The baseball team’s season is officially underway, as they look to build off last year’s improbable Division III Central Coast Section (CCS) championship as the No. 6 seed. 

Thus far, they’ve rolled through their non-league schedule, racking up five wins in their first six games. They’ve been led by outstanding pitching performances in almost all of their games; outside of an outlier 14-2 blowout by Kennedy High School, they’ve given up just one run in five games. The team’s earned run average for the season sits at 2.05; in their five wins, it sits at a miniscule 0.03.

They opened their season with a victory over rival San Mateo High School by a score of 2-0 on Feb. 23. Their win was headlined by a dominant two-headed pitching performance from seniors Blake Dempsey and Ryan Kall. Dempsey, the starter, allowed just two hits and struck out five players over four innings of work. Kall notched three strikeouts and no walks while giving up just one hit in three innings of relief, all while throwing only 28 pitches.

Last year, the Panthers rallied to secure a Division III CCS championship, their first since 2010. Now faced with the expectations that come with the title of reigning champions, they’ll aim to continue their success for the rest of the season.

“Everyone’s gonna be trying to beat us [as reigning Division III CCS champions],” senior Charlie Dohemann said. “I think we’ll be ready for the competition.”

Looking ahead in their schedule, the 5-1 Panthers will face off against Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory on March 12, their last non-league matchup until their league-opener against Hillsdale High School on March 23. 

Correction: In a previously published March print issue, we incorrectly attributed a quote. We cited Blake Dempsey when it in actuality, it was senior Charlie Dohemann. It has since been updated and the online version remains correct.