Local baseball: Jake Smith homers, Belchertown Post 239 holds off Sheffield

By RYAN AMES

Belchertown Post 239 built a 9-1 lead after two innings and held on, edging Sheffield Post 340 for an 11-9 win in an American Legion Senior Division baseball game Monday night at War Memorial Field in Sheffield.

Hometown Heroes: Hadley's Ciaglo and Elson making their mark with the Blue Sox

By GARRETT COTE

HOLYOKE — It’s impossible to ignore the presence of young fans attending Valley Blue Sox games throughout the summer. There are a handful of kids bouncing around from the concession stands to the patch of grass behind home plate to play catch, to the bleachers where their laser-focused glares fix in on the high-quality baseball being played at beautiful MacKenzie Stadium.

Fit to Play with Jim Johnson: Second class athletes

In May 1965, I got on a bus going from Baton Rouge to Lexington, Kentucky. I wasn’t alone as I was working as the athletic trainer for the 28 members of the LSU track team. We were going to compete in the SEC championships. A few days before departure we were given the news that the school was not flying us to Kentucky, but that we had to take the bus about 700 miles — about 15 hours. One doesn’t need advanced training in exercise science to know that sitting on a bus that long prior to athletic competition is not ideal.

NHL Draft: Nestrasil taken by Blackhawks at No. 25, becomes 2nd-highest drafted player in UMass history

By RYAN AMES

The Chicago Blackhawks selected incoming UMass hockey freshman Vaclav Nestrasil with the 25th overall selection during the first round of Friday’s NHL Draft.

James Lavallee pitches Northampton Post 28 past Greenfield Post 81, 3-1

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

GREENFIELD — Northampton Post 28 put three runs on the board in the top of the first inning against Greenfield Post 81 and Northampton’s James Lavallee did the rest. 

Putala era begins: Young gun takes the helm as new Amherst Regional High School football coach

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — The Amherst Regional High School football team will be under new direction next season, as 24-year old Jack Putala steps in to take the reins of the Hurricane program. Putala served as Amherst’a defensive coordinator for the last three seasons and is replacing Vinnie Guiel, who coached the team from 2022-2024.

Granby’s Regan surges late to finish top 20 at New England Women’s Amateur Championship

The final round of the 2025 New England Women’s Amateur Championship took place on Thursday afternoon at Haverhill Country Club, and Ryley Regan and Julianna Megan – members of the Orchards Golf Club in South Hadley – both cracked the top 25 in a pair of strong showings throughout the week.

Minutemen reload: 11 newcomers set to suit up as UMass completes 2025-26 roster

By RYAN AMES

UMass hockey head coach Greg Carvel has assembled his roster for the upcoming 2025-26 season following the announcement of its final two recruits, this past week.

UMass prospects set for 2025 NHL Draft spotlight in Los Angeles

By RYAN AMES

The 2025 NHL Draft is here at last and prospective players are set to hear their names called at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Friday.

Legion baseball: Earle’s homer ignites Belchertown Post 239 in dominant win over Pittsfield (PHOTOS)

By RYAN AMES

BELCHERTOWN — Thirteen hits helped the Belchertown Post 239 Senior American Legion baseball team claim its fourth consecutive win after downing Pittsfield Post 68 No. 2, 8-1, on Wednesday at Belchertown High School.

Hot bats, hotter days: Amherst and Northampton shine in Sandy Koufax action

By GARRETT COTE

Under a punishing sun on Tuesday afternoon, the Amherst Hurricanes bested Greenfield 7-1 in a Pioneer Valley Youth Baseball League Sandy Koufax matchup. Game time temperatures sat at 100 degrees, but it didn’t seem to slow down Amherst one bit.

Orchards Golf Club duo advances to final round of New England Women’s Amateur Championship

A pair of Orchards Golf Club members made the cut in the New England Women’s Amateur Championship at Haverhill Country Club on Wednesday afternoon. Julianna Megan and Ryley Regan each shot better than the 14-over cut line over the course of the first two days of competition to advance to Thursday’s final round.

Weathering the heat: Hampshire County golf courses adapt as temps near triple digits

By GARRETT COTE

During Monday’s Massachusetts Amateur Public Links qualifier at Westover Golf Course, event directors and employees offered golf carts to those competing in the tournament. Typically in competitive rounds hosted by Mass Golf, carts are not allowed and competitors walk the course.

Coming Home: Effinger returns to lead Amherst College men’s hockey program

By RYAN AMES

Eddie Effinger has been hired as the new men’s hockey head coach at Amherst College, the school announced in a release on Monday. Effinger takes over for Jack Arena, who announced his retirement in May after 42 years behind the bench with the Mammoths.

Amherst closes out historic performance at Nike Outdoor Nationals with 5 school records

By RYAN AMES

On the biggest stage in high school outdoor track and field, athletes from Amherst Regional solidified their spot among the best in the country at this past weekend’s Nike Nationals meet at Hayward Field at the University of Oregon.

Legion baseball: Josh Misiaszek, Ryan Gould combine for no-hitter as Belchertown Post 239 wins third straight

By GARRETT COTE

A combined no-hitter from Josh Misiaszek and Ryan Gould, and 10 hits on offense propelled the Belchertown Post 239 Senior American Legion baseball team to a dominant 9-1 victory over Aldenville Post 337 in a rematch of last year’s District 3 title game on Monday evening at Belchertown High School. The victory marked Post 239’s third in a row.

Northampton’s Galen Fowles rallies from rough start to earn medalist honors at Mass. Public Links qualifier

By GARRETT COTE

GRANBY — Northampton’s Galen Fowles didn’t start his day how he had hoped. Although he felt he put two good driver swings on his ball the first two holes, both took unfortunate bounces and ended up out of bounds – forcing him to re-tee.

Youth baseball: Nteta, Rios power Northampton to 14U title win over Amherst

By GARRETT COTE

In a rivalry bout with the Western Massachusetts Suburban Baseball League 14U championship on the line, it was Northampton that struck early and never looked back – earning a wire-to-wire 6-1 victory over Amherst on Saturday to claim the title.

Local baseball: Northampton Post 28 beats Aldenville, moves to 3-1 on the season

For the third time in four games to open the 2025 American Legion season, Northampton Post 28 picked up a victory on Friday night.

Back home and locked in: Sebastian Mexico thriving with Valley Blue Sox

By RYAN AMES

HOLYOKE – Sebastian Mexico has a simple approach once he steps inside the batter’s box: swing early and often.