Around the end of last school year in 2023, the Oakmont Vikings varsity baseball team made school-sports history as they beat Woodland High School in a battle for the 2023 Sac-Joaquin Section championship title.
After a shutout win of 10-0, the Vikings brought home their well deserved division IV section title.
In order to fully encapsulate this accomplishment, on Sept. 29, before varsity football’s game, the OHS baseball team was congratulated with a ring ceremony.
Head Coach Paul Martinez explains not only the significance of the given rings, but of the accomplishment itself.
“We won only 5 section titles in school history and it’s really hard to do… so we celebrate it with a ring ceremony,” Martinez said. “Every guy on the team will get a championship ring… [with] their name on it, their position, our record, and kind of like a little side history.”
Martinez prides his boys on their cohesion and tight friendships on and off the pitch last season, which to him served as factors to their victory.
In attendance of this special event were the players’ families, friends, and some of the school’s athletic hall of fame inductees.
Junior Trevor Wilson, a sophomore last season, explains that while the team didn’t start “hot,” their growth together throughout the season showed all the way to the ending championship.
That itself is his favorite memory of the 2022-2023 baseball season.
“My favorite memory was making it all the way to the farthest point Oakmont has ever been in the NorCal championship, and just having bonds with all the boys out there,” Wilson said.
Aside from the boys, several of Oakmont’s athletic hall of fame inductees were present at the game. Their presence showcased a piece of past athletic history at Oakmont.
Former teacher, coach, and athletic director at Oakmont for 32 years, Dean Perkins was a past baseball coach for the Vikings who has led a couple of section championship victories.
Being an admirable coach and figure for young athletes, Perkins advises baseball players today to dig deeper in their craft, despite circumstances that can stand in the way.
“Keep working hard because even if you’re not always successful in baseball, you’re not going to be on base every time,” Perkins said. “You’re not always going to get the praise you want or be with people you want… so you learn that’s the way life is.”
Overall, the ring ceremony was both deserved and special for the Oakmont’s baseball team. It was the perfect end to their season.
We hope that this upcoming season they can reign victorious once again.
