RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Lucas Naughton, center, competes at catcher against Shamokin during a game recently.

Lucas Naughton had not swung a bat the past last few months.

And Williamsport had its pitching machines dealing some serious heat before throwing in some wicked off-speed stuff. This was going be ugly.

Indeed, it was–for the pitching machine.

After being cleared to swing for the first time while recovering from a torn UCL, Naughton hit everything the machine could offer. More precise, he hit everything hard.

“We’re humming them really fast and with really slow breaking balls, and it was a struggle for a lot of the guys because it’s tough,” Williamsport coach Tyler Albert said. “It’s tough to hit off a machine but he came in and was just smoking the ball after not having swung a bat in months. It was pretty amazing.”

Man beat machine that day and Naughton has resumed hitting like one since returning this season. The catcher/third baseman put together a super sophomore season, hitting .500 but missed his entire junior year. Healed up, Naughton has picked up where he left off going 5 for 7 and reaching base in eight of 10 appearances early this season.

Excelling defensively as well, Naughton has resumed his role as the prototypical lead-off hitter, helping Williamsport start 2-1, while setting the table for a dangerous set of hitters behind him. Losing his junior year hurt his heart, and Naughton is embracing every senior opportunity which comes his way.

“Missing last year completely killed me. It took all the wind out of my sails. Especially during high school, you don’t get high school baseball back. What you’re able to do with your teammates while you have them is big,” Naughton said. “There was nothing I could do except try to get better, get stronger and come back and pick up where I left off and help my team as much as possible.”

That is exactly what he is doing. Naughton suffered the UCL injury during his junior football season in which he topped 100 tackles and helped Williamsport capture its first district championship since 2016. He returned to the football field last fall and piled up another 100+ tackles and now is able to finally make the transition from the field to the diamond.

And as frustrating as last baseball season was, Naughton found a way to still make it productive. Each game became a study session and Naughton took mental inventory, storing away knowledge which could help him hit the ground running in 2026.

So far, so good there. Naughton has reached base at least twice in all three games, delivered two hits twice, doubled, scored six runs and driven in two. He also has played error-less defense and helped the pitching staff excel.

“Not being able to play, all you do is taking mental notes,” Naughton said. “You break down pitchers, look at pitchers, think about your swing, read the ball off the bat. Not being able to play helped me mentally a lot.”

“It’s awesome to see a kid that loves the game that much just rebound and respond the way he is,” Albert said. “You can count on him for a lot of different things. Having a guy like him on your team is pretty special.”

The area really started learning that at the 2024 Backyard Brawl. There, Naughton went 5 for 5 in the semifinals against Montoursville, hit .750 in two games and played spectacular defense as Williamsport took the crown for the first time since 2016. He finished that season with 33 hits, producing 10 multi-hit performances. He also played excellent defense at third base, helping Williamsport reach the district final.

“It’s definitely big having him back,” Williamsport pitcher/outfielder Trey Damschroder said. “Having him at the lead-off spot is almost a guaranteed person on base and we have good hitters behind him.”

The football injury intervened, but all it did in the long term was provide Naughton extra motivation. He can play behind the plate or at third, hit, hit for power and run well. He also has become a strong team leader on a squad which is as close as it is talented.

So, as happy as Naughton is to be back, his coaches and teammates are equally thrilled. Just maybe not the pitching machines.

“I remember all plays he made at third two years ago. That was my first year with the team, and I was just in awe of what he was capable of doing,” Albert said. “He’s a ball player through and through. You ask him to do anything and he’ll do it and he’ll do it to the best of his ability.”

EXTRA BASES: St. John Neumann sophomore Avery Taddeo is off to a torrid start, delivering at least two hits in all three games. The first baseman/pitcher is 7 for 10 and also has doubled in each game … Speaking of young players performing well, Loyalsock freshman Parker Frederick combined with Jahvon LaRosa on a four-hitter in a 4-1 win against Bloomsburg as the Lancers handed the Panthers their first loss in five games. Frederick earned the win with four quality innings and LaRosa threw three innings of one-hit relief for the save, adding two hits and an RBI … Muncy rallied from a two-run seventh inning deficit and defeated Sugar Valley, 7-5 in its season opener. Corbyn Gardner hit a game-tying two-run single and Jameson Barlow the go-ahead RBI double … defending District 4 Class A champion Cowanesque Valley improved to 5-0, adding wins against Coudersport and Williamson. Five different pitchers have earned victories and the Indians have outscored opponents, 59-10 … Canton pitcher Daniel Inman has been lights out in two Warrior victories, allowing two hits and striking out 13 in 12 innings.

Dr. Masse’s top 5 rankings

1. Montoursville (1-1): Mount Carmel won a battle of 2025 state finalists building a nine-run advantage before holding off a Warrior rally taking Thursday’s showdown, 9-6. Still, the Warriors displayed their potential two days earlier, opening the season with a 12-0 win at Midd-West despite playing on a field for the first time. Logan Kirby dominated, throwing 5 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball, striking out 10 and walking one. Brody Aldenderfer closed with 1 1/3 hitless innings and five players produced multiple hits. Carson Menne drove in four runs, while Aldenderfer, Noah Kirby, Jonah Heddings and Cy Heddings all had two hits while either driving in and/or scoring a run. Elijah Eck hit a two-run double against Mount Carmel.

2. Central Mountain (1-1): Central Mountain may be much younger than last year but it still seems like the road to a HAC-I championship goes through Mill Hall after the Wildcats blanked Williamsport, 3-0 Thursday at Millionaire Mountain. The defending champions have not lost a league game in two years and Blake Walker and Darius Shade combined on a five-hit shutout. Equally exciting for Central Mountain was some of its new starters having big games. Aiden Jones broke a scoreless game with a fourth-inning RBI double and went 2 for 4. Right fielder Yayfran Sanchez flourished in the No. 9 hole, smoking the ball two times, while going 2 for 3 with a double off the right-field fence.

“We need some production from other than our top five because last year we were able to get production the whole way through,” Central Mountain coach Mike Kramer said. “Now we’re trying to see who’s going to stepping in. whoever has the hot hand we’re going to stick with it.

3. Williamsport (2-1): Although Williamsport lost for the first time in three games, Albert was encouraged by the fight his team showed. Cole Deitrick and Damschroder stranded five runners in innings when they faced second and third, and bases loaded, one-out jams. Freshman James Naughton then hit a two-out single in the seventh inning and an already buzzing dugout really pumped up the volume. Shade closed it out, but the Millionaires believing until the final strike excited Albert.

“I really love how even with two outs, James comes up in a big moment for a freshman and hits a line shot up the middle,” Albert said. :Guys are completely behind him and right in the game, understanding we’re on at-bat away from getting right back in the game.”

4. South Williamsport (3-2): A team which excelled in pressure situations did so again last Monday and it ushered in an early-season changing three-game winning streak. The Mounties scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, avenging a previous loss and edging Jersey Shore, 6-5. From there, they blasted Muncy, 15-0 and blanked Troy, 2-0. Chance Quimby threw a three-inning no-hitter in the Muncy win before Gerber threw a four-hit shutout and struck out nine against a Troy team coming off a 17-run performance against North Penn-Mansfield. Trace Wertz sparked the offense against Muncy, going 3 for 3 with two doubles and Jaymes Carpenter smashed his second home run against Troy. Andrew Walter came up big against Jersey Shore, throwing five strong innings of two-hit baseball and also belting two doubles.

5. Warrior Run (2-2): Southern Columbia has been a wrecking mission early this season and made Warrior Run its latest victim, defeating it 11-4 and topping 10 runs for a fourth straight time to open the season. There were positives, however, as Landon Tillson went 3 for 4 and Cohen Zechman blasted a two-run home run. Tillson has been one of the area’s most consistent hitters the past two seasons and has three multi-hit performances in Warrior Run’s first four games. Landon Polcyn made his season debut against Southern and, while he is still working his way back after a limited preseason, he struck out six in two innings.

Players of the Week

Briar Persing, Montgomery and Jason Harer, North Penn-Mansfield: Persing had what eclipsed this reporter’s high school career RBI total in one game, driving in eight runs and coming within a triple of the cycle in Friday’s win at Bucktail. Persing was 3 for 4 with a home run there and also collected two hits and a double Monday at Hughesville. The right-hander closed the Bucktail game on the mound, striking out all three batters he faced. Harer also was a double threat, hitting .500, doubling twice and driving in five runs as the Tigers split two games. The senior also was strong on the mound, earning the win in relief against Wyalusing with 1 1/3 hitless innings of relief, striking out two.

Game of the Week

South at Montgomery: It’s a District 4 Class AA championship rematch this afternoon. If it’s as exciting as last May, fans will be in for a great game. Each team overcame late-game deficits in that final before South held off Montgomery’s seventh inning push and won the title, 8-6. The Mounties completed a season sweep with that win and have won the last three in this series. Montgomery, obviously, is eager to try and exact revenge and both are looking to build some momentum as they push toward lofty goals.

Chris Masse may be reached at cmasse@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @docmasse.