Mid-Columbia baseball picks are in. Here’s who made all-star teams
Kamiakin junior Payton Graham was named the Player of the Year by the Mid-Columbia Conference baseball coaches late last week.
Senior Mason Brunson of Richland was named Pitcher of the Year, while the Bombers’ Grant Richardson was named Coach of the Year.
Graham was a standout hitter and pitcher — he tossed two no-hitters for the Braves — and is committed to playing for Gonzaga University after he graduates in 2022 from Kamiakin.
Kennewick had five players named to the first team: junior shortstop Daniel Dickinson, junior outfielder Simeon Howard, senior catcher Jackson Lind, senior pitcher and first baseman Cade Puckett, and senior second baseman Trevor Ridley.
Joining Brunson on the first team are two fellow Bombers: senior outfielder Carson Craig, and sophomore relief pitcher Drew Johnson.
Joining Graham — who made the first team as a third baseman, but was second team as a pitcher — is junior outfielder Nate Gray, Jr.
Chiawana senior designated hitter Devyn Hernandez and Walla Walla junior utility player Will Kytola also were named to the first team.
▪ Richland’s boys soccer team dominated Mid-Columbia Conference play this year, going unbeaten during regular-season play and district play.
So it makes sense that the Bombers won the big awards for the all-conference team that was voted on by the coaches.
Bombers senior forward Spencer Crithfield was named MCC Player of the Year, while Richland’s Octavio DoValle was named Coach of the Year.
Crithfield was joined on the first team by three other Bombers: junior midfielder Grady O’Neil, senior defender Trevor White, and senior defender Damian Finkins.
Pasco also had four first-team all-stars: sophomore Clemente Esquivel, senior midfielder Javier Gomez, junior midfielder Jonas Olvera, and junior defender Julian Ramirez.
Others named to the first team are: junior Southridge forward Gabriel Delgado, senior Hanford defender Shane Kieffer, junior Chiawana goalie Michael Kot, senior Hermiston midfielder Alexis Leal, and sophomore Chiawana midfielder Fernando Lopez-Vega.
▪ Judging from the video highlights I saw, the Tri-City Rush’s American Western Football Conference first-ever indoor football game was a resounding success.
The team, owned by Brandon Tate, plays its games at the HAPO Center (formerly TRAC) in Pasco. There was a good-sized crowd, and the Rush routed the Wenatchee Valley Skyhawks 73-32.
Rush quarterback Les Obie passed for 224 yards and five TDs; while running back Keithon Fleming and wide receiver Dashun Salgado each scored three touchdowns.
Defensively, Tyler Merkel returned a kickoff for a score, and picked off a pass.
AJ Smiley returned another interception for a touchdown, while Zeus Jackson had 2.5 sacks.
The Rush next travels to play the Yakima Canines, set for 7 p.m., Saturday in the Yakima Valley SunDome.
The Canines lost their home opener last Saturday, falling 40-22 to the Oregon High Desert Storm.
▪ Northwest Nazarene University’s baseball team beat Western Oregon twice in the West Regional — including a 12-6 verdict in the second championship game on Saturday — to earn its first NCAA Division II national tournament berth.
NNU, which is 34-8, heads to Cary, N.C., where the tournament runs from June 5-12.
Four area athletes are on the team, including outfielder Ryan Dearing (Kamiakin/CBC), the team’s leadoff hitter. Dearing is second on the team in batting average at .342, has 18 RBIs, and leads the team with 24 stolen bases.
Three others — sophomore Nick Irwin (Kamiakin), Shane Martin (Hanford/CBCP), and Spencer Schwehr (Walla Walla CC) — are all part of the team’s successful pitching staff.
▪ Richland High grad Eric Yardley has had quite the up and down season so far with the Milwaukee Brewers.
After making the Brewers’ Opening Day roster, the right-handed, submarine-delivery relief pitcher struggled out of the gate that he was sent to the Brewers’ alternate camp on April 12 (Triple-A hadn’t begun yet).
Yardley was called back up April 17 to Milwaukee, but strained his shoulder May 1.
Sidelined until May 18, when he was sent to Triple-A Nashville for a rehab assignment, Yardley was activated by the Brewers last Tuesday.
A couple of rough outings has his ERA up to 6.75 through 12 innings of work. But Yardley has had scoreless outings in six of his 11 appearances.
▪ A number of area athletes have done well this school year for the Lewis-Clark State College cross country and track and field teams.
In the NAIA National cross country championships in April, Andrew Larson (Kamiakin) placed 120th in the men’s race.
That’s where Geraldine Correa (Kennewick) also finished in the girls race. Teammate Emily Adams (Dayton-Waitsburg) placed 128th.
At the NAIA Indoor Nationals, Adams, Correa and Karlie Smith (Richland) all achieved NAIA All-American status.
Adams and Correa did it by running on the Warriors’ 4x800 relay team, which placed fourth in the finals.
Smith ran the leadoff leg of the eighth-place finishing women’s 4x400 relay team.
The trio also competed in the same events in the NAIA outdoor national track and field championships — although neither team made the finals.
Correa was All-Cascade Collegiate Conference in outdoor track in both the 800 and 1500 meters, while Smith was All-CCC in the 4x400 relay.
▪ MSUB assistant coach Jarrod Molnaa (Kennewick/WWCC) has a summer job. Molnaa was recently named the manager for the Spearfish (S.D.) Sasquatch in the Expedition League, a college summer league.
▪ Othello High grad Dominique Martinez completed her college softball career with the University of Hawaii this spring, making nine relief appearances for the Rainbow Wahine, who finished the season with a 12-19 record.
Martinez had a 4.06 earned run average, fanning 4 batters in 10.1 innings of work.
▪ NNU’s women’s basketball team finished its shortened spring season with a 7-7 record.
The Nighthawks have two Tri-Cities women’s playing for the team: sophomore Clare Eubanks (Chiawana) averaged 6.9 points and 5.4 rebounds (third best on the team); and sophomore Nicole Gall (Richland) averaged 4.3 points and 2.0 rebounds.