MOSES LAKE — Having fallen one game shy of qualifying for state in 2022, the Moses Lake fastpitch team returns to the field with the goal of making it back to the state tournament in Richland.

“Falling short just by one game of making it to state fuels us a little bit more this year, just to take that extra step that we didn’t last year,” senior Ali Stanley said. “We don’t want to have that feeling again, we want to push through.”

The Mavs finished 2022 with a 17-5-1 record but fell to Eastmont in the district title game. With another shot at state on the line, West Valley (Yakima) defeated Moses Lake 9-7.

“Disappointing to not make it to state last year,” Head Coach Mike Hofheins said. “We thought we had the team that could go to state and make something happen, and we picked a bad day to have a bad day. We were probably down and didn’t respond after the previous loss in the district championship game. (The players) have been talking about it probably since we cleaned up the field after that game. It’s been on their mind.”

Much of the same roster returns to the field in 2022 for Moses Lake, which only had one senior on last year’s fastpitch softball squad.

“We lost one starter off of last year’s team, so on paper, we’ve got the team that should get back there – but like we found out last year, we don’t play games on paper,” Hofheins said.

Returning starters combined with a strong freshman class make this year’s team a talented one, according to Hofheins.

“Any coach that only has to replace one starter is probably going to love that,” Hofheins said. “We’ve got a ton of talent back, a bunch of freshmen that are really good and going to contribute. We have a lot of talent, and the girls are used to playing together. They’re a tight group, they get along off the field really well. It’s a fun group to coach.”

Having experience with one another can only help the play on the field, giving players insight on each other’s tendencies when it comes to game day.

“We’re just so connected,” senior Jazlynn Torres said. “Most of us have played together for so long and we’re basically like family now. It’s great to know these girls have your back no matter what.”

Many of the players also competed during the slowpitch softball season back in the fall, giving the Mavericks two and a half months of playing experience already. That, combined with years of playing travel and high school ball together, feeds more into the player’s experience with one another. Only three starters from the fastpitch season didn’t play slowpitch in the fall, though they were on the Moses Lake volleyball team.

“I think the No. 1 benefit (of playing slowpitch) is the team camaraderie and the morale that we’ve built since we basically are together for two seasons,” Hofheins said. “Minus a handful of volleyball players, and even during volleyball season – when it works out – there’ll be three volleyball players in the dugout watching and cheering them on. That’s been kind of cool.”

Moses Lake finished the slowpitch season 18-5 with a state berth. Even though the pitching is different, slowpitch still allowed the Mavs to work on defensive strategies and baserunning.

“The pitching is different, but I can learn a lot about their coachability and their attitude and their effort, where they can play defensively,” Hofheins said. “Defensive reps are huge. We’ve had 10 weeks of defense and base running under our belt that a lot of teams don’t have. I think it’s a huge advantage, I don’t know why more schools don’t jump on it.”

With a roster chocked full of experience and talent, the Mavs were able to use the early weeks of the season to work on more advanced defensive strategies to prepare for the regular season.

“I think our softball IQ is pretty high,” Hofheins said. “Even through our lower programs, we have a lot of kids that have played a lot of softball. It allows you to fine-tune stuff. Instead of coaching basics, we can be a little bit more advanced.”

Ian Bivona can be reached via email at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.