BOTHELL — First-year varsity coach Fraser Dizard had an easy job when the Lynnwood High School baseball team began tryouts in March.
With only one player gone from a team that advanced to the district tournament last season, Dizard — the junior-varsity coach at Lynnwood the previous three seasons — added just two players to the varsity. The coach then watched as his Royals not only returned to the postseason, but won the district title for the first time since 1991.
And captured the state regional berth that goes with it.
“I’m not real surprised. I knew that we had a good team coming into this,” said Dizard, a former Meadowdale High School standout who pitched at USC before playing four years of minor-league ball. “I was very confident. I was a little concerned that maybe I was too confident because I had never (been a varsity head coach) before and I didn’t really know the talent around and maybe I was seeing through rose-colored glasses.
“I remember at the beginning of the year telling the athletic director that I expected to compete and win the league and he kind of looked at me like, ‘Well, we’ll see what happens. Don’t get too excited too early.’”
The Royals didn’t win the Wesco South 2A/3A — they finished two games behind perennial contender Shorewood — but they did compete. The Royals also got a little revenge against the Thunderbirds in the district championship. Lucas Jungmann allowed just two hits as the Royals shut out Shorewood 3-0 last Saturday to win the 3A District 1 title.
Several players said getting to districts last year, despite going 0-2, helped the Royals this season.
“Lynnwood hasn’t been known as the team to go to playoffs very often, so I think last year was nice but it was a rude awakening,” said senior Lawton Manipon, the Royals’ first baseman. “I feel like we were really overconfident going into playoffs. We played a great team in Lake Stevens and then Arlington later. It was definitely an experience. I had never been in the playoffs up until that point. So going from that, to going into this year and knowing the caliber of play and what type of intensity you need to bring to the field definitely helps.”
Manipon is one of nine seniors who have helped turn things around. Many of them have played on Little League and select teams together for nearly 10 years.
The group’s arrival at Lynnwood coincided with Dizard’s, who took over the Lynnwood junior varsity in 2012.
“A lot of the kids that are seniors today were freshmen when I coached my first year. It’s kind of special for me,” Dizard said. “We’ve been together for four years. That’s definitely made it fun.”
The Lynnwood program has been improving ever since.
“My sophomore year we went 3-16. Now we’re 17-6,” senior second baseman Carson Hoerner said. “It’s just been a great two years. Last year we were playing pretty well together and we all knew that this year was going to be the same team, same people and same positions. The chemistry was definitely there.”
Manipon said that the Royals’ closeness is the reason for their success.
“Playing as a team. We have great players, but at the end of the day the main key to our success has been guys have stepped up,” Manipon said. “Everyone can’t be the franchise player, everyone can’t be the super stud, but everyone adds a portion to the team that helps us win games. We can’t all be the No. 1 player, but if we all play together as a team we can’t lose.”
Of course, it helps that the Royals have two strong pitchers in sophomore Jared Whitman and Jungmann, a senior.
“Our pitching definitely helps our success,” said Bobby Graham, a senior outfielder. “It doesn’t matter if Whit’s pitching or if Lucas is pitching. I’m in the outfield and have complete trust in my pitchers. That’s what makes our defense better. Nobody’s negative.”
That confidence in each other has helped Lynnwood pick up where it left off last season — and then aim even higher.
“I would definitely say (state) was expected,” Graham said. “We’ve been building up to it the last three years.”
Lynnwood faces Auburn Riverside in the 3A state regionals at 1 p.m. Saturday at Dream Field in Mount Vernon. The winner plays the winner of the 10 a.m. Ferndale-Bainbridge game in a state quarterfinal contest Saturday afternoon, with the victor moving on to next week’s 3A state semifinals at the University of Washington.
“I’m not really sure what to expect,” Manipon said. “I know we’re going to face a good team. At this point, every team is going to be good and anyone can beat anyone on any given day. But I feel like as long as I know that my teammates are out there and we’re all doing our job and going for the win, I know we can come away with it. We’ll see how Saturday goes. I’m excited.”
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