EPHRATA – Ephrata High School has named Lesa Trevino as the new head softball coach for the Tigers. Trevino will be replacing long-time EHS coach Heather Wood, who retired from the softball program over the summer. 

“I’ve always had a deep love for the game and (for) the coaches that pushed me to be better,” said Trevino. “I always wanted to do that for another athlete, I wanted to push them to be their best and so they knew that they could do it in their potential.” 

Trevino’s softball career began back in fifth grade when she joined a softball camp and fell in love with the game, she said. From there, she continued with club softball and played throughout high school until graduating from Quincy High School in 2008.

After graduation, she spent a year attending Wenatchee Valley College before going to Big Bend Community College, where she played for the Vikings softball team. She played on the team from 2010 to 2011 before suffering a shoulder injury that needed surgery, which would take her off the field as a player. 

She said what eventually brought her back into the game was when her own daughter started to show an interest in the sport. When her daughter started getting involved in rec leagues, Trevino herself joined as a coach for the team. 

“Then she decided that she loved it, so we moved on to that club level,” said Trevino. 

At the club level, Trevino coaches the 14u Enforcers team. She said being able to coach at the club level has strengthened her reason for coaching softball as she gets to see the “light click” moment when an athlete understands something or they feel that urge to push themselves even further. 

“I knew that at some point in time, whether it was going to be me coaching because of my daughter or coaching because I wanted to get back into it,” said Trevino. “I knew that was the route that I just wanted to take.” 

She said that Wood played a prominent role as an influence in her life and credits Wood as the reason why she was able to play college softball and eventually get to the point where she is now. To this da,y Trevino said she will contact Wood for coaching advice. 

“She was one of those coaches that believed in me and I was in a different program than what she ran, so I just wanted to give back,” she said. 

Trevino said she and her family made the decision to move to Ephrata from Quincy and from there, things fell into place that allowed her to get into coaching positions in the area. 

She said the dream was always to work her way up into a varsity coaching position and when she saw the head coach position open up at Ephrata High School she had to jump on the opportunity. 

Ephrata School District officially announced Trevino’s hiring in a press release Monday morning, which said she will be officially appointed following school board action on Oct. 27. 

“Lesa’s passion for softball and commitment to player development make her an excellent fit for our program,” said Bryan Johnson, EHS Athletic Director and Assistant Principal in a press release. “Her coaching experience and connection to the local softball community will be a tremendous asset to our athletes and to Ephrata High School.” 

Trevino said it will be a tough task to follow up on the legacy that Wood had in the program at the high school and softball programs all around the area. 

“Taking over a program of that magnitude is definitely nerve-racking, but I’m also excited for the opportunity,” she said. “I know that we have a lot of athletic girls and talented girls that are currently in that program and I know that we have quite a few coming up in the next few years, so I’m just excited to get it going.” 

The first task as the new head coach, she said, is going to be building up the leadership positions on the team with some of the strong returners. Trevino said this will help set the expectations for younger and newer players on the team. 

Most importantly, she said she wants to let the players know how much they are valued in the program and maintain a strong culture on the team through fundamentals and teamwork. 

“I want to create the excitement for that program, not just for our current girls, but for that younger generation that wants to wear that jersey in the future,” said Trevino. “Just making sure that we’re involved in those lower levels where they’re coming up and they’re young and excited about the game. I think giving back to that program and making them excited is going to make our program flourish in the long run.”