OTHELLO — The Central Washington Athletic Conference announced its All-League awards Monday, with the Othello Huskies earning several. Head Coach Sonny Garza and Xzyyvn Martinez took home coach of the year and most valuable player awards, respectively. 

“It means a lot; the CWAC is a great league with a bunch of great coaches,” Garza said. “They all work hard, they all put in the long hours, so to be able to get that is pretty cool.” 

In his 10th year as the Huskies head coach, Garza earns his second coach of the year award. It’s something he believes couldn’t have happened with the support system around him in the Huskies baseball program, he said.  

“My staff is amazing,” he said. “I got a bunch of guys here that (have) bought in; they know what it takes to win, and they're out here every day grinding because they love to be out here. I've always wanted to surround myself with guys that absolutely love baseball, and that's kind of what I've done. This is as much theirs as it is mine.” 

The most rewarding aspect of coaching for Garza is watching young athletes grow and mature in the sport, he said.  

“When you surround yourself with a bunch of other great coaches and a bunch of great players, you begin to learn and you feed off of them, and you begin to learn the game. To see their mindset grow, to see their ability to understand how the game works, is really what separates those kids that are good from great,” said Garza.  

One player he’s seen grow over the last few seasons is Martinez. In his junior season, he becomes the newest MVP of the CWAC.  

“His attention to detail is probably one of the greatest things that I've noticed about him throughout the years, even when he showed up as a freshman, just the way he's so meticulous about how he does things,” the coach said.  

For Martinez, the award was a sign that his hard work is paying off. He spoke to what he believed earned him this honor.  

“Trusting my teammates, trusting the coaches, and just going out there, not worrying about the outcome, and just having fun playing hard,” Martinez said.  

As a member of the Huskies baseball program, he has bought into the Othello Baseball Way, established by Garza, the rest of the coaching staff and those who donned the ‘OBW’ uniform before him. From his perspective, it’s a standard that’s set well before each season begins.  

“It's just the way we carry ourselves throughout the season, in the classroom, at school, at home and to our parents. It's just a standard we set of doing the little things right and being good at the little things, not cutting corners,” he said.  

Not only does Martinez make an impact on the field, but he adds to the team culture. 

“He's a spark guy,” Garza said. “He's one of our leaders, he's a guy that other kids gravitate toward because they know how much attention to detail he takes, so it's really cool for me to put guys in groups throughout practices with him, and watching the other kids get better just because they're in his group.” 

Also showing up in the CWAC honors were Quade Gonzalez and Aiden Garza on the first team with Martinez. On the second team, RJay Garza and Ryan Martinez, and listed as honorable mentions were Aaden Montes, Zayvier Olazcon and Noah Ozuna. To see multiple players representing the Huskies and Othello is no surprise to Coach Garza.  

Their hard work and dedication to improving each practice makes his job as coach feel more like fun than work, he said.  

“It's really what brings me back here every single day and gets me excited to show up. You’ve got to love what you do, and I absolutely love doing this. When I show up here, it's really the highlight of my day, apart from going home to my wife and kids, this is really what I look forward to every single day,” he said.  

As they look ahead to the 2A state tournament, Martinez and the Huskies are excited to be hosting the opening round. While the accolades are great, there’s more work to be done and Martinez has an idea of what would be the perfect cherry on top.  

“The state championship, of course,” Martinez said. “Obviously, got to get there first, being home these first two games is going to be a huge advantage. Last year's final four, we had more people there watching us than the other teams who had a closer drive. I can't even imagine what it's going to look like Saturday coming to play these first games at home.” 

The Huskies open the state tournament on their home field Saturday at 10 a.m. 

    Xzyyvn Martinez (21) eyes the pitcher before his next throw while at bat for the Huskies against Ellensburg earlier this season.
  

    After making it to third base, Xzyyvn Martinez, right, and Head Coach Sonny Garza, left, high five.
  

    The Othello Huskies Head Coach Sonny Garza, left, talks with Xavier Guzman at third base during their game against Quincy.
  

    Huskies Head Coach Sonny Garza coaches up Tyler Suarez after he made it to third base earlier this season.
  

    Huskies player Ryan Martinez (5) makes his way to home plate after hitting a home run with all of his teammates gathered around to celebrate during their game against Selah. Martinez was named to the CWAC All-Conference second team.
  

    RJay Garza steps up to bat for the Othello Huskies against East Valley. Garza was named to the CWAC All-Conference second team.
  

    The Othello Huskies’ Quade Gonzalez rips off another pitch against the Quincy Jacks. Gonzalez was named to the CWAC’s All-Conference first team.
  

    Aiden Garza steps into his next pitch against Ellensburg. Garza was named to the CWAC All-Conference first team.