Maverick boys work on basics, teamwork
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks AGO
Mavericks junior Maddux Herrud fields a ground ball at practice March 6 as sophomore Nolan Decubber looks on.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Freshman Kanyon Klitzke gets ready to scoop up a grounder at Mavericks baseball practice March 6.
Maverick Jacoby Mugnos, a sophomore, gets ready to throw to first at practice March 6.
Drake Hansen fields a ground ball with Jacoby Mugnos behind him at Mavericks practice March 6.
Joel Martin has been with the Columbia Basin Herald for more than 25 years in a variety of roles and is the most-tenured employee in the building. Martin is a married father of eight and enjoys spending time with his children and his wife, Christina. He is passionate about the paper’s mission of informing the people of the Columbia Basin because he knows it is important to record the history of the communities the publication serves. | March 12, 2026 3:25 AM
MOSES LAKE — How’s Moses Lake High School’s baseball team looking this year?
“Young. Really young,” said Head Coach Donnie Lindgren. “Inexperienced, but ready to work.”
The baseball team graduated nine seniors last year, Lindgren said. The incoming team has boys who have played before in youth baseball and for a club team at The Six, Lindgren said, but not as a unit. Some of the newcomers have played for Moses Lake in football and basketball as well, he said.
That team chemistry takes work to build, said pitcher Dagen Enquist.
“(We’re working on) communicating, getting to know guys better, since we have such a young team,” Enquist said.
The new guys are showing some serious potential, said senior Noah Hernandez, who pitches as well as playing infield and outfield.
“We’ve got a lot of guys returning that are young and experienced, so we’ve got a lot of young leaders this year,” Hernandez said. “Every guy is capable of leading on this team. We’ve got a team that's going to be great in the next couple of years.”
Besides working with each other, Lindgren said, the new guys are learning to work with him and his coaching methods, which is a process. He’s focusing on getting the basics down, he said, because that’s what wins games.
“When someone makes a great play, it's just because they're a great athlete,” he said. “We try and do all the fundamental things. We work ground balls every day, fly balls every day, playing catch every day, our basic defenses every day.”
There are some standouts on the team, Lindgren said. Enquist, a junior, was the starting pitcher his freshman and sophomore years and Lindgren plans to rely on him a lot, he said. Sophomore Jonathan Purcell was the Offensive Player of the Year for the league last year as a freshman, Lindgren said, and first baseman Jacoby Fulbright, a junior, is a strong hitter at six feet two inches.
“One of the biggest surprises so far has been our transfer, Caden Barney, who's playing a great shortstop for us and really hitting well right now,” Lindgren said. “He's been a really nice surprise.”
Moses Lake made it to state last year but was knocked out in the first round by Puyallup, Lindgren said. Puyallup took second place at state and was ranked ninth in the nation by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association, making them a tough opponent.
“They had a kid who was drafted who was throwing 98,” Lindgren said. “We gave them a heck of a game. Our senior pitcher did a great job, but we just couldn't get the bats going at that time.”
The Mavericks are in for a better showing this year, Hernandez said.
“This team is a lot more goal-oriented, and we know what we want this year,” he said. “We’re coming after it.”
Freshman Kanyon Klitzke gets ready to scoop up a grounder at Mavericks baseball practice March 6.
Maverick Jacoby Mugnos, a sophomore, gets ready to throw to first at practice March 6.
Drake Hansen fields a ground ball with Jacoby Mugnos behind him at Mavericks practice March 6.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
QUINCY — Quincy’s National Night Out was more compact this year, which worked out well, said QPD Sgt. Joe Westby, who’s in charge of event planning for the Quincy Police Department. “National Night Out is a big event, and the fact that we’re able to shrink it up is like a breath of fresh air,” Westby said. “If you're always doing the same thing, it's kind of nice to switch things up and see how it works.” National Night Out took place Thursday on the block of C Street next to the police station, a shift from previous years when it was held at Lauzier Park. The smaller space meant fewer emergency vehicles for children to explore, but it also meant less walking for attendees. Grant County Fire District 5 brought a fire truck, and the Grant County Sheriff’s Office had a patrol boat. Renew, the Grant County behavioral health agency, had a booth and so did Quincy Partnership for Youth. Veterans Operation Creation sang the national anthem, and the Quincy Animal Shelter brought kittens that piled over each other making friends with passersby. As before, the QPD served grilled hot dogs.
Quincy Police retirements leave big shoes to fill
QUINCY — There are some big shoes to fill at the Quincy Police Department. “We’re losing 48 years of experience between them,” Quincy Police Chief Ryan Green said at the retirement party for Capt. Jorge Trujillo and Det. Damon Powell Thursday. Trujillo, who grew up in Sunnyside, has been with QPD for 19 years, he said, coming on as a patrol officer fresh out of the military. From there he served as a field training officer, a detective and finally captain. “I consider him my left-hand man,” Green said. “He runs the operations side of the house … He knows the agency very well, and he knows the community.” Trujillo has some projects around the house to tackle now that he’s retired, he said.
Big fun on a small scale
Wheat Land Communities’ Fair opens Thursday
RITZVILLE — The Wheat Land Communities’ Fair isn’t as big or as flashy as some of the county fairs around central Washington, but the folks who keep it going like it just the way it is. “It’s somewhere you can go and get an old-time traditional feeling, and you’re comfortable letting your kids roam the grounds and experience all that it has to offer,” said Board Member Lori Williams. “It’s more of a feeling than (one) specific thing,” The fair starts Thursday in Ritzville and runs through Sunday. Starting Friday, the 56th Ritzville Rodeo will take place alongside the fair at the rodeo grounds. This year the entertainment budget was expanded, Williams said, to be able to offer more fun that’s covered by the cost of admission. For the kids, there’s face painting, balloon art, Lego crafts, races, contests and games. Children can also ride on a little train towed around the fairgrounds behind a tractor.