These days, it’s no wonder Spalding athletic director Jon Mellinger starts a conversation with the following words: “I got to tell you, it’s a great time to be a Cavalier!”

A look at this week’s Baltimore Sun high school Top 15 polls helps explain why: The Spalding boys lacrosse team is ranked No. 1, while girls lacrosse, baseball and softball are all No. 2.

The playoffs have arrived, and there’s a buzz around the Spalding hallways. All the Cavaliers have plans to bring home conference championships.

Girls lacrosse coach Tara Shea, a 2007 graduate, has seen plenty of school pride in her years as a student and coach, but nothing compares with the current vibe.

“As an alum, this is a little extra special for me,” she said. “Just walking around here with every team really, really strong and watching the community of coaches, players and teams supporting each other, this spring is unlike anything I’ve seen.”First up is girls lacrosse, which takes on Maryvale Prep today for the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference championship, set for 7 p.m. at USA Lacrosse Complex in Sparks.

The softball team, chasing its 14th IAAM A title and fifth in the past six years, defeated McDonogh, 3-0, in a conference semifinal on Thursday and advanced to the championship game at Bachman Sports Complex.

Boys lacrosse, which earned the top seed in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference, will try to bring home the program’s first crown starting with Tuesday’s semifinal against today’s quarterfinal winner between Boys’ Latin and Loyola Blakefield.

And the baseball team, which has won three straight conference crowns, will try to make it four in a row starting in Monday’s semifinal series opener at Calvert Hall.

Ella Doerschner, a three-year starter on defense for girls lacrosse, hopes her team can get the championship roll started today. A win would produce the program’s first title.

“Everybody at the school is so supportive toward one another, and I think being around so many people that want to succeed in every sport, I just know for me, it makes me so driven to well. It just inspires me,” she said.

Mellinger is quick to credit the coaching staffs that have created winning cultures.

In addition to Shea, lacrosse coach Evan Hockel and softball coach Delaney Bell graduated from Spalding, both in 2008. Baseball coach Joe Palumbo, a DeMatha grad, has been a fixture at Spalding since 2012 when he took over for his father, Jeff.

“I think the coaches are really close with one another and Jon has done a great job of bringing us all together,” said Hockel, now in his second season after serving as JV coach for two years. “With boys and girls lacrosse, it’ll be like, ‘Hey, we got a big game, can you guys pop over?’ At the end of the day, the most important thing is the members of the two teams really enjoy doing it. That sense of camaraderie is probably what’s most important.”

Hockel’s lacrosse team is Spalding’s biggest spring surprise, largely because the ultra-competitive MIAA A Conference is considered the best in the country.

After a quality playoff run last season, the Cavaliers (17-1) appear poised to take the next step, having closed out the regular season with nine straight conference wins.

With a deep senior class led by Robby Hooper, Joey Matassa, Greyson Dunn and Jacob Neuman leading the way, the Cavaliers are ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Lacrosse, Inside Lacrosse and Preps Lacrosse.

“We addressed it and, first, we told all the boys we’re really proud of them — every single member of the team plays a part in it. That was the biggest message we wanted to get across,” Hockel said. “And we also have a mindset that it’s really just a number and we want to feel like we have something to prove every time out there. I constantly remind them I want hungry dogs.”

Two senior baseball standouts — pitcher Nathan Wines and catcher Jack McNally — have a unique chance to make program history should they reach the championship finish line. Both made varsity as freshmen and would be four-time conference champions.

“Some of our seniors are a little banged up right now, so we need some younger guys to step up,” Wines said. “But I think if we play Spalding baseball, we have a good chance to win another one.”

With the MIAA baseball championship series the last to be played among the spring sports, the Cavaliers have always produced big crowds the past three years at nearby Joe Cannon Stadium.

Wines hopes for the same later this month.

“It’s very cool because we all want to see all our teams do well and we all support each other,” he said.

Opening the 2024-25 school year, the football and girls soccer teams set a positive tone with championship seasons. In the winter, the wrestling team took home the MIAA tournament championship. And, now, the spring sports teams — the rugby team also is taking aim at a second straight championship — is looking to close out the school year with a collective bang.

Girls lacrosse senior Maeve Cavanaugh, a four-year star who is set to play at Notre Dame, was sidelined for the season with a knee injury in early April. Despite the devastating loss, the Cavaliers have impressively marched on.

In reaching today’s title game, they claimed tightly contested one-goal wins against St. Mary’s in the quarterfinals and defending champion St. Paul’s in Tuesday’s semifinal.

Now supporting the team on the sidelines, Cavanaugh has found a new appreciation for her four years at Spalding.

“It’s so surreal and amazing to be able to put on a Spalding uniform. I just feel so lucky to have had the experience and opportunities Spalding has given me. To be on the varsity program with such amazing coaches and supporters. And to have so many different and successful teammates that push each other every day, it helps you get better every single day.”

Have a news tip? Contact Glenn Graham at ggraham@baltsun.com, 410-332-6636 and x.com/GlennGrahamSun.