New Valley Blue Sox coach Endy Morales wants to ‘bring a championship back to Holyoke’

By RYAN AMES

The Valley Blue Sox announced last week that Endy Morales, a Holyoke product and former Blue Sox pitcher, would be its new head coach beginning this summer.Morales pitched for the Blue Sox from 2016-2019 and collected a couple of NECBL championships,...

UMass basketball: Richmond drills 17 3-pointers in 82-52 win over Minutewomen

Visiting Richmond shot the lights out in the opening quarter, and the Spiders’ hot start was more than enough to halt the red-hot UMass women’s basketball team on Sunday.The Spiders drilled seven 3-pointers and made 11-of-13 field goals in the opening...

UMass hockey: Jackson Irving pitches shutout, Minutemen explode for season-high 8 goals in 8-0 drubbing of Robert Morris

The UMass hockey team’s offense came alive on Saturday afternoon at the Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe, Arizona, as eight goals and 40 shots led the Minutemen to an 8-0 drubbing of Robert Morris in a game they desperately needed to win.Six different...

UMass basketball: Minutemen drop to 0-2 in Atlantic 10 play following 72-64 loss to Richmond

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — With the clock ticking under a minute left and Richmond possessing a 69-62 lead with the ball, the UMass men’s basketball team needed a stop to have any chance at finding its first Atlantic 10 win of the season.But the ball found an open...

Roundup: Big run to end first half leads Belchertown girls basketball past Drury, 50-44 (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

BELCHERTOWN — After the Belchertown girls basketball team took a 13-9 lead into the second quarter, visiting Drury went on a 7-1 spurt to start the frame and took a 16-14 lead. But the Blue Devils’ best ball handler, Jacinta Felix, ran into foul...

High school swimming: Amherst earns dual meet sweep over Monson (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST — The Amherst swimming and diving teams both earned wins against Monson on Friday afternoon at the Amherst Middle School pool.The Hurricanes’ girls squad improved to 2-2 on the season with a 132-44 win while the boys picked up win No. 1 on the...

UMass hockey: Cornell scores 3 in the third period to defeat the Minutemen, 4-2, in Desert Hockey Classic

It was a third period to forget for the UMass hockey team on Friday.Taking on Cornell in the Desert Hockey Classic, the Minutemen held a 2-1 lead going into the third period after Michael Cameron scored with 16 seconds to play in the middle frame.That...

Colleges notebook: UMass women’s basketball flipping the script from last season

By GARRETT COTE

While the UMass men’s basketball team is experiencing a step back from a 20-win season last winter to a team that looks destined to finish toward the bottom of the Atlantic 10 this season, the UMass women’s basketball team is in the exact opposite...

On The Run with John Stifler: Ringing in the new year at the Sawmill River 10K

An eccentric teacher who was the inspiration for the Robin Williams character in the movie “Dead Poets’ Society,” Sam Pickering writes essays that are as edgy as Williams’ acting. Long before the era of NIL and transfer portals, Sam wrote that the...

UMass basketball: Stefanie Kulesza, Minutewomen pull away from Saint Louis to improve to 2-0 in the Atlantic 10

Make it five wins in its last six contests for the UMass women’s basketball team, as the Minutewomen cruised to a 72-55 road win over Saint Louis on Thursday night behind a dominant fourth quarter in which they outscored the Billikens 22-9.With just...

High schools: Robert Slysz, Smith Voc wrestling edge Granby (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

GRANBY – The Smith Vocational wrestling team narrowly beat host Granby, 31-30, Thursday night for its second dual-meet victory of the season.Just one of the six matches the Vikings claimed came via forfeit, including Robert Slysz pinning Granby’s...

UMass hockey: Minutemen to play Cornell to open Desert Hockey Classic

By RYAN AMES

The UMass hockey team is back in action Friday when it takes on No. 16 Cornell during the first game of the 2025 Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe, Arizona.The Minutemen return to the ice 23 days following their last official game – Dec. 11 against...

Hockey notebook: Amherst hoping neutral-zone trap can lead to success this winter

By RYAN AMES

Forechecking in the game of hockey comes in many forms. Teams can be really aggressive and hunt pucks or take a passive approach and lure the opposition into making mistakes.This year’s Amherst boys hockey team opted for the latter, and it’s already...

UMass football: Minutemen hiring Jared Keyte as new defensive coordinator

AMHERST — Both coordinator coaching positions now appear to be in place for the UMass football team.UMass is hiring Rutgers nickelbacks coach Jared Keyte to be the program’s next defensive coordinator, sources confirmed to the Daily Hampshire Gazette...

UMass basketball: Despite career-high 33 points from Rahsool Diggins, Minutemen drop A-10 opener at Saint Joseph's

By RYAN AMES

A career-high 33 points from Rahsool Diggins wasn't enough in the UMass men's basketball team's 81-72 loss to Saint Joseph's on Tuesday afternoon at Hagan Arena in Philadelphia.Diggins went 10-for-22 from the floor, including 2-for-6 from beyond the...

Former UMass basketball player Mike Babul dies at 47

Mike Babul, the 1996 Massachusetts Gatorade Player of the Year who starred for the UMass men’s basketball team in the late 1990s as a lockdown defender, died on Monday at the age of 47 after suffering a heart attack, according to The Sun...

High schools: Calvin Godbolt, Holyoke stay unbeaten with win over Greater Lawrence Tech

Both sides of the court were clicking for the Holyoke boys basketball team, which has been the case so far early on this season. The Purple Knights improved to 4-0 following their 59-48 home victory over Greater Lawrence Tech on Monday afternoon, and...

Boys basketball: Taconic holds off late charge from Amherst for 46-42 win (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST — The wait continues for the Amherst Regional boys basketball team.The Hurricanes fell to 0-4 on the season following their 46-42 loss to Taconic on Monday.Tied 40-40 with less than two minutes to go in regulation, the Braves (4-1) began to...

High school swim preview: Area swimmers look to make their mark in 2024-25

By RYAN AMES

The high school swimming season is underway and a handful of local programs are back in action. Below is some more information on each of the four area swim teams for the 2024-25 campaign:NorthamptonThe Blue Devils girls team brings back a pair of...

Women’s basketball: Smith College continues to dazzle in dominant holiday tourney win over Oswego State

By GARRETT COTE

NORTHAMPTON — A college basketball team doesn’t wind up in Sweet 16, Final Four and national championship games in consecutive seasons coincidentally. And if you walk into Ainsworth Gymnasium at some point this winter, it’s evident why Smith College...