Champions Must Start Over -- Edmonds Baseball Association Balances Coaching And Player Changes

It's that old, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately line for the Edmonds Baseball Association American Legion team.

Ten months ago, the team won the state Legion championship in Spokane. Today it starts over with the rest of the teams in the league.

The renewal process has been eventful.

The starting lineup from last year's tournament is gone. So is the head coach and most of the pitching staff.

"We're slow getting started," said Bill Tsoukalas, who coached the pitching staff last year and took over as head coach this year. "I still don't know what I have to work with. Any time you combine four high schools, it takes a while to learn everyone's name and learn where everyone plays and what they can do."

It's as important to look at who isn't playing as to focus on who is.

Ron Martin, who coached the team last summer and led Meadowdale to the state Class AA championship this spring, is coaching Husky Fever in the Western League, a semipro league that includes the former national champion Everett Merchants and the Seattle Studs.

Three players expected to have a major impact are not on the roster.

Brian Wisler, who led Lynnwood to a fourth-place state Class AA finish this spring, was expected to lend his pitching talents and potent bat to the lineup. He changed his mind after the start of Legion practice and returned to a Connie Mack team in Bellevue.

Daryl Masanda, who played shortstop at Meadowdale this spring,

joined U.S. Bank, an Edmonds-based Connie Mack team. Masanda started at second base and catcher last year for Edmonds Baseball Association.

Terry Hetland, an all-league catcher for Lynnwood who started behind the plate and on the mound last year, has yet to turn out for any summer baseball team.

"Losing those kids really hurt," said Corky Frady, the president of the Edmonds Baseball Association. "I'm disappointed. It's tough to lose starters like that."

Losses like that would leave some programs bankrupt of talent. But Edmonds draws from four high schools - two of which, Meadowdale and Lynnwood, were among the four best in the state at the Class AA level this season. The Legion team also draws players from Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace.

That leaves Tsoukalas optimistic. He said it will take a few games for the players to get to know one another.

"Last year's team took a while to come together, too," he said. "After the first 15 or 16 games we were just barely over .500. Then we went to a tournament and the guys had a chance to socialize and get to know one another. That was the difference."

Tsoukalas' son, Mike, who has signed a letter of intent to play for Gonzaga University in Spokane, will pitch and play third base. He was one of the team's top pitchers last year.

The younger Tsoukalas, who injured his throwing elbow during high school spring vacation while playing in a nonconference game, was limited to playing third base for Lynnwood.

Meadowdale sophomore Brett Brown, who pitched a three-hit shutout in the state championship game, will be the team's other top starter. Brown was on last year's Legion team, but did not play in the state or regional tournament.

Mike Furby, who helped Edmonds-Woodway qualify for the Western AA Conference playoffs, and Paul Demodica, who helped Lynnwood to its fourth-place state finish, round out the starting staff. Dan McDonald of Edmonds-Woodway will provide back-up long relief out of the bullpen.

"I think our pitching staff is going to be pretty good, but it's not as strong as we thought it was going to be when we thought we were going to have Wisler and Hetland," Tsoukalas said.

John Rose had a strong senior season at Edmonds-Woodway and is a quality replacement for Hetland at catcher. But that leaves the team without an experienced backup. Tsoukalas said he dip into the Junior American Legion squad to find help.

Rose's teammate with the Warriors, Nate Tyler, is the team's shortstop, and Meadowdale third baseman Matt Bridgewater will play second for the Legion squad.

A key addition will be Mike Bruggom, one of the leading sluggers for Lynnwood this past season. Bruggom, who signed a letter of intent to play baseball for Skagit Valley Community College next season, will play right field and provide the team with a legitimate power hitter in the middle of the order.

The team will finish its first league series of the season tonight at Mariner High School and tomorrow night at Edmonds High School against Mukilteo.