Mid-Columbia softball players may be most treasured in region — and we missed the season

I don’t have the numbers to back this up. Just my feel for the local sports scene.

But I’m pretty confident that Mid-Columbia softball players might be the most treasured of all athletes in this region.

It seems more of these athletes each year get scholarship offers to play at the next level — community college, NAIA or NCAA Division I, II or II teams — more often than any other sport around here.

This season is no different.

Players are headed to Arizona State, UNLV, Providence College, Bradley, Winthrop — and that’s just Division I.

And really, we can’t even account for those incoming freshmen who were likely to make an instant contribution this spring to their varsity teams.

We’ll never know, thanks to the coronavirus.

But still, it’s a tribute to the players, their high school coaches, and their summer softball program coaches.

Richland, which was expected to be a favorite for the state 4A championship, led the team with five players.

Other squads expecting big seasons were Hermiston, Kennewick and Southridge —— each with three players on this list.

Here is a look at what we missed this spring, with the best of the Mid-Columbia:

▪ Emmee Ball, infielder-catcher, sr., Southridge: Was an outstanding player all four seasons for Suns. Her bat and throwing arm caught the eye of colleges, and she’s headed to NCAA Division II Wisconsin Parkside next season.

▪ Ashley Cameron, infielder, sr., Hermiston: An MCC honorable mention selection last year as a junior, Cameron opened some eyes last summer with her play. Her club softball coach, Bob Benson, said she had three Division I offers in hand when she went down with an injury in a November tournament. Now, she’s headed this fall to Arizona State University, where she’ll attempt to walk on.

▪ Taylor Clark, infielder, jr., Richland: Standout fielder and batter for Bombers caught MCC coaches’ eyes, and was accordingly named to the first-team all-conference unit as just a sophomore in 2019. She’s already verbally committed to playing for Western Washington University.

▪ Abriel Johnson-Cuello, infielder, sr., Kennewick: Cuello was a big reason the Lions were among the best teams last year in the MCC. She was named first-team All-MCC as a junior.

▪ Mirina Enderlin, designated hitter, jr., Hanford: Excellent hitter for the Falcons. Was a second-team All-MCC DH last year as a sophomore.

▪ Rylee Gaevert, outfielder, sr., Richland: Standout player helped Bombers go deep at state tournament in 2019. She’ll be patrolling the outfield next season for Big Bend Community College.

▪ Hannah Jablonski, utility, jr., Kamiakin: Was a second-team All-MCC selection as a utility player in 2019 as a sophomore.

▪ Claire Jenne, pitcher, jr., Kennewick: Lions were looking to this pitcher to continue their winning ways in 2020. She was a second-team all-conference pitcher in 2019 as a sophomore.

▪ Daisy Maddox, outfielder, sr., Hermiston: Helped lead the Bulldogs to the Class 3A state tournament last year. Was a second-team MCC all-star pick.

▪ Marlee Martin, infielder, sr., Southridge: She played a position (shortstop) last season that was filled with outstanding senior talent. So she didn’t garner any all-conference votes. But NAIA-school Arizona Christian grabbed her quickly, and she’ll be playing there next year.

▪ Bailee Noland, utility, sr., Hermiston: Was a first-team All-MCC utility player as a junior. Headed to Salt Lake City Community College to play softball next season.

▪ Kaylee Northrop, pitcher, sr., Richland: Devastating pitcher for the Bombers who was expected to have a big season. She was a first-team All-MCC pitcher as a junior, and she’ll be pitching for UNLV next season.

▪ Natalie Orchard, catcher, sr., College Place: A first-team SCAC East standout as a junior, Orchard now heads back east to play for Providence College in the Big East Conference.

▪ Makenna Ozuna, outfielder, sr., Richland: Along with Gaevert, she does a great job patrolling the outfield for the talented Bombers. Was a second-team MCC pick last season.

▪ Addison Pettit, infielder, sr., Richland: The standout first baseman was everybody’s pre-season all-state team pick. She was first-team All-MCC last year, and will be playing next season at Bradley University.

▪ Annie Polster, pitcher, sr., Hanford: The Falcons ace, who was first-team All-MCC as a junior in 2019, was picked up quickly last year by the College of Idaho for this next season.

▪ Bailey Rose, infielder-pitcher, sr., Southridge: Like Hermiston’s Cameron, Rose was an honorable mention selection in the MCC last year as a junior. Rose was injured much of 2019, but she’s considered a Division I-type of pitcher and will be doing that next season at Portland State University.

▪ Maya Valdez, outfielder, so., Othello: Her play made such a ruckus in the Class 2A Central Washington Athletic Conference last year that she was first-team all-conference as a freshman.

▪ Bailey Warren, catcher, sr., Kennewick: A first-team MCC player as a junior, she has signed a letter of intent to play next spring at Division I Winthrop University.

▪ Kaisha White, utility, sr., Chiawana: The Riverhawks senior came into her own last summer and into the fall with the Chiawana slowpitch softball team that played at the state tournament. Signed by Whitworth University for next season.

Honorable mention

Sam Atilano, sr., Hermiston; Grace Bestebreuer, jr., Prosser; Jocelyn Chagoya, sr., Warden; Ellie Christensen, sr., College Place; McKenna Crum, jr., Southridge; Hailey Daves, sr., Richland; Amaya Davis, jr., Kennewick; Emily Garza, jr., Othello; Cassie Hughes, jr., Hanford; Mia Klein, jr., Hanford; Chenoa Louie, jr., Royal; Breanna Marquina, jr., Othello; Isabella Qnell, jr., Kamiakin; Makayla Sanchez, jr., Royal; Rikki Scott, jr., Richland; Sawyer Stenson, so., Chiawana; Grace Studer, jr., Hermiston; Faith Thomas, jr., Hanford; Taya Townsend, sr., Kennewick; Olivia Walton, jr., Hanford; Emmaleena Wood, sr., Kamiakin.