Spring sports preview: Baseball, softball, golf and track set for busy season
Published 1:30 am Thursday, March 26, 2026
By Declan O’Malley
Sounder contributor
Baseball
The baseball team features a roster of 24 players this season, and coach Eli Sanders is embracing the group and what it brings to the field.
“Our strength will be our depth in pitching. Our weakness will be our squad’s youthfulness. But we all have a great attitude about the season and our team as a whole,” Sanders said.
According to Sanders, the league schedule will present several challenging matchups.
“MVC (Mount Vernon Christian) and FH (Friday Harbor) are going to be our toughest opponents. But you can never underestimate La Conner, Darrington and Concrete,” Sanders said.
The Vikings are off to a 1-1 start to the season and currently sit atop the 1B/2B Northwest standings. They opened with a 5-1 home win over Mariner on March 12 before falling 3-1 on the road to Crosspoint Christian.
Softball
This year’s softball program will feature a smaller and younger roster this season, according to head coach Lilly Rogers, but she believes the team’s biggest strength is already clear.
“Our biggest strength will be the heart of this team and their knowledge of the game. They are smart, fast and tough,” Rogers said.
Rogers said several players could stand out throughout the season.
“This team is very talented, so they will all be standouts. Lucia Rios at pitcher will be one to watch, as well as the entire sophomore class,” Rogers said.
The team will play a full schedule this year, with one matchup circled on the calendar.
“Our biggest games of the year will definitely be against Friday Harbor,” Rogers said.
They opened the season with back-to-back wins over La Conner, 6-0 and Concrete, 5-1, then split a high-scoring doubleheader with Darrington, earning a 17-7 win before falling 16-15. The Vikings have been productive at the plate, scoring 43 runs while allowing 24, and remain unbeaten on the road at 2-0 as they head into district play.
Golf
OIHS golf is ready to tee off this season with a strong turnout and a healthy roster.
“We have lots of returning and new players, 13 players in all,” said head coach Ryan Kennedy.
Kennedy said he is looking forward to the upcoming season. While some athletes are still new to the game, they are already making solid progress. He added that returning players continue to improve each season and have become increasingly mentally tough in their approach.
“Big competitions to look out for are the Friday Harbor Invitational at the end of April and the district tournament the first week of May. From there, we’ll keep putting one foot in front of the other and focus on the next step,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy said several returning players could make an impact in tournaments, including Josh Spinner, Joe Anderson, Tim Malo, Katie Spinogatti, Kenneth Farani, Levi Ashcraft and Hayes Richardson.
“We’ll be working on our technical skills but also our mental game as we head toward the moments in the season where that really starts to count,” Kennedy said.
Track and field
Viking track and field will feature 25 boys and 15 girls this season. Competition began March 18 at La Conner and culminates with the state track meet in Yakima at Eisenhower High School during Memorial Day weekend.
“Our top returning athletes include Chase Connell, who is a four-time district champion and placed third in the state track meet last spring,” said head coach Frank Rohm.
Rohm also highlighted several other returning standouts.
“Margo Winter-Lamphere placed seventh in the state meet in the 200-meter dash. Sofia Mahoney-Jauregui is a two-time state qualifier in the javelin who also placed in two prestigious track meets last season against 3A and 4A competition,” Rohm said.
Other top returners include Elijah Griffith, a state qualifier in the 800-meter run; Juelz Mahoney-Arias, district champion in the 110-meter hurdles; Drew Nunez, district champion in the 300-meter hurdles; and Lauro Quintero-Carrion, a sprinter and member of the 2024 state championship 4×100-meter relay team.
According to Rohm, several veterans are also poised for breakthrough seasons, including Joaquin Shanks Morales in the 400-meter dash, Gabe Chapman in the 800-meter run, Orlando Ljubic in the 300-meter hurdles, Tom Malo in the javelin, Angelo Vaccarella in the discus and Emma Lewis in the jumping events.
