June 6, 2026

On to Elite 8: Pope Francis baseball program makes history

REGIONAL
Staff report

The Pope Francis Prep baseball team poses for a picture after securing a spot in the Elite 8 in the MIAA State Tournament, Thursday June 4 (IObserve photo/Courtesy of Wendy Harrington)

SPRINGFIELD – After a 9-11 regular season record, Pope Francis Preparatory School baseball has made a playoff surge, advancing to the Elite 8 of the MIAA Division 1 State Tournament for the first time in program history. The No. 23 seeded Pope Francis beat No. 26 Westford Academy 5-2 at home, Thursday, June 4 in the round of 16. They face No. 2 Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro at 4 p.m., Saturday, June 6.

Senior Jake Reyngold had a three-run home run Thursday, which gave the Cardinals an early lead.

Pope Francis senior and lefty Andrew Gagne pitched a complete game.

“We’ve played a lot of good opponents this year. Games haven’t always gone our way, but we’ve proven to ourselves that we can compete with anyone in the state. We have a lot of momentum coming off our last two wins and we have confidence in our ace Andrew Niemiec heading into today,” said Gagne, of senior pitcher Andrew Niemiec.

“Anything can happen in baseball. More importantly, with God, all things are possible both on and off the field,” Gagne added.

Senior Matteo Cuccovia, who was part of the Division 1 state championship team for Pope Francis boys’ hockey in March and back in 2023, drove in 2 runs with three at bats.

“It’s amazing to think that we are creating school history after winning our last game,” said Cuccovia. “We are so pumped up for our game today and very hopeful going into it. We know it’s a big game, but lots have played in big game environments and we will be ready to show up,” he said.

Pope Francis upset No. 10 Shrewsbury in the Round of 32 on Sunday, May 31.