Wildcats eyeing postseason success near spring season midpoint

 

The spring season is shifting into full gear for Weston High School sports programs. As the school year wanes, anticipation of playoffs and state competitions is building for Wildcat teams.

During the spring season, students are offered baseball, softball, lacrosse, tennis, crew and track and field.

In this second story of a two-part series, the boys tennis, girls lacrosse, track and field and baseball teams discuss their ongoing seasons.

Boys Tennis

After coming up short in the Division 3 state finals a year ago, the top goal for the Weston High School boys tennis team in 2026 is to exorcise those demons and lift the state championship trophy.

“We’re going to get it back,” said Head Coach George Conlin.

The team started its 2026 season hot, winning four straight matches before falling 3-2 to Needham High School. The Wildcats stand at 4-1 heading into upcoming matches against Westford Academy and Bedford High School.

Conlin said a big focus for the team this year is improving their performance in doubles matches.

High school tennis matches consist of three singles matches and two doubles matches. A season ago, singles were the strong suit of the team.

“Most practices involve a lot of doubles strategy,” said Conlin. “Our singles were strong last year and will continue to be strong.”

A trio of seniors will start in the singles positions for Weston as they strive for a championship.

Leading the way in the first singles position for the Wildcats is Peter Chen, who was named the Dual County League Player of the Year a season ago.

Slotting behind Chen in the second and third singles positions are Winston Starrett and Jacob Wu.

Girls Lacrosse

After a very successful spring 2025 season, Weston High School girls lacrosse coach Wink Van Ogtrop said the 2026 season is sort of a rebuilding year due to a large group of new players.

Despite a lack of experience, Van Ogtrop said the new players have grown accustomed to the game rather quickly due to their athleticism.

With 5 wins and 6 losses, the team looks to continue to build skills in the second half of the season and eventually qualify for the Division 3 playoffs.

“Our intensity has gotten better and better,” said Van Ogtrop. “Some of the new players came to the sport with apprehension. They now are realizing how fun it is to play the game.”

Spring sports often have conflicts with exams and social events, like prom and senior trips, Van Ogtrop said.

“The trick to having a successful second half of the season is to keep athletes focused on our mission,” said Van Ogtrop. “The sky is the limit. The team has really come together.”

Track and Field

Like girls lacrosse, Weston High School Track and Field Head Coach John Monz described the 2026 season as a building block for the future.

One reason is that the Wildcats feature a young roster which includes talented sophomores and freshmen.

Monz said this season feels different from a year ago because last year’s team was led and driven by a group of seniors who have now departed.

“We have a pretty young and inexperienced team,” said Monz. “We have potential, but the question is can we get there. We need to continue to develop the younger athletes.”

Early-season practices and training have focused on fundamentals to help ease the effects of an inexperienced roster, said Monz.

By the end of the season, Monz believes the team should be very competitive.

“We’re building something special,” said Monz. “It’s gone fairly well so far.”

Baseball

The Weston High School baseball team is coming off a strong 2025 season where the team finished with a record of 15 wins and 5 losses.

The offseason didn’t slow the momentum as the Wildcats have won 5 of their first 7 games of 2026. Three of those five wins have been by at least 10 runs.

“Our biggest strength is experience,” said Head Coach Mike Shilalie. “Many of our players have been on varsity since their freshman or sophomore years, and that shows in their composure and understanding of the game.”

One member of a “strong” group of seniors is Aidan Murphy, a pitcher and shortstop who took home DCL’s most valuable player honors a season ago.

Murphy is aided by classmates Andrew Pettinato, Massimo and Matteo Buchbinder, Matteo Harris, Ryan Hinckley, Ryuji Nawa, and Thomas Keller.

“To be successful, we need to continue playing fundamentally sound baseball, throw strikes, play solid defense and compete every day with a team-first mindset,” said Shilalie.

After reaching the third round of the playoffs last season before losing to the eventual state champions, Shilalie and the team look to build off their strong start.

“Our goal is to continue building on last year’s success and put ourselves in a position to compete deep into the postseason,” said Shilalie. “More importantly, we want to maximize this group’s potential, play for each other, and represent our program the right way every time we take the field.”