Coming off of a strong year, falling just short in the CCS Open Division championship against St. Francis, Paly baseball is positioned to have yet another successful season.

With the team having lost 10 seniors just this past year, the start of this new season will be a learning curve, forcing younger guys to step up with a relatively small senior class. Pitcher Sam Papp (‘23), a UC Davis commit, will be sidelined this year with a UCL injury, a huge blow to the pitching staff. This injury opens up spots for younger players like Vinnie Braga (‘24), Nate Donaker (‘24), and Henry Harding (‘25), to cement their spots in the rotation. 

All around the diamond, the team is younger. However, juniors that got significant playing time as sophomores like Zach Thom (‘24) and Stanford commit Charlie Bates (‘24) are looking to build upon strong 2022 campaigns. 

“As a team, we are trying to win league,” Thom said. “Personally, I’m trying to do everything to help the team win.”

Although the team is young, expectations are still high for the program, and this season also serves as a big stepping stone for years to come. Such success will not come easily, as the Vikings square off with many strong opponents, such as a rematch vs St. Francis, Serra, Archbishop Mitty, and of course, Los Gatos. The team will also compete in multiple tournaments scattered throughout the year, beginning on March 1 against Monterey. Third-baseman/catcher Russ Filter (‘23) is looking forward to finishing his high school career off strong.

“Right now we’re focusing on winning league. Paly baseball has a big reputation so every game we play we have a target on our backs,” Filter said. “Our eyes are set on the league title first then we will go from there.”

Although Paly has a different look on the diamond this year, expectations remain high under manager Pete Fukuhara and the Vikings look to sustain success from previous years