The Oak Harbor High School baseball team hopes to start this regular season the way it finished in 2015.

The Wildcats won seven of their final eight regular season games, and with the surge tied Marysville-Pilchuck for the Wesco North pennant with an 11-4 record (14-8 overall).

With a handful of talent returning from last year’s club, landing on top of the division is a realistic goal.

Back are nine lettermen,  most of which were at least part time starters in 2015. Heading the list are first-team, All-North seniors Tyler Snavely (pitcher/outfield), Kevyn Johnson (pitcher/second base) and Robert Herring (outfield).

Rounding out the returning lettermen are seniors Avery Aguirre (pitcher/infield) and Preston Rankin (infield); and juniors Dylan Bailey (outfield), Trent Benson (pitcher/infield) and Steven Richards (first base).

In addition to its experience, the team’s strengths, according to assistant coach J.R. Calderwood, are speed and unity.

Coach Tyson VanDam likes his pitching staff, which is seven deep and returns most of those who ate up last spring’s inning.

Snavely led the staff with a 6-3 record and 2.16 ERA in 58 innings.

Benson was 2-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 22 innings, and Aguirre was also 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 19 innings.

On offense, Herring hit .404 with seven extra-base hits; Snavely hit .370 with eight doubles and 17 RBI; and Johnson hit .329 with a team high 14 stolen bases, 15 walks and 22 runs.

Oak Harbor will host Coupeville and South Whidbey in an island jamboree at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 12.

The first game is 4:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, against Mount Vernon at Sherman Anderson Field.