Baseball
Norman High is coming off a 26-11 season a year ago in which they had contributions from everyone on the roster. The Tigers are now looking to continue that success and build more momentum into the 2025 season. Head coach Cody Merrell praised the attitude and competitiveness his team showed last year.
“We had a great group of guys who accepted their roles and came to the park every day willing to do what it took to win,” Merrell said.
The Tigers return a big chunk of their hitters, and it starts with junior outfielder Preston Baublit. Baublit batted .340 with 24 RBIs last year and is expected to bat at the top of the order for the Tigers.
“He’s a guy at the top of the order who can really run. He has a great combination of power and speed at the plate,” Merrell said.
Senior outfielder Christian Day will be another big piece for the Tigers. Day will be a threat on the base paths and can cover a lot of ground in the outfield.
The infield is led by junior Brody Hailey, who has played catcher throughout his high school career but will move to first base this season. He batted .337 with 31 RBIs last year. Junior Caleb Adams will anchor third base, while sophomore Cooper Cunningham will take over catching duties after gaining experience as a freshman.
Pitcher Ethan Vinson is a player to watch in the rotation. He posted a 2.9 ERA with 26 strikeouts last year.
“Offensively, we want to have a plan at the plate and have guys be able to execute when their number is called. From the pitching side, it’s all about pitching ahead in the count and being ahead of the game,” Merrell said.
Norman will face new district opponents on the east side of the district, featuring schools like Stillwater, Bixby and Union.
Boys Golf
The season goals are always high for head coach Gregg Grost and the Norman High boys golf team. The Tigers have had great success because of their talent and depth, and the goal once again is to make it to the 6A Championship at Forest Ridge. The strength of the Norman Tigers is the number of golfers competing for a starting role. It’s a group that features young talent and experienced golfers.
“With 12 sophomores and freshmen on the team, we are a young team with a hungry group behind the starters,” Grost said. “We have proven experience at the top of the lineup and five or six younger players who eat, sleep and drink playing competitive golf.”
Junior Benson Diehm started on the 2023 State Championship team and won his first event during the summer of 2024. Diehm finished in the top three two other times last season.
“He must take the next step as the top player on the team and challenge in each event,” Grost said. “His strength is his swing mechanics and work ethic.”
Sophomore Keagan Hager was a starter in every event during his freshman season and can drive the ball. He has great course management, according to Grost. Junior Grant Maher is a transfer from Tuttle High School. Maher stepped into an immediate starter role, but the key for Maher to contend early in the season is concentrating on his mental game.
The Tigers have a young freshman Maverick Beeson who has great size for a young golfer. He had impressive scores in his junior high career. The most important event for the Tigers is the 6A Regional Championship. Norman High was a runner up last year, so they are motivated to win it all.
Girls Golf
Norman High’s girls golf team is looking to make huge improvements under first year head coach C.W. Cook. The Tigers return all five golfers from last year’s state tournament team, which is a huge bonus to have when making a deep run.
With the new ruling of competing in tournaments during the fall, the Tigers have gotten plenty of reps before the 2025 spring season begins. Senior Logan Jakus is a strong golfer, who recently committed to play at Bethany College. Jakus is known as a big hitter off the tee box and does an excellent job of posting low scores for her team.
Senior Tatum Smith is expected to help out the team in a big way. Smith will be seeing more playing time in her last season at the high school level.
The glue of the team is junior Elise Bamborough. Bamborough is willing to do whatever it takes to help the team, and she is the best putter, according to Cook.
The Tigers will have some sophomores and freshmen that will also contribute throughout the season.
Cook has big goals for his team in his first year.
“We want to win the academic state championship,” he said. “Last year, the girls received an Academic Achievement Award for maintaining a cumulative GPA at or above a 3.25. We also want to qualify for the state tournament again, and finish in the Top 10.”
Important competitions for the Tigers include the Crosstown Clash and the COAC Tournament.
Slow-pitch Softball
Norman’s slow-pitch softball team endured a tough 2024 season, finishing 9-18. Now, the Tigers are eager to turn things around. Head coach Natasha Hillis is counting on two key returners.
Senior pitcher Ryleah Lane has played a lot of softball for the Norman Tigers. The senior has shown great accuracy on the mound and has been a key piece for the Tigers.
Senior outfielder Ally Jones will be another pivotal player for the Tigers. Jones has shown the ability to use her speed in the outfield and cover ground. The senior has been transformed into a solid leader for the team.
The Tigers will be focusing on more firepower in the offense, and more plays in the field.
“We will be looking to improve our offense. The defense was great last season, now we have to score more runs to help ourselves out,” Hillis said.
The goal is simple for the Norman Tigers – finish with a winning record and make some noise in the postseason.
The Tigers have circled the Crosstown Clash on the calendar on March 31.
Boys Soccer
Norman’s boys soccer team is looking to bounce back in a big way, after ending the 2024 season with a losing record. The Tigers finished 6-7, but out of those 13 games, seven of them were decided by one goal. Head coach Gordon Drummond believes the team has matured.
“Last season we relied on a lot of younger players. Those players are a year older, more experienced, and more talented. If one were to define this year’s team, I would say that they are a hungry bunch,” Drummond said.
The Tigers return a solid back line led by senior Adrian Cervantes, junior Henry Moen and sophomore Turner Satterfield. Senior Marcus Baucom anchors the midfield, while senior David Madrid leads a talented group of forwards.
“Obviously, we want to be on the right side of those one-goal games, and that comes with a team that has matured. It all begins with finishing well in the district, advancing to the playoffs, and we’ll see how far that takes us,” Drummond said.
The Tigers have a challenging schedule. They will open the season with Westmoore, Edmond North and Mustang before beginning district play. The Crosstown Clash will take place on April 15.
Girls Soccer
The Tigers’ girls soccer team finished last season with a 6-9 overall record and a 4-3 record in district play. They are determined to build on their performance and achieve even greater success under first-year head coach Kenady Sheldon.
The Tigers will be led by senior midfielder Jane Lockhart, senior defensive player Carys Lindsay and junior midfielder Avery Raney.
Sheldon believes her team can improve in certain areas on the field.
“On the field, we need to focus on better passing accuracy, quicker transitions and stronger finishing to create more opportunities in the attacking third,” Sheldon said.
Sheldon has been impressed with the team’s defense, making it difficult for opposing teams to break through and score. Teamwork and chemistry will be a strength on the field for the Tigers, with the experience they have returning.
The Tigers will have key matchups against Norman North and Yukon, who are arguably the best matchups in district play.
Boys Tennis
The Norman High Boys Tennis team is geared up for another season in 2025, as they look to compete at
a high level with key returners back from a year ago. Head Coach Marc Lugrand wants to see his team
translate the things they’ve done in practice to their matches.
“Our goal for this season is to consistently put into practice the new strategies and techniques we’ve been working on all year,” Lugrand said. “In addition to preparing for a more challenging schedule, our team is excited about hosting a few duals on our home courts this season.”
The Tigers return one of their doubles pairings. Senior Owen Willenborg looks to build off a strong junior season with his powerful groundstrokes and quick hands. His doubles partner will be junior Patrick Hopper. Hopper and Willenborg have shown great chemistry throughout practice.
The No. 1 singles player will be junior Keon Azadi. Azadi switched from basketball to tennis this year and has continued to get better on the court. He provides great work ethic, athleticism and a positive attitude to the boys team. Azadi will be looked at as a leader for the Tigers in the 2025 season.
Sophomore Milan Szendrei played doubles last season for the team but has emerged as a solid singles player. Szendrei has length and consistent groundstrokes that will make him a weapon for the varsity team.
“I have great appreciation for our team’s competitive spirit, high energy and commitment to improvement.
They truly make this job an adventure and keep me enthusiastic about our upcoming season together,”Lugrand said.
Girls Tennis
Information on the Norman High Girl’s Tennis team was not available at the time of publication.
Boys Track & Field
After a disappointing 2024 season in which only five athletes qualified for state—their lowest number in nearly a decade—head coach Scott Monnard is counting on a strong group of sophomores and juniors stepping into bigger roles.
Seniors Kamran Donald and Behr Boyd, both football players, will lead the team. Boyd posted a 10.86 time in the 100 m last year.
Monnard believes the team’s short-distance runners are strong but wants to see improvement elsewhere.
“We have had some exceptional relays over the last three or four years, but we need to get stronger in the distance events and the field events,” he said.
The team goals consist of making a splash at the State meet.
“We want to qualify all four relay teams, and we would like to get back to scoring at the State meet in numerous events,” Monnard said.
The Tigers are eager to see how their relay teams measure up throughout the season.
Girls Track & Field
The Tigers girls track team qualified 10 athletes at the State meet a year ago. They were also one of only a handful of class 6A schools that qualified all four of the relays at State. This season, head coach Scott Monnard wants more than just qualifications.
“We have done a great job of qualifying kids to the State meet, but we have just fallen short of scoring. Our hope is to get some of our relay teams to score, finishing in the top eight,” Monnard said.
The Tigers are loaded with juniors who will play a role. Nadie Adjei, Natalie Rentzel, Lillian Bundy, and Rachel Conner are all key returners for Norman High.
Senior Charlotte Gentry is the main piece returning for the senior class.
“We are a pretty well-balanced team. We are strong on the track, but we need to develop some quality depth in the field events,” Monnard said.
Monnard and the Tigers are ready to see how well their four relays match up with the best in 6A.– BSM
Connor Pasby
