MLHS softball has the numbers and the drive to win
JOEL MARTIN | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 months, 3 weeks AGO
Amilia Borchert, right, tries to tag Cait Decubber at Moses Lake High School softball practice.
JOEL MARTIN/COLUMBIA BASIN HERALD
Avery Getzinger, right, reaches for the ball as Cait Decubber makes a run for the base during practice.
Avery Getzinger chases down Cait Decubber at MLHS softball practice Monday.
Anisa Valdez tries to throw ahead of a runner as Coach Jake Bertholf looks on.
Josie Carlstrom throws the ball at softball practice.
From left: Josie Carlstrom, Avanie Avalos and Avery Getzinger at practice.
Hayden Morris gets ready to throw at softball practice Monday.
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 3:35 AM
MOSES LAKE — The field outside Moses Lake High School was teeming with softball players March 3.
“Our numbers are huge,” said Head Coach Mike Hofheins. “We’ve got a ton of girls out, like 55 girls. We have a huge senior class, (so) we have a lot of veterans. Our expectations are high.”
The Mavericks graduated some standout pitchers last year, which means the next crop of pitchers is rushing to build up their skills.
“We’ve got some young kids that are ready to step up, and we’ve got a really solid defense and offense behind them,” Hofheins said. “I think we're in a good spot.”
March 3 was the Mavericks’ second day of practice, and the coaches had the girls fielding grounders, running after fly balls and working out in the batting cages. The weather was the best it’s been at the start of a season in the 10 years he’s been coaching, Hofheins said.
Last year, the Mavericks softball squad went to state but didn’t win any games there. Hofheins said.
“But we have a whole different team this year than last year,” said senior Addisyn Reffett.
Some of the players are still working out their roles on the team, Reffett said.
“It’s only our second day of practice, so we don’t really know who’s going to be where yet,” she said.
“It’s a lot of good girls here; it’s just about where they fall into place,” added senior Hayden Morris.
Team chemistry is always a challenge at the beginning of practices, but the Mavericks’ veteran players are good at bringing the newbies up to speed, Morris said.
“(We’re) bringing the freshmen into us and bonding with them as seniors who have been playing for so long,” she said. “We need to expand our circle and get everyone to the same bond … The freshmen can come to us for anything, and I think all of them are pretty comfortable with all of us.”
Hofheins said he thinks his girls can make it to state this year, and that they’re confident of that as well.
“You can win games 1-0 or you can win games 12-10 and they’re all wins,” he said. “We just want to be one run better than everybody we play.”
Avery Getzinger, right, reaches for the ball as Cait Decubber makes a run for the base during practice.
Avery Getzinger chases down Cait Decubber at MLHS softball practice Monday.
Anisa Valdez tries to throw ahead of a runner as Coach Jake Bertholf looks on.
Josie Carlstrom throws the ball at softball practice.
From left: Josie Carlstrom, Avanie Avalos and Avery Getzinger at practice.
Hayden Morris gets ready to throw at softball practice Monday.ARTICLES BY JOEL MARTIN
Quincy National Night Out scales down
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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.