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Moses Lake fastpitch tries to carry over slowpitch success
Mavericks rolled to first state title; East Valley, Selah lead CWAC trophy charge
By JERREL SWENNING/Stat Hound
Mar 24, 2026
After a winter of playing other sports and conditioning, Class 4A slowpitch state champion Moses Lake is ready to get back to work, albeit at a different speed.
The Mavericks, who barreled their way to the program’s slowpitch first title by outscoring opponents 44-9 in a late-October soggy Yakima, opened play Tuesday in defense of its CBBN fastpitch title.
At the plate, Moses Lake will lean on reigning Offensive Player of the Year Hayden Morris, who slugged four home runs at state slowpitch, and fellow first-team all-leaguers Lila Johnson, Mya Martinez and Addi Reffett.
“It’s 90% of the same players, so it’s business as usual,” Mavs coach Mike Hofheins said. “The practice structure is the same, and the culture is the same.”
Where Moses Lake is a little lean is in the pitching circle, where first-team all-CBBN pick Paige Richardson graduated.
The Mavericks will have a stellar defense behind their pitching. It was key to the championship victory.
“A pitcher is not going to bail you out (in slowpitch), so the onus goes on your defense and In a lot of ways it’s a battle of athletes,” Hofheins said. “Now we’re young in the circle but we’re growing fast and we’re awesome on defense.”
Eastmont and West Valley tied for second place last season, a game behind the Mavs last spring, and likely will compete with Moses Lake for the conference’s two state berths.
In 2025, the Wildcats were the 12th seed in the 4A bracket, while the Mavericks were the 14th. Neither team recorded a victory at state.
CWAC eyes return to trophy round
CWAC fastpitch teams have taken advantage of the Class 2A state tournament being in the middle of their turf, giving them a home-field advantage.
In the nine tournaments from 2013 to 2023, the conference won 10 top-four trophies, with Othello winning two championships and Selah another. Only once in that span did the CWAC leave Carlon Park without a trophy.
The conference has been blanked the last two tournaments.
East Valley and Selah, which tied atop the standings last spring, are the likely teams to challenge for a trophy when the tournament returns to Selah in May.
With reigning CWAC MVP Tia Ramynke and fellow senior and first-team all-leaguer Presley Weatherley leading the way, the Red Devils could be the front-runners in the conference.
The Vikings should be right there with EV, as senior Avery Brewer leads a trio of first- or second-team all-CWAC selections.
Royal leads SCAC charge for medal round
Two years after winning the Class 1A state championship, Royal looks to return to the trophy round at Richland’s Columbia Playfields in May.
Senior Jill Allread, the co-Player of the Year last season will lead the way for the Knights, who fell one win from a return to the trophy round.
College Place, which was a game behind Royal in the standings, returns four all-conference players, including first-teamer Gracelyn Tonn,
The Hawks, who have advanced to state twice, will try to advance to the 12-team bracket.