The annual Mark Dickens Baseball Tournament took place over spring break; the tournament is in honor of the late longtime OHS coach.
Host Oakdale swept their way to the championship of the event, defeating Los Banos and Central Valley before upending Hughson in the title game. The varsity Mustangs outscored their opponents 31-8 during the three-game stretch.
In the tournament opener, Oakdale took on Los Banos and blanked the Tigers 11-0. The Mustangs scored eight first inning runs to begin the tournament. Eric Velazquez blasted a home run and drove in three runs to help power Oakdale. Griffin Costa, Ayden Ardis and Velazquez each had two hits in the win. The Mustangs used speed on the bags as they stole a total of five bases; Velazquez led the team with a pair of steals. Ardis pitched all four innings of the game, giving up just three hits while striking out three.
Game two took place on April 23 when the varsity squad took on Central Valley. With a 2-0 lead heading into the third inning, Oakdale scored five more runs in the frame to get some breathing room. Central Valley did chip away at the lead as they scored five runs in the seventh inning. Landon Schutte hit a two-run home run in the win. Bas Stice drove in a pair of runs and Ardis also brought in a pair in the 7-5 decision. Schutte pitched four scoreless innings and Niki Jones pitched three innings.
The finale of the tournament was held on April 24 where Oakdale took on Hughson. Oakdale trailed for the first time in the tournament as Hughson scored one run in the top of the first inning. Their lead went quickly as Oakdale countered with eight runs in the bottom of the first. Oakdale cruised to a 13-3 win to earn the championship honors. Jones, Costa, Peyton Wallace, Schutte and Velazquez each had a pair of RBI. Jordan Haver pitched four innings with two earned runs, and six strikeouts. Peyton Wallace pitched one inning, striking out two.
BOYS TENNIS
The tennis playoffs have arrived. Over the spring break, the Oakdale High School boys competed in the 2025 Valley Oak League tennis tournaments. The action took place in Patterson for both the singles and doubles tournaments.
In the singles tournament, Matthew Yakligian placed fourth overall. He was selected to receive All-League Honors. Yakligian defeated Chris De Santos of East Union 8-0. He followed up with an 8-2 victory over Thomas Dunn of Central Catholic. Round three, Yakligian defeated Ashton Hillard of Sierra 9-8 (7-3) to advance to the semifinals. In the semis, Yakligian lost to Eidan Mercado of Mountain House 6-0, 6-2.
“Playing multiple matches a day is both exhausting and exhilarating,” said Yakligian. “Our team played really well and I am so proud of Oakdale’s success.”
In doubles, Oakdale’s Jaxton Marler and Camden Knight made it to the finals. They defeated Declan Edwards and Landon Butler of Sierra 8-5. The duo followed up with a win over Mountain House’s Kenny Nguyen and Sehej Ahuja 8-4. In the semifinals they defeated Patterson’s Carlos Romero and Francisco Hernandez 6-1. In the finals they lost to Mountain House’s Aprameya Rao and Sri Kotaprolu 6-0.
Also participating in the doubles tournament were Levi Hensley and Matthew Yakligian. They defeated Vincent Almeida and Steve Sarmiento of Manteca 9-8 (7-3). In the second round they knocked off Oliver Naven and Aston Hillard of Sierra 8-3. Round three saw them defeat Andy Su and Krissten Anto of Mountain House 8-3. Their journey ended in the semifinals against Aprameya Rao and Sri Kotaprolu of Mountain House 6-3.
Thursday, May 1 Oakdale hosts River Valley of Yuba City in playoff action. The match is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m.
TRACK AND FIELD
On Friday, April 25 several members of the Oakdale High School track and field team headed to nearby Riverbank High School. Both boys and girls took part in the annual German Fernandez Distance Carnival hosted at RHS. The following are athletes who placed in the top three of their respective events.
BOYS
800 Meters - Jacob Cavanaugh (2:06.88; third place)
1600 Meters - Weston McGhee (4:37.12; third place)
3200 Meters - Ace Arrighi (11:22.44; third place)
GIRLS
800 Meters- Jordan Wylie (2:33.99; second place)
3200 Meters- Taylor Reams (12:24.55; third place)
Coming up next for the team, on Thursday, May 8 Oakdale will compete in the Valley Oak League Finals.
