The Smith Voc baseball team is enjoying one of its best starts under head coach Luis Bonilla this season. The Vikings have not lost as the month of May closes in, and their pitching has been stellar through the first month of the schedule.

Specifically, senior James Lavallee has transformed into arguably the Vikings’ best option on the bump.

In three starts, Lavallee has three wins and 33 strikeouts in 19 innings. Against St. Mary’s last Thursday, Lavalle crossed off 10 Saints batters in the complete-game outing, which Smith Voc won, 3-0.

“Everyone’s been contributing, hitting the ball well, playing great defense, that’s really all you can ask for,” Lavallee said. “You just got to keep the momentum going.”

Lavallee didn’t get his first start of the year until the Vikings’ third game against Commerce on April 14, but No. 10 made quite the impression, with a near perfect outing. The southpaw struck out eight of the nine Raiders batters he faced in three innings. Smith Voc wound up winning the game 15-0.

Since then, Lavallee has pitched every other game for Smith Voc. A four-year varsity player for the Vikings, Lavallee’s success this season can be credited to his improved velocity, according to head coach Luis Bonilla.

“His speed has picked up big time,” Bonilla said. “He’s doing great.”

Lavallee toppled the 200 career strikeout mark in Tuesday’s win over Franklin Tech, striking out 13 for his third straight double-digit punchout performance.

“I was hoping to get up there [in speed] and I feel like I have,” Lavallee added. “I really can’t complain.”

On a team with capable arms in Kaleb Jorritsma and Pat Millin, Lavallee thrives in pressure-packed situations, as evidenced by his two starts against the program’s rivals in St. Mary’s and Franklin Tech.

“It’s cool,” Lavallee said. “Sometimes it’s nerve-wracking, you have to pitch the big games and you’re the one that they always depend on.”

Lavallee has been just as dangerous from the batter’s box this season with 11 RBIs in the team’s first seven games played. Smith Voc’s third hitter in the batting order has helped the team score an average of 12 runs per game.

“I think it’s just an overall team thing and with a lot of help too,” Bonilla said on Lavallee’s importance to the team’s start. 

Lavallee and the rest of the Vikings have some lofty, yet attainable goals this postseason, including another small school state vocational title. Smith Voc won its first voc championship during the 2022 season.

“Definitely a banner for the league [title] and I would like to win small voc again this year,” Lavallee said. “That would be a great way to go out for my senior year.”

Raiders firing on all cylinders

The Hampshire Regional softball team has been the class of Western Massachusetts since the 2020s began. Five years later, the Raiders might be sporting their best lineup to date as they’ve gone 8-0, which counts as its longest winning streak to open the season since 2021.

Offense hasn’t been a problem for Hampshire one bit as it has racked up 94 hits and 51 RBIs through eight contests. The Raiders have also registered 23 extra-base hits, including five home runs.

CC Thayer, Kalin Dubay, Reagan Dubay, Teagan Charles and Lucy Trombley have all reached double-digit hit totals already.

The other Dubay sister, Ryanne, is Hampshire’s star pitcher. Ryanne Dubay has tallied 76 strikeouts in 47⅓ innings. Her best performance so far this season came against Westfield on April 11 when she struck out a career-high 15 batters (previous career best was 12 in a game).

Ryanne Dubay eclipsed 100 strikeouts as a freshman (105) and will almost certainly get to 200 in the coming weeks.