Defending champ Spartans ready for everyone’s best shot this season

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, March 25, 2026

The Bainbridge Spartans baseball team is coming off winning the school’s first-ever state baseball championship last season in head coach Thomas Henshaw’s first year at the helm.

The Spartans captured the championship in dramatic fashion, throwing a combined no-hitter in a 3-0 win over Anacortes.

So far this season, Bainbridge is off to a 3-0 start as of March 25.

“We still feel kind of rusty, that’s because we’re inside or guys have been sick,” Henshaw said. “I’m not concerned about it; it hasn’t had an impact yet.”

Nonetheless, the Spartans have only had one or two players miss practice, per Henshaw, allowing them to adequately prepare for the schedule ahead of them. In non-conference games, the Spartans are set to play the Peninsula Seahawks, who are currently undefeated at 5-0, March 28, and the currently winless Meadowdale Mavericks April 3 at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.

With the recent state championship win, every team will be looking to give the Spartans their best shot, something the team is embracing.

“I mean, like coming off last year, we really have to have that ‘murder mindset,’ almost,” Spartan pitcher Braden French said. “Last year, I’d say we stuck to that…and this year, I think, we just feel the same way.”

A couple of players from last year’s team have graduated, such as Christian Benze and Duncan Bos. The 2025-26 Spartans boast 11 seniors on the team this year, providing leadership and guidance for newcomers. The Spartans also brought Kyle Rohl, a BHS graduate, onto their coaching staff this year.

Henshaw notes that Kingston, North Kitsap, and Olympic all have new pitchers this year, serving as higher levels of competition for the Spartans to face and endure. Bainbridge is looking to keep pushing forward in spite of the heightened competition in the OL, not glorifying in the recent success they have had.

“It’s easy to get complacent in the victory and the success that we had last year,” Henshaw said. “We can’t take what we have for granted. We got to keep on fighting, push ourselves to try and compete stronger than last year because the competition is getting stronger.”