Two seasons ago, the Centralia Tigers made it to the state tournament in Selah, and they bowed out early after two straight losses.
Last spring, David Orr’s club was hopeful to get back and put together a better performance, one that would have put them in contention for a trophy as one of the top four teams in the state.
Things didn’t go as planned, though, as the Tigers went just 10-10 and fell short of the playoffs entirely after losing a district tournament play-in game to Rochester.
“That’s where we gotta get back,” Orr said. “One piece at a time.”
Orr has higher hopes for this spring, a season where Centralia has already flashed a potent lineup in the early portion of the season.
As of the time of writing, Centralia has scored 30 runs in its first two games, scoring at least 11 runs in each of those two. It’s an early trend that seems to be carrying over from last season, where they plated 10 or more runs eight times in 20 games.
“They’ve been working hard,” Orr said after the Tigers’ win over Hockinson. “They spent a lot of time on their own in the offseason.”
It’s a mix of familiarity and fresh faces for Centralia in 2025.
Payton Baumel, Hollynn Wakefield, and Chloe Bonomi headline a senior class that made the trip to Selah two springs ago, and Makenzie Erickson, Brooklyn Sprague, and McKenna Smith also made that trip east as freshmen.
The lineup has gotten an extra jolt from a pair of Centralia newbies.
Maddalyn “Mad Dog” Rothdeutsch, a catcher who moved from California. She’s already driven in five runs in two games, including a two-run home run in the win over Hockinson.
Madi Mounts played at Black Hills last season and has also moved to Centralia, where she has reached base in four of her first seven plate appearances and has driven in a pair of runs.
“On and off the field, they are just great kids,” Orr said. “They have both been absolutely great pickups for the team … Couldn’t ask for more.”
A pair of freshmen, Ava Horst and Adrianne Lynch, have also made an immediate impact. Lynch has a team-high six hits and two steals through two games, while Horst is 2 for 5 at the plate and has an early OPS above 1.150.
If the offense can keep up as the season progresses, they should compete well in an EvCo that took all four District 4 tournament spots in 2024.
“They’re gonna be some competitive teams,” Orr said. ‘It’s gonna be a great year.”
