As spring rolls into Ellensburg, we know one thing for sure—there will be wind—but this spring may bloom into an exciting sports season for Central.

Fall brought some excitement when the volleyball team made its fourth-straight West Regional appearance, while an up-and-down season from both the football and soccer teams left something to be desired.

Winter started to look interesting when both the men’s and women’s basketball team appeared poised to contend for a GNAC title midway through the conference schedule. However, neither team was quite able to get over the hump, and both finished fifth in the conference, eliminated in the first round of the GNAC Tournament.

This spring quarter could be a different story.

Softball roaring to hot start

New head coach Mike Larabee has Central playing some of the best softball in school history. The team entered conference play the last week at 12-1, on a 10-game winning streak.

The streak came to an end on Saturday when the Wildcats lost both games of a double-header against Concordia University. After dropping those games, the Wildcats did exactly what they needed to do the next day—win.

Those wins put Central in a good position to vault themselves up to the top of the conference when they face the two teams in front of them in the standings, Western Washington University and Simon Fraser University, this weekend at home.

Larabee has pushed his philosophy of pitching and defense early in the season, and his team has responded to that message.

The Wildcats lead the GNAC .962 fielding percentage and are second in the conference with a 2.51 ERA. Junior Kianna Wood looks like a contender for GNAC Pitcher of the Year.

Baseball finding their swing

After dropping their first three games while only averaging 2.3 runs per contest, the Wildcats are finally heating up at the plate. They sit on top of the GNAC with a 3-1 record after one week of conference play.

The Wildcats have won five of their last seven games, scoring 7.3 runs per game on average.

Central opened up conference play by taking three out of four games from last year’s conference champion Montana State University Billings.

The Wildcats’ pitching staff has been strong early, posting a 3.35 ERA—second in the GNAC. And their offensive turnaround happened without any big performances by last year’s GNAC Newcomer of the Year, senior Darren Honeysett.

If his bat gets hot at the top of Central’s batting order, Honeysett is capable of being the best leadoff hitter in the conference.

After a disappointing season last year, Central could be the darkhorse candidate to win the conference, which has been dominated by Western Oregon University for over a decade.

A four-game series in Monmouth, Ore., to close out the season may decide who wins the conference championship this year.

Rugby, we’re good at it

Both Central’s men’s and women’s rugby teams have posted a 10-2 record throughout the school year and will be contenders for the national championships in 7’s and 15’s play.

The women finished runner-up for both titles after falling to Penn State University in both matches. The men have been a threat on the national stage for quite awhile now.

Unfortunately, there will only be a few chances to watch both teams in Ellensburg this spring.

On April 2 and 9 the teams will play double-headers, the women playing at 11 a.m. and the men at 1 p.m. The women also have a home match on April 16.

Rugby might not be the most popular sport in America, but Ellensburg features two of the nation’s best collegiate teams.