Lions add softball to the schedule for spring athletics

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Christian Academy/Covenant Christian School Lions are starting their first softball season at the high school level this year. Under the leadership of Head Coach Todd Gregory and Assistant Coach Ty Whitaker, the team hopes to grow this season to build the program into the future. 

“They look promising and I’m hoping that we can put in a good season and prove (ourselves) by the end of the year to where we can have a winning season and make some noise in the postseason,” said Gregory. 

The building of the program began last year at the middle school level after getting a group of girls together for a short season, said the coach. With their success in making that team, the Lions transitioned to getting the numbers to play in a high school season.

“Last year I wasn’t really sure because I had a lot of girls that never played ball before,” he said. “They improved so much that we ended up with a winning season last year, which I was very happy and surprised about.” 

MLCA/CCS just reached the roster cut with 10 players joining the squad this season, said Gregory. This leaves the team without a lot of leeway if a player gets hurt, but enough that they can get on the diamond and begin their season. 

The Lions are a young team with multiple lower classmen returning from the middle school softball season. Lions sophomore Mattie Whitaker has had a few years of softball experience behind her and will be filling the position of the starting pitcher this season. 

The coach said many of the older players will be playing in their first softball season. The only upperclassman on the squad is junior Taylor Starnes who has had experience in slowpitch softball after playing at MLHS last season.  

To get this new team prepared for the season ahead, the two coaches are working with the girls on the fundamental mechanics of the game. Gregory said getting the girls able to throw and hit consistently will be beneficial in their growth before they face competition. 

Gregory himself has had years of experience in both baseball and softball. The coach said he had grown up around the softball fields since his dad, Dave Gregory, coached the Moses Lake High School softball team for over 30 years. 

When Gregory was in school he took to the diamond himself to play baseball for a number of years and when his baseball career was over, he immediately made the shift to coaching. Gregory said he coached high school softball with his father for eight seasons then moved north to Alaska, where he coached two seasons of varsity there. After that, he made the move to New Mexico State University and gained college coaching experience for a year. 

Once that year was up, he moved back to Washington, where he helped coach in a few summer programs until he got a job where he wouldn’t have time to coach. Recently, Gregory got back into teaching, allowing him to resume coaching. 

“Last year’s middle school team was probably my first year back (coaching) since probably 2016,” he said. 

With the start of the high school softball season approaching, Gregory said he is looking forward to seeing how far the team can go. 

“I think we have the potential there to make this a decent program in the future,” said the coach. “I’m looking forward to seeing what these girls can do and seeing their improvement, and once we get into the groove of winning, that just opens the door to more girls wanting to play.” 

The Lions’ first game of the season is March 18 against the MLHS C-Team in a double header with the first game starting at 3 p.m. 

    Taylor Starnes, an MLCA/CCS junior, takes a swing at the ball during practice.
  

    Liana Spike, an eighth-grader on the Lions team, practices pitching at Larsen Playfields during preseason practice.
  

    MLCA/CCS sophomore Elisa Serrato prepares to catch the ball hit to her in the outfield by Head Coach Todd Gregory.