OTHELLO – Congratulations are in order for the Huskies baseball team after what they have accomplished this season. They saw major improvement this year, improving from 18-6-1 to 21-6 and a final four appearance.  

After losing their home opener, the Huskies fired off eight straight wins, including six straight shutout wins. What we saw from the Huskies this season was truly impressive. Though they may not have won the district championship, they brought their all to the crossover game, where they had to win in order to reach the state tournament, to the very end when they defeated Selah for the third-place spot.  

The Huskies displayed great control over their opponents defensively, which allowed their offense to shine. A prime example is the game against W.F. West, where they hung 14 runs on their opponent. They allowed eight runs, but six of them came in the first couple of innings, and the Huskies shut them down for the rest of the game.  

Sonny Salazar put out strong pitching performances for the Huskies that propelled their success. Pitching contributions by Aiden Garza aided the team in their deep playoff run, too.  

I am new to the Basin area, and I was told the expectations for the Huskies to accomplish what they did were not high. However, head coach Sonny Garza believed his team could do it. The bond these kids clearly showed proved that they believed it, too. The camaraderie found in team sports can be so invaluable.  

I remember my first Huskies baseball game, when they hosted Ellensburg. I quickly took notice of the engagement of the fans at the game. They brought intense energy that matched the players in the dugout.  

There’s a culture at Othello that can’t be ignored, and I had to ask Garza about it when I got the chance to interview him. He said it was always good to be hosting because their people will be behind them.  

The Huskies are graduating three seniors, but I have no doubts that this team will come back ready to go next season. Any time a team makes it that far, the goal almost always is to get back there and go further. There is a lot of good to build off of in Othello.  

Congratulations to the Huskies on their incredible season.