Watkins Mill High School Spring Sports Preview Capsules

The spring sports season begins today for Watkins Mill High School, and there are high expectations for all of the school’s sports teams. Here’s what to watch for from the Wolverines this season:

BASEBALL

Coach: Stephen Switala

Last Year’s results: The Wolverines finished 2-15 in 2012, losing in the first round of the MPSSAA Regional Playoffs, 8-6, against Northwood High School.

Key returning players: Jon Suarez (junior, shortstop); Matt Finn (sophomore, third base); Jacob Richards (sophomore, pitcher); Francisco Lara (senior, catcher); Nick Peterson (senior, first base); Lost Brandon Roberts (senior, pitcher/second base) to dislocated knee last week.

Expectations for this season: “I expect us to be very competitive,” Switala said. “I don’t believe we’re going to have the caliber of talent to compete with Gaithersburg or Northwest or Damascus or anybody like that. But in our division with Rockville and Poolesville … we plan on being very competitive. It’s my first season here, and we’re intending to be in the running to win that division championship. The expectation, if nothing else, is to be a more well-rounded team."

MEN’S LACROSSE

Coach: Randy Thompson

Last Year’s results: The Wolverines were one game away from finishing above .500 for the second straight season, but a 7-6 loss to Richard Montgomery in the first round of the MPSSAA Regional Playoffs gave them a 6-7 record for the year.

Key returning players: Shane Soghomian (senior, attack); Eole Lake (senior, goalkeeper); Casper Sutton (senior, defense); Sergio Mosqueria (senior, defense). Overall, there are 12 seniors returning.

Expectations for this season: “We just to try and build on the improvements we’ve made over the last two years. The program was pretty dormant in the late 2000s there, winning just two, three, four games a year. Over the last two seasons, we’ve gone .500,” Thompson said. “We’re just trying to rebuild the program at Watkins Mill, and this senior class has kind of come all the way through a 2-12 season as freshman to being pretty competitive with everyone that they play throughout the season. Our expectations are to try to win every game."

SOFTBALL

Coach: Jody Tyler

Last Year’s results: After finishing their spring campaign 9-8, the Wolverines advanced to the quarterfinals of the MPSSAA Regional Playoffs where they lost to Damascus High School.

Key returning players: Kelly Lewis (senior, catcher); Jennifer Valdez (junior, pitcher); Jennifer Wright (senior, infielder).

Expectations for this season: “We graduated seven seniors, so we’re mobbing up girls that have experience playing with each other, but not at the varsity level. We expect to compete in 3A West, but we expect to be rebuilding.”