MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Guardians American Legion baseball team will be holding team tryouts later this month. Guardians head coach, David Serrato, has a plan in place for tryouts. 

“We’re just going to be doing basic fielding, batting and running,” said Serrato. “Measuring talent and all that kind of stuff so we can work on it during the offseason on the two teams. 

Tryouts for players aged 13-17 will be Aug. 22 from 5 to 7 p.m. and Aug. 23 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Larson Playfield in preparation for the 2026 summer season. Players aged 13-15 will be trying out for the A team and players aged 14-17 will try out for the AA team.  

The cost for those who join the team is $1200, which will cover the costs of the home and away uniforms, a hat, a bag and a warm-up shirt. Additionally, players will have access to batting cages, weight room workouts and a team bus for away games. Guardians' players can expect offseason training from October to February, three days a week. 

Serrato said overall, he is looking for players who have a good attitude and display good team cohesiveness. He said their offseason is typically spent working to build up a team that has talented players with strong chemistry. 

“We just work hard for the next season that’s coming up,” he said. “A lot of preparation, coordinating in terms of our positions in terms of what we’re going to do and not do, having a good plan for next summer and getting them ready for high school baseball.” 

This past season was the Guardians’ first year doing American Legion baseball, which the coach said was a learning curve for the team and presented them with a variety of challenges. He also said the A team had a majority of 13-year-olds with only one 15-year-old which was challenging against other teams in the league that had a majority of older players. 

“It was kind of overwhelming,” said Serrato. “We were short on pitchers, short on catchers, so that’s why it didn’t go to well.” 

Looking forward to next season, Serrato said that the A team will now be comprised of experienced 14-year-old players who will be playing alongside the upcoming 13-year-old and a few 15-year-old players. The goals for both the A and AA teams during the coming offseason will be mostly for working on player development and building a stronger base. 

“We’re open to whoever wants to try out, we try to make it affordable, and a little bit more family-centered,” he said. “We also have a low-income application where the fee is waived on it.” 

    Guardians A team player Brady Morgan plays on the infield during ready for his teammate to make a pitch during one of their games this last season. Try outs will be held for both A and AA prospects.
  

    Izaiah Vargas with the Guardians A team plays on the outfield and readies himself for the ball during one of the games this last season. Coach David Serrato said he’s looking for players with good attitudes and can work well with teammates.