Royals Baseball Resurrected: Mascoma Valley Regional High School Seniors Recognized for Rebuilding Baseball Program

Seven members of the Class of 2025 joined the Mascoma Valley Regional High School baseball team as freshmen and quickly realized there was work to be done.

“When we came in as freshmen, it had been 1,000-something days since Mascoma had won a baseball game,” said senior Michael Stevens-Aranda. “We were a team of 80% freshmen going up against basically grown men. In our last game of the season, we ended up getting a win. We got a taste of winning and were hooked.”

That win was the first Mascoma Baseball had seen in 27 games.

Many of the now-seniors grew up loving the sport, competing together as they moved through the District’s schools.

“I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. I met a great group of friends, a group of friends who played up since childhood, and we stuck together,” shared Marshall Yorke, one of the senior players. “It’s all led up to this moment.”

Despite their initial feelings of defeat, the seniors noted that their struggles to win games banded them together, giving them a well-rounded experience in the realm of athletics and beyond — a lesson that will greatly help them in the future.

“It was really defeating our first year. We had a new coach, and all of us were new to high school baseball. But that’s where our drive started,” said senior Andrew Prince. “We got a couple more wins throughout the next few years, and now here we are, having made it to the playoffs.”

This year, there are 10 seniors on the team.

The Royals went 8-9 and made the Division III playoffs for the first time in more than 10 years, under the direction of co-head coaches Sal Percia and Steve Ladue.

“Coach Sal once told us: ‘It’s not about how you start; it’s about how you finish.’ That quote is a great way to describe our team,” shared Prince. “We’ve learned throughout the years to keep our composure in games. Because we’ve had experience winning and losing, it’s helped us out a lot.” 

On Thursday, June 5, the Royals faced the #5 seed Monadnock Huskies in their first playoff matchup. Ahead of the game, the Mascoma seniors remembered scoring their first high school run against Monadnock during their freshman year. 

While their season — and their time as Mascoma Baseball players — may have ended with Thursday’s game, the significance of their experience playing on the team is still deeply felt.

Brody Goulette reflected on the importance of being part of the team: “It has helped us create really strong bonds within the school. We all know that we have each other’s backs, on and off the field. We all have a strong friendship.” 

Athletic Director Stephen Stebbins is incredibly impressed with the young men, who have shown perseverance and maturity as they’ve overcome adversity and rebuilt the baseball program. 

“These kids have all played on extremely successful teams. We have champion football and bass fishing teams, a runner-up soccer team, and they’ve consistently been to the final four in basketball. For them to say that struggle has helped them is amazing. It says a lot about their character,” he said.

Coach Ladue offered the following advice to the seniors: “In much of your life, you will need to be a member of a team, whether athletically or as you make your way into the working world. Always remember that the better you work together as a team, the higher the probability that the team can achieve success.”

The District wishes to recognize the seniors for their dedication to athletics and each other, and sends them off with gratitude as they move on from Mascoma. The seniors, who will graduate on Thursday, June 13, include: 

• Mason Ballard, of Canaan, plans to play hockey for the New Hampshire Avalanche.
• Mason Drexler, of Enfield, plans to attend Grand Canyon University and earn his degree in Business Management.
• Brody Goulette, of Grafton, will attend the University of New Hampshire and major in Exercise Science with plans to attend graduate school and become a Physician Assistant.
• Kaden Jatczak, of Enfield, will attend Colby-Sawyer College to pursue a degree in Exercise Science.
• Tanner Moulton, of Enfield, will attend Lander University, where he will be a member of the fishing team and major in Business and Finance. 
• Andrew Prince, of Grafton, is headed to Husson University, where he has committed to the swim team and will study Exercise Science and Physical Therapy.
• Peyton Sargent, of Enfield, plans to attend the University of South Carolina Union, where he will be a member of the fishing team and study Business with a concentration in Marketing.
• Jack St. Pierre, of Canaan, will attend the University of New Hampshire and major in Engineering.
• Michael Stevens-Aranda, of Enfield, will attend Franklin Pierce University and major in Finance.
• Marshall Yorke, of Canaan, plans to attend Plymouth State University.