Thirty-four wins. Ten losses.

That’s how much success Northside’s baseball and softball teams had this season. The Panthers started the regular season with six-straight wins against some challenging foes. They won a pair of one-run games against 2-A teams in Ayden-Grifton and local rival Washington. They went on to finish second in the 1-A Coastal Plains Conference, host a first-round game, and knock off Pender on the road before running into Rosewood.

Brock Marsh, James Barrow, Grant Talbot and Ethan Cosentino won’t be easy to replace. However, a nine-man group of rising seniors will bring talent and leadership in droves. Two key pitchers in Zach Woolard and Zack Griffin — both of whom dazzled in the postseason — will lead a staff that also includes classmates Parker Boyd, Tanner Alligood and others.

They’ll all have Matthew Marslender back behind the plate. Having a jumpstart on the pitcher-catcher chemistry is always valuable.

Boyd, Bishop and Alligood led regular starters in batting average. Younger players, like Braedon Burbage, showed promise that they’ll slot right into openings with no problem next season.

Northside’s softball team pieced together an impressive season, too, despite being in a bit of a rebuilding phase. The Lady Panthers lost key players and their coach. So, when Gil Robbins took over as skipper, he intended on taking more of a methodical approach on offense and defense. Small ball and speed would help move runners around the bases. Pitching and smart, fundamental defense stymied the opposition.

Like their male counterparts, the Lady Panthers finished second in their league. They routed Rosewood at home in the first round of the playoffs before falling short, 2-0, against defending 1-A champion Princeton.

Northside only graduates two players from that squad, but both are important. Pitcher Rachel Lang and catcher Tiffany Oliver quarterbacked a defense that allowed only 55 runs over 19 games. Lang also led all players with a .483 batting average.

Again, like their baseball-playing classmates, the Lady Panthers have nine rising seniors. The combination of Rebekah Evans and Madison Braddy will hopefully fill the void left on the mound. They will be reassured in having seven experienced starters back, though.

Offensively, nearly every player that was integral to what Robbins was trying to accomplish will be back. Savannah Slade ranked second on the team with a .462 batting average. Whitney Cromwell and Brooklyn Hudnell also hit above a .400 clip, and three others were north of .300.

There’s a lot of time between now and when the first pitch of the next season will be delivered. Nevertheless, there’s a lot to be excited about. Both of Northside’s teams delivered impressive campaigns in what some expected to be a bit of a transitional year.

It’s impossible to tell how these players and their chemistry with one another will continue to develop over the coming months — and even when the season gets underway next spring — but there are surely reasons to look forward to 2018.