As snow slowly abandons the cold Chicago air, spring sports are underway at Francis W. Parker School. “Creating the group dynamics, the team chemistry starts in those first two weeks and will continue to happen,” Francis W. Parker School Athletic Director Bobby Starks said. “Those first two weeks are very important especially with a lot of the new coaches this year. Teams have to form and get used to each other. But additionally, it serves as an evaluation period for the JV and Varsity levels.”

“Baseball practice has been spectacular this year,” sophomore and baseball team outfielder Adam Munger said. “The senior captains of boys baseball have been doing a great job keeping the teams on par. The turnout has been great. And there is a lot of positivity from the seniors. They have pointing us in the right direction for the future generations of Parker baseball. The team ‘chem’ is off the charts.”

“I love the coaching staff,” Munger said. “They are really knowledgeable of the game but also they have good relationships with the players. I think the team is going to be successful this year. We definitely have some talent on Varsity.” The Colonels had their first game in early March and the players were looking forward to the season.

Not only is the baseball team looking forward to their season, but the girls’ soccer team is looking forward to theirs as well. “I think our team is looking really good so far,” junior and soccer captain Senna Gardner said. “In the beginning of the season, there was a lot of ambiguity with coaching staff because we had two new coaches coming in and we didn’t know what to expect. Although the change was hectic at first, our team really worked together to make sure it didn’t affect us.”

“We really want to replicate that successful team dynamic,” Gardner said. The girls had their first game on March 11 and lost to Northside College Prep.

This year, the boys’ tennis team includes staff additions in Brandon Smith and Daniel Mcdermott. “They offer a new perspective in the game we didn’t have before,” junior and tennis team member Michael Pitts said. “Coach Danny is really good at creating those important player-coach relationships.” The boys’ tennis team lost their first match against St. Ignatius and Pitts noted that there was some adversity in that game because many players weren’t there.

“The team lacks the senior talent similar to the last two years but we are building up the next stars of Parker tennis,” said Pitts. “We really click with each other and everyone is having a good time in tennis. It’s a great environment… In doubles, chemistry with your partner is everything so it’s important we sustain that throughout the season.”

Members of the co-ed track and field team hope to get more recognition this year with recent qualification for state. “The track team doesn’t get a lot of spotlight and when we do, it’s because of a Parker alumni now who runs track at Notre Dame,” sophomore and track and field athlete Ada Collins said. “That’s why we post on social media, to gain awareness.”  

So far, the track and field team is the only Parker athletics team who has qualified for state for this spring. During their indoor state meet at Illinois Wesleyan University, seniors Simran Jain and Bella Evan-Cook, sophomore Ada Collins, and freshman Sofia Brown finished tenth in the “4×800 meter relay” with a twelfth second improvement from their previous group time. Additionally, junior Ryan Humphrey ran in the 800 meter race and placed eighth.

“Our season is going really well so far, we are moving to the outdoor season and have several meets scheduled for April,” Collins said. “In past years the track team has been smaller, but we’ve gained several new freshmen as well as some upperclassmen which has been great. The environment on the track team is pretty positive between members even though we technically compete against each other.”

The girls’ softball team is undefeated so far with a three wins-zero losses record. “So far softball is off to a great season,” junior and softball captain Estelle Heltzer said. “We have a lot of different levels of experience with freshmen through seniors. The team is fun and we get along well. As a captain, I love having a leadership role because I have the opportunity to encourage team bonding, it’s super fun and I love the bond we have with each other when we play.”