Lions add softball to the schedule for spring athletics
CALEB PEREZ | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months AGO
Lions sophomore Mattie Whitaker throws a pitch during an early-season softball practice.
CALEB PEREZ/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Taylor Starnes, an MLCA/CCS junior, takes a swing at the ball during practice.
Liana Spike, an eighth-grader on the Lions team, practices pitching at Larsen Playfields during preseason practice.
MLCA/CCS sophomore Elisa Serrato prepares to catch the ball hit to her in the outfield by Head Coach Todd Gregory.
MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions are starting their first softball season at the high school level this year. Under the leadership of Head Coach Todd Gregory and Assistant Coach Ty Whitaker, the team hopes to grow this season to build the program into the future.
“They look promising and I’m hoping that we can put in a good season and prove (ourselves) by the end of the year to where we can have a winning season and make some noise in the postseason,” said Gregory.
The building of the program began last year at the middle school level after getting a group of girls together for a short season, said the coach. With their success in making that team, the Lions transitioned to getting the numbers to play in a high school season.
“Last year I wasn’t really sure because I had a lot of girls that never played ball before,” he said. “They improved so much that we ended up with a winning season last year, which I was very happy and surprised about.”
MLCA/CCS just reached the roster cut with 10 players joining the squad this season, said Gregory. This leaves the team without a lot of leeway if a player gets hurt, but enough that they can get on the diamond and begin their season.
The Lions are a young team with multiple lower classmen returning from the middle school softball season. Lions sophomore Mattie Whitaker has had a few years of softball experience behind her and will be filling the position of the starting pitcher this season.
The coach said many of the older players will be playing in their first softball season. The only upperclassman on the squad is junior Taylor Starnes who has had experience in slowpitch softball after playing at MLHS last season.
To get this new team prepared for the season ahead, the two coaches are working with the girls on the fundamental mechanics of the game. Gregory said getting the girls able to throw and hit consistently will be beneficial in their growth before they face competition.
Gregory himself has had years of experience in both baseball and softball. The coach said he had grown up around the softball fields since his dad, Dave Gregory, coached the Moses Lake High School softball team for over 30 years.
When Gregory was in school he took to the diamond himself to play baseball for a number of years and when his baseball career was over, he immediately made the shift to coaching. Gregory said he coached high school softball with his father for eight seasons then moved north to Alaska, where he coached two seasons of varsity there. After that, he made the move to New Mexico State University and gained college coaching experience for a year.
Once that year was up, he moved back to Washington, where he helped coach in a few summer programs until he got a job where he wouldn’t have time to coach. Recently, Gregory got back into teaching, allowing him to resume coaching.
“Last year’s middle school team was probably my first year back (coaching) since probably 2016,” he said.
With the start of the high school softball season approaching, Gregory said he is looking forward to seeing how far the team can go.
“I think we have the potential there to make this a decent program in the future,” said the coach. “I’m looking forward to seeing what these girls can do and seeing their improvement, and once we get into the groove of winning, that just opens the door to more girls wanting to play.”
The Lions’ first game of the season is March 18 against the MLHS C-Team in a double header with the first game starting at 3 p.m.
Taylor Starnes, an MLCA/CCS junior, takes a swing at the ball during practice.
Liana Spike, an eighth-grader on the Lions team, practices pitching at Larsen Playfields during preseason practice.
MLCA/CCS sophomore Elisa Serrato prepares to catch the ball hit to her in the outfield by Head Coach Todd Gregory.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.