Hampshire Regional Baseball Eyes Playoff Upset as Division 4 Dark Horse Emerges

Senior leadership and rising underclassmen fuel the 9-9 Raiders ahead of Friday’s must-win playoff showdown against Roxbury Prep in Westhampton

The Hampshire Regional Raiders seek to enter the round of 32 of the MIAA Division 4 state tournament when it faces Roxbury Prep Charter on Friday. / Hampshire Regional Baseball

The playoffs begin for the Hampshire Regional Raiders Friday at 5:00 pm as Roxbury Prep Charter comes to town. The victorious team is entered into the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 4 state tournament Round of 32 and will keep their season going just a little longer. The Raiders come into Friday night with a bit of confidence. They're back at an even 9-9 after a 4-1 win over Northampton, Massachusetts-based Smith Vocational High School on Monday.

With a record of 9-9, it's easy to overlook the Raiders and count them out against what other high school baseball teams, from the Berkshires to Boston, look like on paper. They're currently ranked 26th in Division 4 baseball in the Bay State, and if they pull off a win heading into the weekend, they may become the dark horse team of high school baseball in Western Mass this season.

The Raiders' squad is a finely tuned machine of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen who have contributed significantly to the team's success throughout the season. For starters on the pitcher's mound is senior Jacob Sicard, who, unfortunately, has pitched twice all year. Sicard pitched in the Western Mass Class B first-round game earlier this year against number-one-ranked Pittsfield. The teams secret pitching weapon struck out the first six batters in that matchup. Despite coming up short in a 2-1 loss, Sicard was on the mound for seven innings, proving his longevity in big-game situations.

Senior Zack Phakos is solid behind the plate, not letting anything get past him. Phakos also contribute a lot to the squad on offense with a big homer against Wahconah High School earlier this season. Let's not forget the underclassmen, either. Sophomore Cameron Hunsicker took the opportunity to take over at third base due to some injuries. His defensive prowess has eased some of the nerves around if the team can have a solid backup in that position.

Expect sophomore Riley Florek to be a four-year starter throughout high school. The shortstop started as a freshman last season and has been a brick wall, allowing nothing to get past him. Florek has been training all his life to reach this point, a natural-born athlete with a firm grasp of fundamentals who can put a lot of balls in play as the team's leadoff hitter.

Sophomore shortstop Riley Florek has been a stalwart for the Raiders, both defensively and offensively, this season. / Hampshire Regional Baseball

This batch of underdogs up in Westhampton, Massachusetts, knows how to rally and keep their postseason hopes alive. They also know how to promote themselves on social media. Just look them up on Instagram. The HRHS's baseball squad takes anything from promotional pics of their upcoming games to the crew horsing around in between classes during the week.

The first pitch in a pivotal game for the Raiders is this evening, just after 5:00 pm EST, in Westhampton, Massachusetts. One can hope they can keep their momentum going forward after tonight.