With the calendar turning to March, spring sports season at Niles North has begun, which includes baseball season. This year, the baseball team has a chance to flip the script of being an afterthought program in Skokie.

Historically, baseball at North has not been the greatest. The Vikings have not had a winning season since 2015, with their best season over the past decade being a  15-17 campaign in 2017. But North would show some hope just last season, going 14-17, placing third in the CSL North, and started to create a new narrative about the program.

“In years past, the Niles North Baseball team has struggled against tougher opponents, according to members of the squad. But [the 2024 season] is quite the opposite; the team is getting into close game situations with some of the best teams in the state…Although their record may not show it, the Vikings baseball team have been performing at a very high level for their entire season so far,” former NSN Sports Editor Quinn Graham wrote about last year’s baseball season.

Despite the team losing many of the seniors who helped bring success to the team last year, confidence is still at an all-time high as the underclassmen are stepping up and embracing the next-man-up mentality.

“We did lose a few seniors [from last season], but we have filled those spots with new players and underclassmen that are really performing up to the standard. I am truly confident that we are going to either match that or beat that or beat that record [from last season]. And the rest of the guys think that too…it’s really nice to see,” senior pitcher Jacob Titsworth said.

Viking Opening Day is set for this Monday, 3/17, at 4:30 PM, where North will take on the Saint Patrick Shamrocks in a Saint Patrick’s Day showdown. A great matchup and an opportunity to set the tone for the season.