WHS in pursuit of SSL championships

As the Wasco High School Spring sports season comes to an end, the teams have shown successful performances in baseball, softball, swim, track, boys golf and boys tennis. With a blend of determination, skill and unwavering team spirit, several stand a chance to take home the coveted South Sequoia League Championship title.

In an interview, Ddirector of Athletics and Activities Joshua Huddleston shared an update on the spring sports program. He said baseball is in first place in the South Sequoia League (tied with Taft) and will try to hold onto it on Thursday when they play against Taft High School.

The tennis team hosted the SSL championship on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"Boys tennis is doing very well, and we expect them to have a few league championships and qualify for the area tournament. And boys tennis is undefeated in SSL play."

He said about the boys' golf team, "We have a very young team this year made up of freshmen and sophomores, and they are showing significant improvement every week."

About track he added, "Track has two SSL meets remaining. The first one was on Wednesday the 17th, and the championship is at the end of the month on the 30th. We expect to bring home several medals at the championship."

For swimming, the SSL championship is also near the end of April.

"We are defending the girls league championship and competing for the boys' championship this year as well. We expect to qualify swimmers for the section championship."

When asked how the season has progressed compared to previous years, Huddleston said, "It's been a lot like previous years. We've had some issues with the weather, of course, but our teams are hitting their stride at the right time as we near the end of league competition."

He said there are some standout players. "For example, in softball, there is Cedes Saldana; she's a junior and a pitcher. She has a 0.54 ERA, has thrown 177 strikeouts and has shut out her opponents 12 times. She's one of the big ones."

"In baseball, senior Santonio Juarez has a .509 batting average and 19 stolen bases. These are a couple of our exceptional players."

Huddleston thanks the community for their support this season. "We've had excellent attendance at games and tournaments."

He added that the athletes balance their academic responsibilities with their commitments to their sports. "Participation in spring sports requires two periods of eligibility. One is based on first semester grades and the other on the third quarter grades, so our spring athletes work hard to

maintain eligibility through excellence in the classroom."

There are goals he would like to achieve by the end of the season. "The first goal is always to win SSL championships, and I believe that at least five of our teams have a good chance of doing so."