North Salem baseball reboots
Facing a player shortage, the Vikings go with an all-JV squad in 2023
At the conclusion of last year’s 2022 prep baseball season, North Salem High School had a problem. The team was short of players and all 22 students who turned out were placed on the varsity squad for North’s final year at the 5A level. The Viks finished the season with a record of 5-20.
The problem changed for the current 2023 prep baseball season. 19 players showed up this year—with no seniors at all, and only one experienced junior out of five total on the roster. So North Salem has rebooted the program—fielding a JV-only team this year.
This year, a group of four freshmen, ten sophomores and five juniors have banded together to play a JV schedule.
Steve Reed is the new coach at North. He operates the Cascade Valley Baseball Club, which gives graduated seniors a chance to play and display their skills for colleges. Reed was also the head baseball coach at Salem Academy, guiding the Crusader program for a dozen years before moving on to his club operation in 2018. Additionally, he played baseball at Corban University, and serves on the mid Valley board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, operated by former Oregon State baseball coach Pat Bailey—a supporter of North Salem baseball.
Reed welcomes the challenge of restoring the North Salem baseball program to the elite levels enjoyed under longtime coach Chris Lee.
Reed says North’s baseball program has struggled for a few unique reasons. First, the decline in program participation over the last decade was likely magnified by the arrival of Covid-19 pandemic.
“North’s program was already in a transitional place and struggling to keep participation high when the shutdown occurred,” admits Reed.
“It’s been a rough road to recovery since.”
This year, a group of four freshmen, ten sophomores and five juniors have banded together to play a JV schedule.
Reed says the hope is that North will build enough experience this season, and add more players next spring to return to varsity baseball play in 2024. The coach admits that a commitment to growing player numbers will be the key to success, and he and his staff will cultivate their relationships with Parrish Little League and the Cal Ripken youth baseball program to bolster enthusiasm for America’s past time and encourage more freshmen to come out next season at North.
“Developing of athletes is the key to every program,” says Reed, “and hopefully I am creating an opportunity for the athletes of North to be developed where they are at right now.”The networking with youth baseball programs and the expanding the athletic experience at North should—according to Reed—strengthen both the Viking baseball program as a whole and the players individually.
Last year, McKay High School’s baseball team also could not field a varsity squad, and seniors were sent to North to compete during the spring. The Scots have returned to varsity play this year in the 5A Mid-Willamette Conference.
Here is hoping Coach Reed and his team make the same successful transition at North High.