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MARIETTA — With a year under his belt as Marietta High School’s head baseball coach, Kail Hill is excited to hit the ground running in 2026.

“We definitely had a lot of growing pains early on last year,” Hill said. “Just us being unfamiliar with them and them being unfamiliar with us. We’ve adapted. I feel like players have bought into what we’re trying to do and I’m excited for the possibilities this year with the core guys coming back. They know us, we know them — now it’s time to just go play ball.”

Marietta returns nine players with significant varsity experience, which is cause for optimism.

“I’m excited with the growth we’ve seen already,” Hill said. “Having us as a new staff in our second year, they’ve bought in and I’ve seen a lot of growth early on.”

On the bump, the Tigers will try to fill the shoes of staff ace and left-handed workhorse Cooper Laumann. Laumann accounted for 46 innings pitched as a senior.

Jeremiah Loughry returns after pitching significant innings a year ago.

“He’s one of our top guys,” Hill said. “He’s just a really good strike-thrower. He eats a lot of innings for us. He pounds the zone and mixes in a breaking ball. He’s someone we want with the ball in their hand.”

Lefty Elijah McLeish pitched some as a freshman and will see a bigger workload in 2026.

Then there’s Adam Barnett, who Hill will be counting on to absorb a large number of innings.”

“I expect him to grow a lot for us,” Hill said. “He had a number of appearances for us last year. You can expect to see him two or three times a week — his arm can do it.”

Hill continued, “We have about eight pitchers we’re going to roll out there on a weekly basis. It’s going to be ‘Johnny Wholestaff’ a lot of days. I feel confident in our guys being able to play multiple positions, which we’ll need because numbers aren’t a luxury for us.”

Manning the backstop will be Will Tornes. Tornes, one of Marietta’s most experienced players, is also an exceptional outfielder, but “what he provides us behind the plate will really help the team,” Hill said.

Bryson Chidester is the backup catcher and will also play some third base and designated hitter.

Hill is hoping Zach Birge’s powerful golf swing will translate to a baseball bat.

“It’s his first year playing since he was like 12,” Hill laughed, “but he’s going to help us.”

Torin Baker, another lefty who see some innings on the mound, will be the primary first baseman. McLeish will also get time there.

Carter Hutchinson and Sam Anderson are among several candidates competing for playing time at second base.

Back at shortstop is Seth Goeller, who has started there since he was a freshman. Goeller is a difference-maker with the glove.

“The plays he ended up making toward the end of last year were next level,” Hill said. “We expect him to carry the load in there at shortstop.”

Malaki Booker provides depth in the infield.

In the outfield, Loughry will be the primary left fielder with Owen Warden playing there when Loughry pitches.

Owen Riley, playing baseball for the first time since his freshman year, will start in center. A combination of Warden, McLeish, Baker and Brodic Stewart will account for right field.

Hill believes the Tigers will be much improved defensively.

“That was a struggle for us last year,” he said. “That’s really going to be key for us. The strides we’ve seen guys take the past three or four weeks — they’ve really bought in to what we’re preaching.”

Lineup-wise, Goeller is the leadoff man. Tornes will be in the two-hole.

Hutchinson projects to bat third with Birge at cleanup, Baker fifth, Chidester sixth, Loughery seventh, Riley eighth and Warden ninth.

“I’m really excited to see what this group can do,” Hill said. “That tournament loss at home to Sheridan in the tournament last year — we let that one slip away. It left a bad taste in our mouth, and we’re ready to get after it.”

SOFTBALL

Coming off a winning season in 2025, the excitement continues to build for the Marietta softball team.

The Tigers graduated a pair of seniors in Hailey Miller and Julia Malone, but brings back an experienced group of returners in addition to a deep and talented freshman class.

“This group of kids are seasoned veterans,” said MHS head coach Jon Pollard. “When we started the first year we started four or five freshmen. Now those freshmen are juniors. We’ve been having open gym since October, a couple of days a week, and everybody is more bought into our system. They’re more committed than the last two years.

“We have a group of freshmen coming that were really varsity ready last year when they were in eighth grade.”

Two of those freshmen will get a chance to pitch at the varsity level this season. Pollard has high hopes for Emmy Ward and Abby Miller. Junior Chloe Harris also brings varsity experience to the pitcher’s circle.

“That’s a luxury we have this year,” Pollard said. “All three of those girls can be our starting pitcher. We’ll always go with the hot hand.”

Catching will be junior Kara Schaad, the Tigers’ Defensive Player of the Year last season. Schaad was second team all-league and honorable mention all-district.

Another key returner in the infield is junior Samantha Mayo. Mayo, a second team all-district pick last spring, has started at shortstop since her freshman season.

“She has a rocket for an arm,” Pollard said. “She’s one of the fastest kids we’ve got.”

With Keely Hanson dealing with an injury, Frontier transfer Kaydin Addlesburger will start at first base.

Ward will be the primary second baseman. Harris is the third baseman while Miller will rotate between second and third. The infield configuration will depend a lot on who is pitching on a given day.

“Our infield is solid,” Pollard said. “We’ve got a really good group of kids who can play multiple positions.

Sophie Morris is battling an injury but returns in center field. Claire Bills, who recently homered in a scrimmage, will start in left field.

Kyleigh Constable will see time in right field while Kaylie Barth can play right field and first base.

Marlee Delo and Grace Miller are both utility players who will provide depth.

Overall, the Tigers will carry 14 players on their varsity roster and have 20 total players in the program this spring.

“We didn’t have competition the last couple years,” Pollard said. “Now we do. There’s always somebody looking to take your spot, so you’ve got to be ready to compete.”

Pollard expects to lead off the batting order with Ward. Miller will hit in the three-hole, Harris is the cleanup batter and Mayo will either bat second or fifth.

Marietta stole bases at a high clip last season and looks to ramp it up even more in 2026.

“We have a lot of speed,” Pollard said. “More speed even than last year, and we stole a lot of bases. We’ve got six or seven of what I call ‘green-light girls,’ who have the green light to steal whenever they want.”

The Tigers finished 11-10 last spring.

“The girls had their first winning season in many, many years last year,” Pollard said. “We’re hoping to build on that momentum and carry it into this year. I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people. We have a tougher schedule than we have the last few years.

“The key is to stay confident. They have the talent and they have the drive. We see a big difference in this team than the past two seasons because they’re bought in and committed. They want to win. I’m excited for the season to start.”

TRACK

Marietta track will have two new head coaches this spring.

Lane Wilson takes over on the boys side while Kristen Sloter will lead the girls squad.

“Our team is pretty young,” Wilson said of the boys team. “We’re pretty excited for the season. I’m excited to see what everyone can do.”

Wilson, who is also on Marietta’s cross country coaching staff during the fall, is excited about the strong group of distance runners the Tigers have. Ian Putnam, Emmett Parman, Camden Space and Zeke Minard all will be looking to make some noise this spring.

“Ian is back after a really good run in cross country season,” Wilson said. “I’m excited to see how that translates into track. Emmett, Camden and Zeke all had good cross country seasons as well. I’m hoping to be strong in distance.”

Senior Reid Sloter gives MHS a talented, experienced athlete in the sprints. Sean Barnhart is another talented sprinter who will also help in the hurdles.

Brady Dickinson was Marietta’s top thrower last year and is back in the fold.

“We have about 30 boys out this year,” Wilson said. “We’ve got some soccer players out and some new faces this year which is exciting.”

The Tigers don’t have any pole vaulters on the boys side, and are still hoping to develop some high-jumpers and long-jumpers.

“We’re still looking to see who’s interested in jumps,” Wilson said. “With a lot of new people, we’re still figuring out what they want to do and what they like and don’t like. We’re using these last couple weeks to figure that out.”

The Tigers have four seniors, eight juniors, nine sophomores and 10 freshmen on their roster.

“With Marietta moving down to Division II for track, I think we should be able to look further into the postseason,” Wilson said. “Right now we’re just taking things day by day.”

On the girls side, Sloter takes over for the program she once competed for, and succeeds her former high school coach, Mollie Schramm.

“When the position came open, she let me know and was very supportive,” Sloter said. “She called me the day practices started to say she was thinking of me and was excited for me. It’s a very full-circle moment.”

The Tigers return regional qualifier Hailey Powell, a junior distance runner coming off a strong cross country season. Sloter has also been impressed with sophomore sprinter Maya Diki.

“She has just been showing continued growth in her sprinting skills,” Sloter said. “I’m looking forward to what she can do this year.”

Like the boys, Marietta’s girls roster features a little more than 30 names, “which is a huge increase,” Sloter said.

“It’s a young team. We’re very freshman and sophomore heavy. It will be a learning experience in terms of where to put people, making new relay teams, having good exchange zones, things like that. Our freshman class is very dedicated. They are there to learn and grow, and they’ve been really excited to learn new things and jump right in. It’s nice to have a young team that’s willing to take on new responsibilities.”

Senior Estella Styer will anchor the Tigers in the throws, while Kate Patterson and Mallory Westfall are promising hurdlers.

Junior Kipp McNeal “is a strong all-around athlete,” Sloter said. “She’s been training hard in the high jump and is a great support runner. She’s one of those good athletes I can throw into any event, any relay, which is a solid asset.”

Freshman Blaire Reed will help the Tigers in the sprints.

“She’s showing some real potential,” Sloter said. “She had a great freshman soccer season and a great basketball season this year, so just a strong all-around athlete.”

Abby O’Connor (jumps) and Sam Bruhni (throws) will help assist the Marietta coaching staff.

“We’ve struggled with relay meets the last couple years because of numbers,” Sloter said. “I’m hoping with our numbers we’ll have a little more depth. Hopefully we can do deeper in the postseason. Hopefully being in Division II will aid how far we can take some of our runners.

“We’re excited about the directions we’re trying to go. It’s kind of a growing year, not only for our athletes but as a coaching staff as well.”

TENNIS

After finishing with an even record and having several matches canceled due to weather last spring, Marietta tennis coach Chris Mayer sees brighter days ahead.

“We’ve got a solid group coming back,” said Mayer, whose squad finished 7-7 in 2025. “Five out of seven of our starting varsity players are back, and we’ve got some freshmen coming up that’ll be in the mix for some varsity spots. We should have a solid group.”

Three juniors are locked into singles roles — Adam Erdelyi, Zayne Tayloe and Will Haller.

“They’ve all been putting in a lot of work over the offseason,” Mayer said. “They give us a really strong top part of our lineup.”

The Tigers have about eight players competing for four doubles spots. The competition has been fierce.

“They see it in practice and they know where they’ve got to get to,” Mayer said. “They’re all working hard to try to get that spot. There’s a lot of friendly competition.

“This is a good group. They’re one of the best boys teams I’ve had in a while in terms of work in the offseason. They have all been putting in a lot of time. Any of them could play for us and we wouldn’t be losing much.”

Marietta competes in the brutal Division I district in Columbus. Last year, the Tigers had a pair of doubles teams come one match away from advancing out of districts.

“We’ve got a high ceiling,” Mayer said. “There’s a tough schedule in front of us. You don’t get better by playing a weak schedule. There’s definitely a lot of potential for a really good season.

“The key is going to be depth. How strong do our doubles turn out? There’s a lot of potential but also a lot of inexperience. Tennis a lot of times comes down to depth at every spot. Some inexperience early in the season may show, but I’m really looking forward to the season. Two weeks into practice, it’s been a great group to work with. There’s a lot of energy and a lot of good practices. I think it’s going to be a great season.”