Baseball and golf.

For Northampton’s Gavin Pychinka, it has been a winning combination.

Growing up, Pychinka loved playing baseball, and the recent Northampton senior had plenty of early success.

Pychinka’s trek continued through middle school, and he made a splash with the varsity team, hitting .392 as a sophomore with 20 hits and five doubles as a catcher. This past season, Pychinka hit. 348 in the three-hole with three homers and he had 39 RBIs over the past two seasons.

“Gavin has been a consistent hitter,” said Northampton head baseball coach Mick Sugra. “He has been a big part of our lineup.”

When he was 12, however, Pychinka decided to pick up a golf club and parlay the sport with his baseball career.

It didn’t take long before Pychinka enjoyed the same success on the greens as the diamonds.

Recently, Pychinka captured the District 11 Class 3A individual title with a 2-under-par 70 at Bethlehem’s Steel Club to become the Konkrete Kids’ first individual champion since Carter Test achieved the mark in 2014. The Kids’ team finished second to Southern Lehigh by one stroke.

Pychinka birdied four of his last five holes to claim the crown. His combination of baseball and golf has benefitted him.

“I knew I had to finish strong if I wanted to qualify for states,” said Pychinka. “I was shooting well coming into the 14th hole. I knew I had to birdie them. It was great to birdie 17 and 18.

“This was definitely my most memorable round. I think the baseball season gives me a good time to reset and take time off. Playing golf everyday can get you worn out and not playing your best.”

Northampton head coach Brian Davies wasn’t surprised about Pychinka’s accomplishments.

“Gavin is a phenomenal player who has been a fantastic golfer since his freshman year,” he stressed. “He’s always been calm, cool and collected on the course. Even though he had a couple of bogeys on the back nine, he played with poise and had a fantastic string of birdies on his last several holes

“This team has had a fantastic run since 2021. They have a league championship, tournament championships, and two district runners-up to show for it. We will miss Gavin, Kohler Strohl and Jayden Bleiler.”

Pychinka credited parents Mike and Kelly for their constant support.

“I think my parents have always been my biggest influence,” beamed Pychinka. “They have given me all the support I need to do great things out on the course.

“My dad got me into golfing, and it was just relaxing to go out when I was younger. I ended up falling in love with the game.”