It’s a dream come true for Dan Somoza.
The Edmonds-Woodway graduate was hired as the Warriors’ new baseball coach last week. He replaced Matt Barker, who resigned due to a career change.
Somoza was the junior varsity coach for the last two years under Barker.
“I’m really excited about it,” Somoza said of his promotion. “I played there (Edmonds-Woodway). It’s just exciting to be back at the place you played.
“It’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Edmonds-Woodway returns only one starter and Somoza anticipates that the majority of the team will be moving up from the junior varsity squad. So he’ll be very familiar with his team.
“I know the kids and they know me,” said Somoza, who played under former coach Joe Webster from 1990-94 and then at Bellevue Community College under Mike Kanzaki. “Basically, the JV team is going to be the varsity team.”
Somoza later went on to play at Oklahoma City University, where he earned all-conference and academic All-American honors. He previously worked as an assistant and head assistant coach at Bellevue Community College.
He currently is a physical education teacher at Martha Lake Elementary.
Somoza’s goal as a coach is to have fun but at the same time push the players, teach them how to respect the game, other coaches and their teachers.
“I want to help them move on as productive members of society,” Somoza said.
That he is moving up from within the program will help ease the transition, Somoza added.
He can’t wait to get started.
“I’m an Edmonds kid,” Somoza said. “I love it. Most of my connections are here. I love teaching. This is a dream job.”
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