MOSES LAKE - Coach Jason Laugen, now in his 6th season at the helm of the Ephrata varsity baseball program has high hopes for the Tigers this year.

Ephrata, 8-10 in league play and 9-11 overall in 2011, made it to the district playoff's but lost its first game and was bounced out of the tournament.

"We lost two seniors to graduation, Dusty Baughman (3B) and utility player Marco Salas, and a couple of other players to other sports," he said. "We should be competitive this season, but it's hard to say how we will compare to the rest of the teams in the league."

The strength of this years squad Laugen said, is pitching and defense, along with good senior leaders and dedicated younger players.

"We will be depending on all of our seniors to provide leadership and to execute in big situations," he said. "We have Bryce Beavers and Josh Snider who played for the River Dogs last summer, and  Grant Kallstrom is another senior who will be a motivational leader for the team."

Some of the teams Laugen said he expects to contend for the top spots in the league include Selah, East Valley, Ellensburg and Othello.  

"Those teams have traditionally strong programs," he said. "But we can play with them."

The Tigers take the field Saturday when they host Cascade High School from Leavenworth at 11 a.m.