The Hastings Raiders boys tennis season was not measured only by the final line on the schedule. It was measured by how often the Raiders kept showing up against difficult opponents, how often the singles lineup pushed matches deep, and how much the doubles teams improved over the course of a spring that rarely gave them an easy week.
Hastings went through the 2026 season with the kind of schedule that can sharpen a team quickly. The Raiders saw strong Metro East Conference opponents, faced deeper nonconference teams, and still found enough positive results to show that the program continued to move in the right direction. There were wins that showed what the team could become, losses that showed where the next step needs to come, and individual matches that gave the Raiders something to build on long after the final section match was played.
The clearest early example came during a busy April stretch, when Hastings earned a 6-1 victory over Tartan. That match gave the Raiders one of their best full-team efforts of the season. The win was not carried by one spot in the lineup. It came from a balanced day, with Hastings taking three singles matches and all three doubles matches. That kind of result matters in tennis because it shows depth. A team can steal a dual with two dominant singles players and one strong doubles team, but to win six of seven flights, the entire lineup has to contribute.
Micah Slapnicher gave Hastings one of the highlights of that Tartan match at No. 1 singles. He battled through three sets against Dylan Conn and won 6-4, 4-6, 10-8. The final score showed the value of staying steady when the match got tight. Slapnicher had to win the first set, respond after dropping the second, and then handle the pressure of a shortened deciding set. For a No. 1 singles player, those are the moments that set a tone for the rest of the roster.
The Raiders also leaned on players such as Gus Whitehill Conover, Benji Price, Malachi Beal, Jens Kaufman, Aidan Suarez Garcia and Tyler Pond during the season. The lineup shifted at times, as high school tennis lineups often do, but the same theme stayed in place. Hastings was at its best when the back half of the singles lineup and the doubles teams created pressure together. Those points may not always draw the same attention as No. 1 singles, but they decide duals.
The season also included plenty of difficult lessons. Hastings dropped conference matches to St. Thomas Academy and Two Rivers during one stretch, and those matches showed the gap between a developing team and teams that can stack quality players at every flight. Against St. Thomas Academy, the Raiders had to deal with a lineup that attacked early and rarely let matches get comfortable. Against Two Rivers, Hastings again faced pressure across the board. Those duals did not give the Raiders the team result they wanted, but they did force players to defend longer rallies, clean up service games, and handle stronger net play in doubles.
The Raiders also ran into strong competition against Mahtomedi and Woodbury. Mahtomedi beat Hastings 5-2, but the Raiders earned wins from Slapnicher at No. 1 singles and Price at No. 4 singles. That result was important because it showed Hastings could still claim high-value matches even when the overall dual went the other direction. Slapnicher’s victory over Reese Nelson came in three sets, 7-5, 4-6, 10-6, another example of his ability to finish a match after a difficult middle stretch. Price’s win at No. 4 singles gave Hastings another point and showed the importance of the lower singles spots.
Against Rosemount, Hastings fell 5-2, but Slapnicher again gave the Raiders a win at No. 1 singles, defeating Abram Dean 6-2, 6-4. Beal also won at No. 3 singles, defeating Jacob Brinkmeier 6-3, 6-3. That match was another example of the Raiders finding individual wins against good teams. The dual did not go their way, but those individual results mattered for confidence and for seeding conversations later in the season.
The schedule also included tournament-style competition that pushed players through different types of matchups. In one multi-team stretch, Price earned a No. 3 singles win over Max Johnson of St. Paul Central, 7-6 (4), 1-6, 10-7. Kaufman added a No. 4 singles win over Henry Wengeleski of Cretin-Derham Hall, 6-0, 6-1. Suarez Garcia and Pond also picked up a doubles win against St. Paul Central. Those results may get lost in a crowded tournament box score, but they were valuable because they showed that Hastings could win matches outside the familiar conference rhythm.
Late in the regular season, the Raiders closed with a strong win, and the singles lineup dominated throughout the afternoon. Slapnicher started the run at No. 1 singles with a 6-0, 6-0 victory. A result like that is not only about the score. It shows focus, control and the ability to avoid giving an opponent a way back into the match. The rest of the singles group followed that lead, giving Hastings a clean finish before the postseason.
The section tournament brought the season to a close after individual play. Slapnicher and Aidan Suarez Garcia were among the Raiders who competed in individual sections, and Hastings had all of its players eliminated before the state tournament. That ending was disappointing, but it did not erase the steps the Raiders made during the season. Individual sections can be harsh. One bad matchup, one slow start, or one tight tiebreak can end a season quickly. For Hastings, it was a reminder that the next step is not only winning more regular-season duals, but also learning how to peak when the margin is smallest.
The season’s biggest strength was the number of players who became more comfortable in competitive matches. Slapnicher gave Hastings a dependable No. 1 presence. Price, Beal, Kaufman, Whitehill Conover, Suarez Garcia, Pond and others helped give the Raiders a lineup that could collect points from different spots. The doubles teams grew during the year, which is especially important because doubles often depends more on timing, communication and trust than raw stroke production.
For the program, the 2026 season should be viewed as a foundation season. Hastings had strong individual efforts, a convincing conference win over Tartan, competitive moments against stronger teams, and enough returning experience to keep the arrow pointed up. The next step will be turning competitive losses into swing matches, and swing matches into team wins. That means holding serve more consistently, taking advantage of second serves, finishing at the net, and making opponents earn every point.
The Raiders did not end the year with a deep postseason run, but they ended it with a clearer picture of what improvement looks like. In a sport where player development often takes years, that matters. Hastings showed growth, got meaningful varsity experience for several players, and closed the season knowing that the gap between close losses and stronger results is reachable. For a young team facing a demanding schedule, that is a season worth building from.