Huskies aim for a return to state in 2026

OTHELLO — The Othello Huskies are gearing up for the start of the 2026 baseball season after concluding the last season with a third-place finish in state. This year, Head Coach Sonny Garza said the Huskies are preparing to get into the state tournament once again. 

“Great group of kids last year,” Garza said. “They began playing for the team and for the person next to them, which was really good, and I think that’s really what helped us have a successful season.”  

The Huskies were a dominant force in the Central Washington Athletic Conference last season, finishing with a 23-6 record. The Huskies entered the 2A District 5 tournament as the second seed where they earned victories over East Valley and Ellensburg before falling to Selah in the district finals to take second in District 5.  

Othello went on to take out Pullman in the District 5/6 crossover and punched their ticket to state. The Huskies went on a strong state run taking out the 12th-seeded R.A. Long and fourth-seeded W.F. West before falling to the No. 1 seed Anacortes. This put the Huskies in the third/fourth place game against a familiar opponent, Selah, whom they beat 3-1. 

For the 2026 season, the Huskies are seeing a good group of players returning from that third-place team, said Garza. After graduating seven seniors in the offseason, there will be some big shoes to fill on the field and in the dugout.  

“Some of the things I’ve been seeing over the last couple of days are some kids stepping into some situations that they hadn’t needed to be in in the last couple of years, some leadership roles,” said the coach. “It’s been really important for them to step into and then it’s good for the younger kids to see them get into those roles and learn from them this early in the season.” 

The success from last year is something he said has helped the Huskies in prepping for the season as they hope to carry some of the momentum of last season into the current one. This momentum is going to be brought in through the returners such as RJay Garza, Zayvier Olazcon, Quade Gonzalez, Xzyyvn Martinez, Ryan Martinez, Aaden Montes and Trey Tovar.  

Garza said the athleticism and abilities on the field are going to be integral in the Huskies finding success this season. 

“Those guys are going to be some of the key contributors that I’m hoping can do some good stuff for us this season,” said Garza.  

During the early season practices, Othello focused on instruction and giving the new players an opportunity to prove their skills, he said. As they move deeper into early season practice, the Huskies will create their varsity, JV and C-team rosters and shift into more serious individual practice. 

This season, the goal for the Huskies is to reach the final four in state once again. The coach said each returning player still has the feeling of that success lingering on their minds. The first step in reaching that goal for Othello is having a successful regular season against challenging CWAC opponents as they try to win a league title. 

“Last year was a good year; it was (exciting) for me as the head coach,” said Garza. “Every single week, excitement from the kids, excitement from the games and that’s what I’m looking forward to.” 

The Huskies begin their season on the road to face Steilacoom at the Ridgefield Outdoor Recreation Complex at 1 p.m. March 20. Their first home game of the season will be March 28 in a double-header against Colville at 11 a.m. and Chief Sealth at 1 p.m. 

    Othello’s Xzyyvn Martinez takes a swing at the ball during a matchup against Quincy last season.
  

    Zayvier Olazcon of the Huskies prepares to bump the ball for a quick play at home against the Jacks last season.