Stolen bases, broken bats, and high morale; The 2019 Baseball season at Edmonds Community College is off to an amazing start with victories over both Pierce and Big Bend Community Colleges.

The baseball team here at Edmonds has historically set some very high standards, and with their current roster they seem apt to go above and beyond them this year. So far, the Tritons have won 22 regional titles and eight Northwest Athletic Conference championships. For those who may be unfamiliar, the NWAC hosts 36 community colleges from Idaho, Oregon, British Columbia, and our very own state of Washington.

The coach of this intrepid team Scott Kelly, has been named Coach of the Year three times over now as he heads into his seventh season. Under his leadership the Edmonds team has claimed two North Region titles and won the 2014 NWAC.

While Kelly was unavailable for an interview, no doubt hard at work strategizing for the season, I was able to sit down with Paul Gehring, the Assistant Head Coach at Edmonds Community College. His enthusiasm for the sport, and especially the team, was infectious. “It’s fun at this level because you get to recruit them in and you also get to help move them on to the next level,” said Gehring. “It’s fun to see them grow.”

According to Gehring, the Tritons in the past have relied on their superb defense and pitching, and the strategy going forward is to continue to rely on those strengths. He added, however, “I think with the players we’ve brought in, we’ll be a little more offensive than we’ve been in the past.”

As for the players and what they go through in terms of conditioning themselves for the demands of athleticism, Gehring says “It’s a full-time job; they have stuff to do every single day. We do speed training, we do a lot of mobility training, and they lift during the season. It takes a lot of dedication.” Having met with the players, I agree with Gehring’s statements completely. I would add, however, that it also takes an immense amount of passion, of which the players are in no short supply.

Out on the diamond, the team was warming up by doing sprints in the frigid winds. Many of the players said they have been playing baseball since they were around five years old. One of the team’s pitchers Luke Tedrick, said he started when he was three or four years old. “Yeah, my grandpa put the ball in my left hand. I’m right-handed in everything I do except pitch,” said Luke.

First Baseman David Gibons says he’s been playing for about 12 years now. “Since I was five,” said Gibons. “My dad played baseball when he was a kid and he’s always kind of had a love of the game.”

In terms of morale, the players had nothing but positive energy to share, and it’s easy to see the bonds of comradery between all the players. “Being here at Edmonds Community College, I mean we’ve got a great family here and I love all the guys,” said Gibons.

One could easily see the spirit and comradery in the team’s performance on Mar. 1, in their game against the Big Bend Vikings. By the end of the fourth inning alone the Tritons had scored five home runs and had racked up about 10 outs on their opponents, and Zach Archibald swung so hard his bat snapped in half!

Of those 10 outs, First Baseman Gibons contributed six, and Pitcher Luke Tedrick struck out three. And this was only the beginning.

In both the second and third innings, right Fielder Ben David made tremendous plays in catching two high fliers and depriving the Vikings of scoring any runs. While on the subject of high fliers, Short StopYugo Hamakawa was hitting balls straight into the stratosphere for much of the game.

EdCC is fortunate to have a roster of such talented and driven athletes, most of whom plan to “live the dream” and compete in the MLB someday. After the performance against the Vikings it’s not difficult to imagine David Gibons could sign on with the San Francisco Giants, or Luke Tedrick pitching for the Red Sox. Given the history of Edmonds baseball players going on to play professionally, it seems even more plausible.

Since the Triton baseball team was first founded, 69 players have been drafted into the big leagues, with the most recent one being Zach Needham in 2017. Needham now plays for the Seattle Mariners.

Whether you want to watch a future MLB star in the making, or you just have a love for good old-fashioned American baseball, make sure to come and show some support for the Tritons baseball team. They have games scheduled every weekend, with the next one on Saturday, Mar. 16, at Yakima Community College.

For games scheduled at Triton stadium, students with a valid EdPass get to attend for free. If you want to bring any family or friends, the fee is five dollars. Go Tritons!