With the softball season just getting underway, the team is excited to find out what is in store for them this 2025 season. With much success last year, the Wildcats are hoping to carry that same energy into this year as well. 

With 5 graduating seniors last year including, Maddie Holly, Talia Valdez, Grace Wilson, Calli Weaving, and Mary Matthews, the team will be facing a shift and is looking to fill those spots. 

Many new upperclassmen and outstanding underclassmen are ready to fill in those positions. Underclassmen such as Addi Smith, Mia Rucker, Shae Seber, and Morgan Christiansen are taking on a bigger role, starting on the field as sophomores. 

Upperclassmen such as Kylie Weisgerber, Mandy Russell, Bailee Van Meter, and Emmalyn Turco are also taking on certain fielding positions to help carry success for the team, and fill in the proper positions. The shift that the Wildcats are dealing with is helping the team to adapt and take on roles some players may be new to. 

The team also has a unique aspect, only having one senior this year. Sadie Hibbard has served her time on the varsity team and is looking forward to one last season at Wilsonville High School. Hibbard is starting in the outfield as she is playing right field, while also being an aggressive hitter in the batting line-up. 

With a shift in the team, there also comes a shift with the coaching staff. The team has added two new coaches, Emily Harms and Arabella Valdez. Both coaches are excited to have joined the team, and are working well with the players to step up their game.

Valdez mentioned, “I’m most excited about showing and teaching the girls all the things that I wish I would have learned at a younger age.” 

Both Harms and Valdez have served their time playing on the softball field, and they are excited to take their knowledge and apply it to the High School level.

The team has their eyes set on the bigger picture, and are using the pre-season games as preparation for their regular season. The Wildcats have taken the league title the past four years; and they are looking to take it for the fifth year.

Second baseman, Kylie Weisgerber mentions, “We are feeling ready, and we’re working really hard everyday to try and be league champions for the fifth year in a row.”

During practice, the Wildcats are working on perfecting the little fundamentals so they can be most accurate during games. This consists of simple ball handling drills, hitting drills, and fundamentals around the base paths. All of these help the Wildcats’ success during games, and will add up to the bigger picture in the end.

New assistant coach, Arabella Valdez, has done a great job of implementing new techniques and fundamentals to help with the Wildcats’ success during games. With her time served playing at Western Oregon University, she is bringing the information she learned to her role on the coaching staff.

Valdez says, “I’m super excited for this role. I’m a super competitive person, so being in a place where I can coach the sport I used to love is great.”

Her love and compassion for the game is inspiring to the players, as she brings a new competitiveness and mindset to the team. Her positive energy and belief she has in all of the players is reassuring, and she has been a great addition to the team. 

The Wildcats started their season on March 17th, 2025, winning both of their games during their jamboree against Silverton and Grant. The cats later in the week grabbed the wins during their games against Eagle Point, and later Corvallis.

During Spring Break, the Wildcats played in a local Mountainside Tournament facing elite 5A and 6A teams such as Tigard, Mountainside, West Linn, and Tualatin. The team played aggressively going into an international tiebreaker during their game versus Mountainside. The tournament helped the team to grow and ultimately helped them to improve. 

The Wildcats have come back out after Spring break, facing Sherwood early on in the week. They will then travel to Caldera at the end of the week to face a good, competitive team, that will guide them into their weekend. 

The team is ready for all that is to come for them this season, and they are prepared to take on the close scoring games, the challenge within, and bettering themselves each and every day.