball team could have asked for on Monday evening on the road against West Springfield Post 207, as Belchertown earned a 4-1 win to start the 2025 season fresh off its second consecutive District 3 title.

Legion baseball preview: Belchertown Post 239 eyes District 3 three-peat, Northampton Post 28 geared for success

By GARRETT COTE

For the last two years, the Belchertown Post 239 Senior American Legion team has been the cream of the crop in Western Massachusetts. Post 239 breezed through their regular season schedule without a loss in 2024 before earning a 6-5 win in the District 3 championship over Aldenville Post 337 for their second consecutive title.

Victory Lap with Jessica Lapachinski: Sweating through summer

As the school year comes to an end and children embark on summer break, it can be challenging for parents to carve out time to exercise. Many families are juggling child care, work schedules, limited summer camp hours, and a host of other daily responsibilities while their children are home from school. Yikes. Even the thought is quite overwhelming.

MIAA softball: Offense erupts as No. 1 Hampshire rolls into Div. 4 Final Four via 10-1 win over Frontier (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

WESTHAMPTON – The No. 1 Hampshire Regional softball team’s senior duo of CC Thayer and Teagan Charles combined for five of the Raiders’ nine hits in their 10-1 win over No. 8 Frontier Regional in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament Round of 8 on Sunday afternoon.

MIAA girls tennis: Amherst swept by Hingham in Div. 2 quarterfinals

The Amherst girls tennis team’s breakthrough season finally reached its conclusion on Sunday.

Amherst girls’ 4x400 relay team cruises to title at MIAA Meet of Champions

By RYAN AMES

Day 2 of the MIAA Track & Field Meet of Champions was pushed 24 hours to Sunday due to inclement weather, yet Amherst Regional still managed multiple medals in the meet at Fitchburg State University.

UMass hockey: Minutemen announced 3 incoming recruits including Longmeadow’s Coleson Hanrahan

By RYAN AMES

The first batch of UMass hockey recruits were announced this past week as three names are confirmed to be joining the Minutemen for the 2025-26 season.

NECBL: Valley Blue Sox have solid mix of local, national talent as 2025 season gets underway

By RYAN AMES

A new era has arrived for the 2025 New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Valley Blue Sox as first-year head coach Endy Morales has come back to his roots to manage the team he starred for from 2016-2019. The Holyoke product picked up his first victory of the season on Tuesday in the team’s 1-0 shutout against the back-to-back NECBL champion Newport Gulls at Mackenzie Stadium.

MIAA Tennis: Katie Gromacki, Amherst girls travel to No. 4 Hingham in D2 quarterfinals

By GARRETT COTE

Only one team has been able to beat the Amherst Regional girls tennis team all season, as the Hurricanes have ripped through their fellow western Massachusetts opponents and their first two state tournament foes en route to an MIAA Division 2 state quarterfinal appearance.