The No. 4 Pioneer Valley baseball team is good.
But do most around the region actually understand how special they are? And if so, exactly how high is their ceiling?
Well, it looks like we’re about to find out, as the Panthers are the lone undefeated team in Western Massachusetts behind an impressive record of 16-0. That figure marks Pioneer Valley’s best record since 2023, when they also won their opening 16 games.
It wasn’t smooth sailing from there, though.
The Panthers ultimately lost in the 2023 sectional championship against Ware and then in the Division V state semifinals against Hopkins Academy, ending their magical season shorter than most had envisioned.
Though the result stung, Pioneer Valley remained poised as they entered last season prepared to finish what they had started for the past two years.
But it was unfortunately another sense of deja vu as the Panthers again fell victim in the sectional finals against the Indians and then fell short against top-seeded Georgetown in the D-V state semifinals in 2024.
This time, though, Pioneer Valley lost for the third consecutive time on this stage and bid farewell to multiple upperclassmen in Heath Gomez and Hugh Cyhowski.
“We knew it was going to be a tight game either way,” said Panthers coach Kevin Luippold after the outcome. “Georgetown is a great team, and we knew they would swing the bats and mix pitches well. Our guys fought until the last pitch. And our pitchers helped keep us in it.
No. 4 Pioneer Valley baseball falls short vs. No. 1 Georgetown in D-V state semifinals (video)
“Hugh leaves everything on the mound and at the plate when he’s out there. It will be sad to see him go, but I wish him the best in his next adventure with UMass Boston. But those seniors boosted our energy and morale.”
Fast-forward almost one year, and Pioneer Valley looks poised to complete its perfect season and then focus on taking care of unfinished business. The Panthers will complete their regular-season schedule at home against Easthampton on Friday at 4 p.m. and then Drury on Saturday at noon.
Through 16 games, the Panthers have outscored their opponents by an impressive margin of 143-27, including four shutouts.
But if Pioneer Valley cannot complete the perfect regular-season record, Luippold won’t be concerned because those aren’t the essential games he’s worried about making sure the Panthers win.
“I’d say whatever it takes to win a state championship,“ said Luippold about the team’s current mentality. “And if that means losing a couple of games, then so be it.”
Regardless of whether Pioneer Valley can claim its first sectional crown since 2022, the Panthers should start their latest state postseason run at home since Pioneer Valley was the top seed in the MIAA’s latest power rankings for D-V on Tuesday, followed by the Blue Devils.
The No. 2 Pioneer Valley Regional baseball team claimed the Class D Championship over No. 1 Granby on 06/01/22.
But if that statistic wasn’t enough encouragement, the Panthers will also have something else going into the upcoming state tournament—experience.
The No. 1 Pioneer Valley boys basketball team completed its perfect season about three months ago. They defeated No. 2 Hopedale in the D-V finals to help the Panthers raise their first state crown in 28 years.
Pioneer Valley’s Kurt Redecker (left), Brayden Thayer (center) and Alex McClelland (right) with the championship trophy.Gage Nutter
“I got a lot of emotions,” said Pioneer Valley coach Scott Thayer of the outcome. “To go 26-0 and do it again, this is stuff that dreams are made of. I am just so blessed to have the ability to coach such talented people, not only basketball players, but just people in general.
“They just gave everything they had today, our defense and our rebounding has been the key to our success all year long.”
It will be interesting to see how effective those past experiences can help the Panthers moving forward, especially since there are seven players from that state-championship club on the baseball team:
Alex McClelland, Ben Werner, Braeden Tsipenyuk, Jackson Glazier, Judah Glenn, William Glazier, and Hayden Girard.
“Sports integrate life lessons so well,” Luippold said. “Like how to learn from failure and push through and beat adversity. Well before I took over the program, the guys all learned that from our great basketball coach Scott Thayer.
“He teaches these young men at a young age and throughout the basketball season not only how to win, how to get better athletically, how to be the best teammate, and how to be your best self. Thayer is a huge part of the Panther culture and an integral part in these young men’s lives.”
Stellar pitching, offensive outbursts help Pioneer Valley baseball beat Hampshire (photos)
Aside from those experienced players mentioned, Pioneer Valley will seek guidance from its seven seniors and some familiar faces on the coaching staff as they look to finish their high school baseball careers as champions and ensure the team is prepared moving forward.
Those upperclassmen are Jackson Campbell, Ethan Quinn, Ethan Mauthe, Jerad Goulston, McClelland, Tsipenyuk, and Werner.
“So we have six starting seniors who have been a part of the varsity program for four-plus years,“ Luippold said. ”Throughout that, the boys have created a baseball culture thanks to the two leaders of Jason Quinn (my current assistant coach) and Jared Hubbard, who both were senior captains the first year I took over (seniors in the 2022 season).
“They created a work-hard environment between the lines and showed my seven seniors what it truly takes to be your best self on and off the baseball field. Over the years, the team has created a brotherhood that seems quite impossible to break.
“They bought into what coaches teach them. But most importantly, they ingrained into the culture to pack each other’s parachute and keep everyone due north.”
The numbers speak for themselves.
Coming into Friday, the Panthers have won 66 regular-season games since 2022. During that period, Pioneer Valley has also competed in three consecutive regional championships and D-V state semifinals.
WMass Baseball Roundup: Pioneer Valley beats reigning D-III state champion
It’s too soon to know if the Panthers will extend that impressive margin to four consecutive appearances. But what we do know is that the pieces are there to not only reach that point again but also get over the hump.
“They love the game of baseball and play hard day in and day out,” Luippold said. “They have amassed 73 wins throughout the last three-and-a-half years, achieving a crazy 21 postseason games, including both the Western Mass. playoffs and the MIAA playoffs.”
