By Declan O’Malley

Sounder contributor

Baseball

A year after a deep playoff run, Viking baseball is ready to hit the diamond with a roster of 19 players, including several eighth-graders.

The season began in March, and Head Coach Eli Sanders is already looking forward to some tough competition.

“Mount Vernon Christian and Coupeville are always tough, and this year is no different,” he said. “Also, with losing six starting seniors, we are a new, faced team that needs to prove ourselves.”

Sanders went on to discuss his team’s goals for the season.

“After being League Champs and District Champs last year, the bar is very high. But with such a young team, I’m more interested in the players striving to play their best every game, challenge themselves to get better every week, and become a cohesive unit,” he said.

In some ways, this team is similar to Sanders’ senior year team. They had two seniors and called themselves the Bad News Bears. Despite the challenges, they played hard, supported each other and ultimately placed third in the state. They believe this team has the same potential.

“We can expect to see a team that gets rapidly better throughout the season and a squad that will surprise you every week. We are still talking about high school ball, so as the saying goes, ‘On any given Sunday,’ anything could happen,” Sanders said.

Softball

This season, Viking Softball will feature 20 student-athletes, including nine freshmen. The team has been gearing up for the marathon that is the softball season, which started in March and will feature 20 games.

Fourth-year Head Coach Lilly Rodgers is eagerly awaiting some of the match-ups.

“Coupeville is always a really tough opponent — especially their offensive game. Friday Harbor will be tough this year, but I have a good feeling we can beat them this season,” she said.

Rodgers went on to discuss the goals for the team.

“My main goal for the team this year is to work hard and have fun together. Softball is a sport with lots of moving parts, so communication and teamwork are so important. I look forward to watching the senior class lead this group with that goal in mind,” she said.

Of the returners, the softball program is excited to see Morgan Anderson get her bat going — she has a strong chance of hitting multiple home runs this year.

Rhya Segault is a fantastic leader who outworks everyone at practice, and having her as a senior this year is very exciting. Lucy Rios will be returning as a pitcher for her third season and has been putting in a lot of hard work in the offseason, which should lead to a very successful year on the mound. Viking Softball is excited to see all the returners and is also looking forward to the large freshman class showing what they can do.

Track

Orcas High School track is off and running, aiming to build on the success of last season, which marked the first time since the 1960s and 1970s that Orcas Island High School had a track and field team.

Last year proved to be outstanding for the sport. At the state meet, the Vikings took home the state title in the discus, with Bethany Carter claiming the championship. They also won the 4×100 relay, with Romero Lago, Ethan Moss, Lauro Quintero-Carrion and Andrew Garcia leading the way.

Track season at OIHS also kicked off in March, and their season includes: NW 1B/2B at La Conner on Wednesday, March 19, followed by NW 1B/2B at MVC (MVHS) on Wed, March 26. On Friday, April 4, the Trojan Twilight event will take place, and on Saturday, April 12, the Birger Solberg Invitational hosted by Sehome will be held.

The NW 1B/2B will compete at Coupeville on Wednesdsay, April 16, and the 35th Eason Invitational is scheduled for Saturday, April 26.

The intra-squad meet will be held on Wednesday, April 30. On Wednesday, May 7, the NW 1B/2B League Championship will take place at La Conner, followed by the NW 1B/2B District 1 Championship at Coupeville on Saturday, May 17.

Finally, the WIAA 1B/2B/1A State Championship Meet will be held from Thursday, May 29 to Saturday, May 31.

Golf

The golf team is already hard at work and swinging for success, hoping to exceed last year’s historic season. In 2024, the Orcas Island golf team sent four boys — Josh Spinner, TJ Liblik, Joe Anderson and Sam Sutton — to the state tournament, while the girls team was also well represented with Lili Malo, Celia Groeninger and Alina Daoust competing in the postseason.

The boys team claimed the state championship, with Anderson leading the way. Over two rounds, Anderson shot scores of 75 and 73, earning a combined total of 148. Spinner placed sixth at state, Sutton finished 25th and Malo earned 10th place in the girls’ competition.

This year, golf has 16 student-athletes with 11 boys and five girls. Their first match is next week at Grace Academy, and home matches include next Thursday at 1 p.m. versus Cedar Park & Evangel; Thursday, April 3 versus Lopez; and Thursday, April 8 versus Mount Vernon Christian.

“[Our] goals are as always to grow in the game and to be examples of sportsmanship and positive attitudes. I do think we have a strong team for both ladies and boys put together and that hopefully will take the kids as far as they want to go,” said Head Coach Ryan Kennedy.

Cienna Richardson photo. The Orcas golf team. Back row: Head Coach Ryan Kennedy, Hans Sprenger, Liam Taylor, Jazlynn Lideros Beach, Kenneth Farani, Hayes Richardson, Lili Malo, Tim Malo, Otto Sprenger, Levi Ashcraft, Assistant Coach Chris Sutton. Front row: Jacob Wright, Vera Sasan, Atticus Vaughn, Chloe Anderson-Cleveland, Katie Spinogatti, Joshua Spinner.

Cienna Richardson photo. The Orcas golf team. Back row: Head Coach Ryan Kennedy, Hans Sprenger, Liam Taylor, Jazlynn Lideros Beach, Kenneth Farani, Hayes Richardson, Lili Malo, Tim Malo, Otto Sprenger, Levi Ashcraft, Assistant Coach Chris Sutton. Front row: Jacob Wright, Vera Sasan, Atticus Vaughn, Chloe Anderson-Cleveland, Katie Spinogatti, Joshua Spinner.

Cienna Richardson photo. The Orcas baseball team. Back row: Head Coach Eli Sanders, Hayden Buehler, Mathew Vasquez, Jaxon Paulson, Joe Stephans, Kristian Freeman, Calvin Saxe, Jackson Nash, Isaiah Kimple, Jack Carson, Assistand Coach Zack Eberle, Assistant Coach Marcus Yamane. Front row: Andre Kasperski, Jason Rodriguez, Santiago Hernandez Sanchez, Culain Silver, Ryder Luft, Diego Puente, Eliot Paulson, Edwin Santiago Carreon.