Oregon Ducks football signee Mark Wiepert enjoying his final baseball season for Wilsonville

In the fall, the quarterback was named the 5A offensive player of the year and the Gatorade state player of the year

Wilsonville senior catcher Mark Wiepert makes a pickoff throw to first base during the Wildcats’ 15-1 win over Centennial. / Dan Brood

WILSONVILLE — It was the bottom of the third inning in Friday’s Northwest Oregon Conference baseball game between Wilsonville and Centennial, and the sun was shining brightly on the turf field at Wilsonville High School.

Wildcats senior Mark Wiepert was leading off the frame for the home squad. Wilsonville was holding a 12-1 lead over the Eagles, so any drama had already left the contest — but someone forgot to tell Wiepert.

The competitive two-sport standout stepped to the plate and ripped a line drive to center. It certainly wasn’t a towering hit off Wiepert’s bat, but the ball did have enough loft to sail over the head of the Centennial center fielder. From there, the ball bounded toward the deep, deep center field fence at Wilsonville High School.

Wiepert was off and running.

As Wiepert was heading toward third base, the excitement picked up. Wildcats players in the dugout crowded up right next to the fence. Then, everyone saw what they wanted to see — Wilsonville head coach Jason Rasco, who was coaching third base, waving his arm around in windmill fashion.

Wiepert rounded third and headed home for an inside-the-park home run. He took a deep breath as he hit home plate and then he smiled. He jumped and accepted the congratulations from his teammates before heading to the dugout.

Wilsonville senior Mark Wiepert crosses home plate to complete an inside-the-park home run in the Wildcats’ 15-1 win over Centennial on Friday. / Dan Brood

“Oh, that was fun,” Wiepert said with a smile after the game. “My approach was just going up the middle. I was able to elevate it a little bit. Off the bat, I thought I might have a chance at it. As soon as I saw him waving me around third, I thought, ‘Here we go.’”

It was a special moment.

And this baseball season, Wiepert seems to really be enjoying every special moment he can, because this might, or maybe not, be his final scholastic baseball season.

That might sound surprising, considering Wiepert was a first-team Class 5A all-state catcher as a junior, and he previously made an oral commitment to play college baseball for traditional national power Oregon State University.

But something else got in the way — football.

“He’s a beast on the baseball diamond, but he’s an even better player on the football field,” Wilsonville senior outfielder Drew Hall said.

That very well might be true, as Wiepert had a simply astonishing senior football campaign, helping lead the Wildcats to the Class 5A state championship.

Wiepert, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound quarterback, completed 232 of 386 passes for 3,811 yards and 51 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He ran for 704 yards and 12 touchdowns on 127 carries.

Wiepert capped his high school football career with an amazing performance in the Class 5A state championship game, a 56-35 win over Mountain View.

In the victory, he ran for 169 yards and five touchdowns on 18 carries, and he completed 17 of 26 passes for 271 yards and three touchdowns.

Wiepert was named the Class 5A offensive player of the year and the 2024 Gatorade player of the year for Oregon.

In December, Wiepert signed a national letter of intent to play college football for the University of Oregon.

“It’s been kind of a wild ride, but it’s settled. I’m going to play football there (at the University of Oregon) and potentially baseball. We’ll see how that goes,” Wiepert said. “Right now, I’m not planning on playing (baseball) my freshman year, but that could always change. And the baseball coaches at Oregon have totally invited me.”

Before putting on the football gear in Eugene, Wiepert is looking to make the most of his senior baseball season at Wilsonville.

“This is kind of the first time I’ve been playing baseball where I don’t really have a future planned with it. And that’s kind of taken a lot of pressure off,” Wiepert said. “But ultimately, I don’t feel pressure playing sports. It’s always just been a joy for me.”

There’s plenty for Wiepert and the Wildcats to be happy about this spring, as they’ve gotten off to an 18-0 start.

Wilsonville senior Mark Wiepert is batting .622 this season, helping the Wildcats put together an 18-0 record. / Dan Brood

Wiepert has done his part in Wilsonville’s undefeated streak. Through those 18 victories, Wiepert is batting .623 with 33 hits in 53 at-bats. He has eight doubles, three triples, two home runs, 18 stolen bases, a team-high 38 RBIs and 24 runs.

But the statistics tell only part of the story.

“He’s a big part of our team. He’s always motivating us and gets us going,” Wilsonville senior pitcher/first baseman Wade Hagey said. “Drew, Connor (Johnston), Mark, all of them get us going, and then we get fired up.”

“Mark’s a great teammate, a great player,” Hall said. “You can see it in the stats. You can see it watching him play. He’s a great player and does his job. He’s also a nice guy and he’s always there to pick you up.”

Wilsonville senior Mark Wiepert (1) celebrates with his teammates, including Connor Johnston (7) and Grady Wiese (23), after his inside-the-park home run. / Dan Brood

That nice guy is loving every minute of his final season with the Wildcats.

“I’m absolutely having a great time this season,” Wiepert said. “It’s a great group of guys.”

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