By DAVID SVIEN
Special to the News-Times
The Wolves made every moment count.
Playing seemingly from sunup to sundown in Yakima, the Coupeville High School softball team put together a rock-solid run Friday and Saturday at the 2B state tourney.
By the time they were done, the Wolves had split four games, survived two loser-out contests, wrapped one rumble under the lights at nearly midnight, and put a cap on an impressive 20-3 season.
The fourth CHS softball squad to make it to the big dance, the 2025 edition had the second-longest run of any of those teams, right behind the 2002 Wolves, who won four of five at state en route to claiming a 3rd place trophy.
The Yakima experience began with a 13-0 loss to River View, followed by 18-11 and 12-6 wins over Colfax and Raymond-South Bend, respectively, before ending early on day #2 with a 10-0 defeat to Northwest Christian (Colbert).
It was the final run for Wolf seniors Mia Farris, Madison McMillan, Taylor Brotemarkle, Chloe Marzocca, and Jada Heaton, who led CHS to 64 diamond wins over the past four seasons.
While the loss of the veterans will sting, Coupeville can return its entire pitching staff, as Adeline Maynes is only a freshman and cousins Haylee Armstrong and Capri Anter are sophomores.
Catcher Teagan Calkins is a junior, while first baseman Ava Lucero and second baseman Sydney Van Dyke are also fab frosh.
Add in a strong bench currently anchored by junior Danica Strong and freshman Chelsi Stevens, and Aaron Lucero will likely have a solid base to build on when he heads into his second spring as CHS head coach.
After making the jaunt from Whidbey to Eastern Washington Thursday, the Wolves were on their way to the Gateway Sports Complex by 8:15 a.m. Friday morning.
They wouldn’t see their hotel again for quite some time.
Playing three games in a day, with start times eventually falling 2.5 hours behind schedule, Coupeville was the last winner off the diamond Friday, eliminating Raymond-South Bend at 11:53 p.m.
How long had their day been?
River View, the team they lost to in the opener, picked up back-to-back losses and was sent packing long before the Wolves even made it back to the hotel.
Then, in typical tourney fashion, Coupeville, the last winner off the field on Friday, had to head back to the diamond by a little after 7 a.m. Saturday to play in the day’s first game at 9 a.m.
That was where the gas finally ran out for the Wolves, but not before they impressed their coach.
“First game was a “get the jitters out.” Second game was better against a solid, well coached Colfax team. Third game was the jewel,” Aaron Lucero said.
“The final game we just couldn’t put it together. It happens. There are so many accolades from the team this weekend.”
Lucero praised his squad top to bottom, while noting McMillan blasting a “couple of bombs” which cleared the fence, Calkins playing “like a beast while catching every inning,” and the duo of Maynes and Armstrong coming up big in the pitcher’s circle.
“Adeline kept hitters off balance as she does and Haylee came in every game in relief and threw gas,” he said.
Then there was team sparkplug Jada Heaton, who ripped a nasty foul ball off of her own chin, but stayed in the game, not wanting to abandon her teammates.
She eventually had a trip to the ER and will be dealing with a chipped tooth and badly swollen jaw, cementing her already legendary status among Wolf Nation fans.
“Special year with a special group of incredibly strong young women,” Lucero said.
