MOSES LAKE — The Mavericks will bring in another senior-heavy roster to the 2024 softball season, aiming to get back to the 4A State Softball Tournament after qualifying a year ago.

“Our goal is to get there and be playing our best softball, and once you get there anything can happen,” Moses Lake Head Coach Mike Hofheins said. “Everybody’s 0-0, and that maturity with being such a senior-heavy group, I don’t see this team getting caught up in worrying about the rankings or this and that; win-loss records and stats. You’ve got to continue to improve every day, earn yourself a berth to the state tournament and then be playing your best softball.”

Moses Lake finished 2023 with an 18-7 record, getting back to the state tournament after defeating West Valley (Yakima) in the consolation round of the Columbia Basin Big 9 district tournament. In Richland for the state tournament, Moses Lake lost to Richland in the opening round and to Eastmont in the consolation bracket.

In getting ready for the 2024 season, Hofheins noted the Mavs have demonstrated some healthy competition.

“There’s a healthy and friendly competition about them,” Hofheins said. “They have a realization that if somebody’s pushing them, then that’s going to make them better and it’s going to make our team better. That takes a little bit of maturity, and we are a veteran group. I think they’re for the most part embracing that.”

Part of that competition stems from vying for open roster spots from a season ago; Moses Lake graduated six seniors from last year’s team, three of whom went on to play college softball. The Mavericks do return Big 9 all-league players in senior Raegen Hofheins (first team, Defensive Player of the Year), senior Morgan Ross (first team) and senior Mikayla Schwartz (first team).

“We feel pretty good about where we’re at in terms of replacing some of the seniors that we lost,” Hofheins said. “We have some key pieces returning, and I was telling the team the other day that we’re really blessed with depth – we’re two-deep pretty much everywhere, and we can put somebody in and not miss a beat. It’s a pretty fortunate situation to be in.”

Ross is one of the two starting pitchers returning for the Mavericks, joined by junior Paige Richardson.

“They’re our two horses, and as they go, so goes our season,” Hofheins said. “It’s a game of pitching, and we’re blessed to have two really experienced, talented pitchers. We’re excited for where they can take us.”

Moses Lake has two spots to fill in the outfield from last year, where some of the toughest competition has been, according to Hofheins.

“We have five or six outfielders that can all play, and that’s been fun to watch,” Hofheins said. “It’s difficult to make decisions – and they’re making it difficult, which is great.”

Stepping in behind home plate will be senior Trinity Nations.

“She’s one of the hardest workers, no matter what position she’s playing,” Hofheins said. “She’s going to be a key piece; she didn’t have a ton of starts last year, she had a few, but I think she’s really going to thrive her senior year.”

Schwartz and Raegen Hofheins lock down a returning middle infield for Moses Lake this season.

“They’re both unanimous first-team all-league last year, and that’s a solid piece,” Hofheins said.

Even though practices began early last week, this isn’t the first time this year that Moses Lake softball teammates have taken the field with one another; the Mavs competed in the 2023 slowpitch softball season in the fall, reaching the 4A state tournament. Hofheins said slowpitch is a key time for coaches to get familiar with some of the younger players joining the program.

“We know their skillset, their athleticism, their work ethic, their coachability; it’s not like we just met them five days ago,” Hofheins said. “It’s been huge in terms of building the overall program, and you can use slowpitch to see what a girl does when you move her, say, from the infield to the outfield.”

Moses Lake opens the 2024 season at home against Mt. Spokane on March 15 at 4 p.m.

Ian Bivona may be reached at ibivona@columbiabasinherald.com.

Moses Lake Softball Schedule

March 15 - vs Mt. Spokane - 4 p.m.

March 16 - vs Mead, Hermiston (in Richland) - 10:30 a.m.

March 22 - at Sunnyside (doubleheader) - 2:30 p.m.

March 29 - vs Eisenhower (doubleheader) - 4 p.m.

March 30 - vs Glacier Peak (at Eastmont)- 2 p.m.

April 5 - vs Mount Si (doubleheader) - 4:30 p.m.

April 12 - vs Walla Walla - 4 p.m.

April 19 - vs Davis (doubleheader) - 4 p.m.

April 23 - at Royal - 4:30 p.m.

April 26 - at Wenatchee (doubleheader) - 4 p.m.

April 29 - at Richland (doubleheader) - 6 p.m.

May 3 - vs West Valley (Yakima) (doubleheader) - 4 p.m.

May 6 - at Othello - 4:30 p.m.

May 10 - at Eastmont (doubleheader) - 4 p.m.

    Moses Lake senior Morgan Ross pitches the ball during a game in the 2023 season.
  

    Moses Lake senior Mikayla Schwartz waits for a pitch at the 4A State Softball Tournament in Richland last season.
  

    Moses Lake senior Kendall Reffett, right, stands on first base.