Santa Monica’s diamond exploits will continue into the second week of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Southern Section playoff action, powered by dominant pitching by the Vikings’ Jackson Klein and an offensive barrage by the Lady Vikings softball squad.
The Vikings capped off the first baseball CIF-SS playoff victory since 2015 with Klein’s third no-hitter of the season, putting the senior standout in top national company. According to high school statistical database MaxPreps, only six other pitchers in the country have had three no-hitters, with Klein joining Delta Charter’s Evan Hollis as the only California hurlers on the list. Klein also picked up his ninth win of 2024, putting him tied for 10th overall amongst California pitchers, per MaxPreps.
In seven innings of action, Klein no-hit Nogales as part of a 5-0 Vikings win, throwing 91 pitches and striking out eight opposing batters. The opening round matchup had a senior flavor to it, as seniors Bobby Munoz and Sage Douglass also batted in three runs between them. Junior Isaac Liberman and Brady Satinover accounted for the other two runs batted in, securing a second-round appearance for the Vikings.
The Lady Vikings faced off against a dynamic Santa Paula offense in its first playoff bout in two years, but the squad was the one who put on an offensive show, winning a 16-0 shutout. The 16-run effort was the third time in 2024 the team scored in double digits, and the scoring output tied a 16-3 win on April 17 against Peninsula for its highest of the year.
"We took a lot of batting practice thinking really about hitting line drives and ground balls, just getting the ball in play ... we’ve had some games where we really hit a lot of fly balls, those are just quick outs," Lady Vikings head coach Jenny Forster said. "So we were working on putting the ball on the ground ... and they really executed on that. We managed to not just score on singles and doubles, but also on errors from the other team [by] just putting the ball in play hard."
Forster added that this season’s "full team effort" has led to some of the best team chemistry she’s seen in her time at Samohi, and the coach has been particularly proud of juniors Drew Vudmaska and Talia Yermian as a dynamic pitcher-catcher combination. Vudmaska has been the Lady Vikings starter in every 2024 contest, holding a 1.78 earned run average in 24 appearances, giving the coach less to think about while planning out games.
"She’s got the best attitude, the best work ethic, it’s really nice to just know she’s going out there and she’s gonna make it happen ... she’s risen to the occasion, even more than we thought she would" Forster said of Vudmaska.
Clicking at the right time, the Lady Vikings now face off in the second round of the CIF-SS Division IV bracket against La Quinta, beginning at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday. La Quinta enters the matchup after dispatching Hemet 4-0 in the first round, and are led offensively by Lauren Mauer, who has a .478 average with 43 runs scored, 36 runs batted in, six triples, nine home runs and 13 stolen bases this season.
The Vikings will be in the second round at the same exact time, facing off with Ganesha in the Division V bracket. The Giants went an impressive 15-0 in the Miramonte League and have put up some eye-popping scoring efforts, including a 31-0 win over La Puente on April 17 and a 29-2 victory over Bassett on March 1. The Giants offense is anchored by sophomore first baseman Victor Garcia, who paces the squad in hits (24) and runs batted in (28).
Outside of the diamond, the Vikings boys lacrosse unit defended home field in its opening round CIF-SS Division II playoff win, defeating Tesoro at Historic Belmar Park 7-5. The Vikings would go on to drop the second round contest against Bay League rival Mira Costa, losing 12-3 to finish the 2024 season 12-7 overall.
On the track, the boys and girls of Samohi took on the best at the CIF-SS Division I Prelims at Trabuco Hills on May 4, with the Lady Vikings in particular showing out in several performances. Senior Reign Snowden finished fourth amongst all competitors in the varsity shot put, while junior Phoebe Benun and senior Zinnia Weybright finished in the top 10 in the 1,600-meter race and the high jump, respectively.
Santa Monica Baseball
Friday, May 3: Vikings vs Nogales, CIF Southern Section Baseball Championships Division V, Vikings win 5-0
Batting/Baserunning: Sage Douglass (Senior): 0-3, RBI, BB. Bobby Munoz (Senior): 1-3, 2B, R, 2 RBI. Spencer Levin (Senior): 2-2, R, BB, SB. Blue Hunter (Junior): 1-4, K, FC, SB. Isaac Liberman (Junior): 2-4, 2B, RBI, K. Jackson Myrow (Junior): 1-2, 2 BB. Theo Smith (Senior): 2-4, R. Brady Satinover (Junior): 0-4, R, RBI, K, FC. Manny Lares (Junior): 0-3, R
Pitching: Jackson Klein (Senior): 7.0 IP, W, 8 K, 0.00 ERA
Vikings Record: 18-7 (6-4 Bay League) Next Game: Tuesday vs Ganesha, CIF Southern Section Baseball Championships Division V, 3:15pm.
Santa Monica Softball
Thursday, May 2: Lady Vikings vs Santa Paula, CIF Southern Section Softball Championships Division IV, Lady Vikings win 16-0
Lady Vikings Record: 16-11-1 (6-5 Bay League) Next Game: Tuesday vs La Quinta, CIF Southern Section Softball Championships Division IV, 3:15pm.
Santa Monica Boys Lacrosse
Wednesday, May 1: Vikings vs Tesoro, CIF Southern Section Boys Lacrosse Championships Division II, Vikings win 7-5
Friday, May 3: Vikings vs Mira Costa, CIF Southern Section Boys Lacrosse Championships Division II, Mira Costa win 12-3
Vikings Final 2024 Record: 12-7 (6-0 Ocean League)
Santa Monica Boys and Girls Track and Field
Saturday, May 4: CIF Southern Section Division 1 Prelims at Trabuco Hills
Men’s 100 Meter Varsity Prelims: 18- Giovanni Crabtree-Ireland (Junior), 11.01 seconds
Men’s 400 Meter Varsity Prelims: 19- Spencer Hotch (Senior), 50.26 seconds
Men’s Shot Put Varsity Prelims: 38- Alberto Villasenor (Senior), 41-3
Men’s Discus Varsity Prelims: 43- Alberto Villasenor (Senior), 120-7
Women’s 800 Meter Varsity Prelims: 15- Cleo Topp (Junior), 2:19.96
Women’s 1,600 Meter Varsity Prelims: 9- Phoebe Benun (Junior), 5:01.09
Women’s 3,200 Meter Varsity Prelims: 14- Phoebe Benun (Junior), 10:47.02
Women’s Shot Put Varsity Prelims: 4- Reign Snowden (Senior), 39-0.5
Women’s Discus Varsity Prelims: 36- Reign Snowden (Senior), 93-9
Women’s High Jump Varsity Prelims: 10- Zinnia Weybright (Senior), 5-0
Women’s Triple Jump Varsity Prelims: 20- Zinnia Weybright (Senior), 34-4
Saint Monica boys track and field
Saturday, May 4: CIF Southern Section Division 4 Prelims at Carpinteria
Men’s 100 Meter Varsity Prelims: 9- Joshua Barnes (Senior), 11.19 seconds
