Top Tier Sports youth baseball continues in Moses Lake
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
Central Washington Sixers 11u pitcher Maverick Meseberg pitches from the mound in their tournament this past weekend. Since joining Top Tier Sports in November, Sixers’ director Trey Evans said that the team has been able to invest more in each individual player.
COURTESY PHOTO/CENTRAL WASHINGTON SIXERS
Central Washington Sixers 11u pitcher Maverick Meseberg pitches from the mound in their tournament this past weekend. Since joining Top Tier Sports in November, Sixers’ director Trey Evans said that the team has been able to invest more in each individual player.
The Central Washington Sixers 9u team became tournament champions this past weekend after going 4-0. Top Tier Sports has brought together teams from both sides of the state for tournament play.
The 11u team with the Central Washington Sixers in the dugout for the Father’s Day tournament over the weekend. The Sixers will have their 18u team participating in the Big Bend Summer Classic this weekend and multiple teams in the Dune City Dust up next weekend.
Cooper Vasquez pitches with the 14u River Dogs last summer. The River Dogs’ 12u team will be one of the 66 teams participating in the Dune City Dust Up June 28-29.
A pitcher for the 11u Moses Lake All-Stars last season. They will have multiple teams participating in the Dune City Dust Up June 28-29.
MOSES LAKE – The Moses Lake Top Tier Sports baseball teams have now entered the summer tournament season. Top Tier is partnering with the Moses Lake Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services Department.
The association began the weekend tournaments mid-March for youth and mid-May for high school.
“We just like providing a safe space and an entertaining space for players and coaches to go out there and compete,” said Ryan Arredondo, the high school tournament director with Top Tier. “Just get better at baseball and have a better summer.”
The season begins in the late winter months to early spring, with indoor baseball tournaments being held until the regular outdoor tournaments can begin in March. The typical tournament season runs from either March or May until the end of July, said Arredondo.
“It’s been a great turnout with everybody. We appreciate everybody coming out,” Arredondo said. “Weather has been treating us well since the beginning of March.”
Top Tier Sports covers youth baseball tournaments throughout Eastern Washington, primarily playing in Moses Lake and Ellensburg, said Arredondo. These tournaments will also feature teams visiting from Western Washington as well.
The teams from the East side of the state mostly come out of Ellensburg, Moses Lake, Othello, Selah, Wenatchee and Yakima, with the main teams from the Basin being the Columbia Basin RiverDogs, the Central Washington Sixers and the Moses Lake Youth Baseball Association All Stars. Teams on the road from the West side are typically from Ferndale, Seattle, Mercer Island and Northshore.
“I'd say the split is 60/40, East side Majority,” he said.
For many teams such as the Central Washington Sixers, this is their first year working with Top Tier Sports. Trey Evans, who runs the Sixers alongside Jameson Lange, said they joined the organization in November of 2024 and have seen immediate changes as they have gone through the first half of the season.
“It starts with our guys and just kind of how they wear their uniform and how they carry themselves and interact with each other,” said Evans. “It starts with investing in each individual player that’s coming in and then we dive into the actual baseball aspect of it.”
There are five tournaments left for the youth and high school divisions, with Dune City Dust Up June 28-29 and Moses Lake Meltdown on July 18-20 being the two to be hosted in Moses Lake for the youth baseball teams. The high school-aged teams have the Big Bend Summer Classic this weekend, the Big Bend Summer Finale on July 10-13 with 15u and 16u teams and July 24-27 for 16u and 18u teams.
Arredondo said the Dune City Dust Up is shaping up to be a very large tournament with 66 teams slated to participate. Games are set to start at 8 a.m. and will be spread across the Basin, with some being held at Warden and Othello high schools for 9-14u age groups.
“I wanted to bring baseball back to Moses Lake,” said Arredondo. “There were a ton of tournaments being run in Moses Lake about a decade ago, and then it slowed down, so I’m just glad that the city is giving us the opportunity to hold these big tournaments again and get everybody out to Moses Lake.”
Central Washington Sixers 11u pitcher Maverick Meseberg pitches from the mound in their tournament this past weekend. Since joining Top Tier Sports in November, Sixers’ director Trey Evans said that the team has been able to invest more in each individual player.
The Central Washington Sixers 9u team became tournament champions this past weekend after going 4-0. Top Tier Sports has brought together teams from both sides of the state for tournament play.
The 11u team with the Central Washington Sixers in the dugout for the Father’s Day tournament over the weekend. The Sixers will have their 18u team participating in the Big Bend Summer Classic this weekend and multiple teams in the Dune City Dust up next weekend.
Cooper Vasquez pitches with the 14u River Dogs last summer. The River Dogs’ 12u team will be one of the 66 teams participating in the Dune City Dust Up June 28-29.
A pitcher for the 11u Moses Lake All-Stars last season. They will have multiple teams participating in the Dune City Dust Up June 28-29.ARTICLES BY CALEB PEREZ
Sushik comes full circle ahead of first season at BBCC
MOSES LAKE — The next step in Liana Sushik’s athletic journey has led her to play for the Big Bend Community College Vikings volleyball team this fall after a successful career with the Soap Lake Eagles. Joining the Vikings is something she feels has deepened her love for the sport, she said. “I fell in love with the fact that there’s more than just high school volleyball; there’s another level,” said Sushik. “It’s like a whole new chapter and I’m so excited to see what I have next because there’s a lot that I’ve been through to get here.” Despite her success on the court, Sushik said she didn’t initially start out as an athlete.
Building a community at Desert City Fitness
EPHRATA — The city of Ephrata welcomed its newest athletic club earlier this summer with Desert City Fitness setting up along Basin Street. Since their grand opening June 6, the club has worked to become a strong contributor to the community in Ephrata. “We just opened our doors and whoever comes in, that’s how we do it,” said Bryan Boney, owner of Desert City Fitness. Boney, who owns the club alongside his wife Tracy Fillion, decided to open Desert City Fitness to keep himself active after retiring six years ago. Boney said he has invested all his money from retirement into purchasing the property, remodeling and getting the equipment necessary to open his fitness center.
Grid Kids expands opportunities this season
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Grid Kids football program is gearing up for the start of its 26th football season this fall. This year, alongside their tackle football program, the Grid Kids have expanded their flag football options. “It’s one of those things that you just don’t really know how well it’s going to go, but right now we’re looking pretty strong,” said Brian Gwinn, the Gird Kids administrator and communications contact. The tackle opportunities remain the same for third through sixth grade with third and fourth graders playing together and fifth and sixth graders separately from the younger players. The format for third and fourth grade will remain at a regular 11-man game, but for fifth and sixth grade there is consideration for moving down to an eight-on-eight format.