An early-season series pitting the Billings Mustangs against the Boise Hawks promises to set the initial pace in the marathon that is the Pioneer League season. 

• Subscribe to Watch Pioneer League Baseball in 2024
• Lancaster Barnstormers: What to Know
• Long Island Ducks: What to Know
• Must-See Baseball Jersey Round-Up May 28: A Carnival With The ValleyCats

Both Billings and Boise finished the 2023 campaign above .500, with the Mustangs going 51-45 en route to the championship series and the Hawks finishing strong for a 49-47 final mark. 

Boise parlayed its late-season surge of a year ago into its 2024 start. The Hawks improved to 6-1 through May 28, kicking off the five-game set with Billings in a 16-2 romp. D.J. Poteet, Ben Livorsi, Troy Viola, and Noah Marcelo all connected for three hits in the win. 

Despite the series-opening setback, Billings has looked strong in its return from a runner-up finish to 2023. 

The Mustangs plated at least eight runs in all six of their games during a 4-2 start. The impressive road showing against Great Falls saw Patrick Mills with hits in all five games he played. With his double in the series opener against Boise, Mills already has four two-baggers on the season through May 28. 

With two prolific offenses at work, expect plenty of continued fireworks when Boise and Billings face off. 

Boise Hawks Scores 

• May 21: Boise Hawks 6, Grand Junction Jackalopes 5 
• May 22: Boise Hawks 12, Grand Junction Jackalopes 5 
• May 23: Boise Hawks 5, Grand Junction Jackalopes 4 
• May 24: Boise Hawks 3, Grand Junction Jackalopes 4 
• May 25: Boise Hawks 7, Grand Junction Jackalopes 1 
• May 26: Boise Hawks 11, Grand Junction Jackalopes 3 
• May 28: Boise Hawks 16, Billings Mustangs 2 

Billings Mustangs Scores

• May 21: Billings Mustangs 8, Great Falls Voyagers 6 
• May 22: Billings Mustangs 14, Great Falls Voyagers 17 
• May 23: Billings Mustangs 12, Great Falls Voyagers 8
• May 24: Billings Mustangs 11, Great Falls Voyagers 5 
• May 25: Billings Mustangs 12, Great Falls Voyagers 5 
• May 26: Billings Mustangs 13, Great Falls Voyagers 17 
• May 28: Billings Mustangs 2, Boise Hawks 16 

How to Watch Pioneer League Baseball in 2024

Watch Pioneer League baseball on FloBaseball and the FloSports app.

FloBaseball will be streaming the Atlantic League and more independent league baseball all season long.

Players to Watch

Ben Livorsi, C, Boise Hawks 

Plenty of Hawks batters have been absolutely raking early into the 2024 Pioneer League season, with six different Boise hitters connecting for at least eight through May 28. Count catcher Ben Livorsi among that group. 

Livorsi is a remarkable 8-of-20  in five games. He leads the Hawks in RBI with 12, home runs with two, and sports a whopping .850 slugging percentage. 

Livorsi produced full seasons with slugging percentages north of .510 at the college level in 2020, 2021 and 2022 for Minnesota State, and has consistently hit at that level professionally for Fargo-Moorhead and the Chicago Dogs of the American Association. 

Taylor Lomack, OF, Billings Mustangs 

Portraying Peter Brand in the 2011 film adaption of the book Moneyball, Jonah Hill utters the now-famous line, "He gets on base." That line applies to no one more accurately than Taylor Lomack. 

Seven games into the 2024 season, Lomack has an on-base percentage of a staggering .625. He's batting 11-of-26 to start the season,  building on his already impressive .322 batting average for the Mustangs a season ago. 

He's also drawing walks at a remarkable rate with 13 in-season games. He walked 33 times in 2023. Meanwhile, once on base, Lomack is a terror with nine steals in 2024, an early pace that drawfs his standout 41 swipes in 2023. 

Join the Baseball Conversation on Social

• Follow us on Twitter @FloBaseball
• Follow us on Instagram @FloBaseball
• Follow us on TikTok @FloBaseball
• Watch us on YouTube
• Like us on Facebook