Palo Alto Vikings

It all comes down to pitching, says catcher Carter Bader. More specifically, pitchers throwing strikes, which wasn't the case in the early going last season for the Vikings.

"We walked a lot of guys," said Bader, who will attend Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington in the fall. "Our pitching got off to a rock start, and it was slow to like develop throughout the year. This year, if we focus on throwing strikes and not walking so much, we'll be in good shape."

That means Ian Johnson, a senior that coach Pete Fukuhara says has the skillset to pitch big-time college baseball, has to find the strike zone more consistently. Johnson, who will be the Vikings' top starter, walked 20 batters in 26.1 innings of work last year, but has worked hard in the fall, Bader said.

Offensively, Palo Alto graduated plenty of talent, but the return Bader, who, in an area filled with top-notch catchers, ranks right up there near the top, makes the Vikings dangerous.

Bader is coming off a strong junior season that saw him hit .409 with 38 hits and a team-leading 31 RBI. He also scored 19 runs and a .974 fielding percentage.

Junior centerfielder Justin Fung made the jump to varsity as a sophomore and collected 19 hits, while driving in 12 runs. He'll look to improve on a .260 batting average.

Senior third baseman Greg Lee hit .263 with 15 hits last year.

2026 Schedule

Feb. 24 Sacred Heart Cathedral, 3:30 p.m.

March 2 vs. Carlmont at Hazlett tournament, Washington Park, Santa Clara, TBA

March 4 Hazlett tournament, Washington Park, Santa Clara, TBA

March 7 Hazlett tournament, Washington Park, Santa Clara, TBA

March 10 St. Ignatius Prep, 3:30 p.m.

March 11 at Homestead, 4 p.m.

March 13 Homestead, 4 p.m.

March 21 at Menlo-Atherton, noon

March 25 at Los Gatos, 4 p.m.

March 27 Los Gatos, 4 p.m.

April 1 Santa Clara, 4 p.m.

Apri 3 at Santa Clara, 4 p.m.

April 8 Wilcox, 4 p.m.

April 10 at Wilcox, 4 p.m.

April 11 at Leigh, noon

April 15 at Los Altos, 4 p.m.

April 17 Los Altos, 4 p.m.

April 22 Mountain View, 4 p.m.

April 24 at Mountain View, 4 p.m.

April 25 at Burlingame, noon

April 29 at Homestead, 4 p.m.

May 1 at Los Altos, 4 p.m.

May 2 at Sacred Heart Prep, noon

May 6 Wilcox, 4 p.m.

May 8 Santa Clara, 4 p.m.

May 12 Mountain View, 4 p.m.

May 13 at Los Gatos, 4 p.m.