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Matt Wallis

LA CONNER — A small wooden placard adorns the press box at La Conner High School’s baseball field, a reminder of a decade-old two-year run the likes of which the school hadn’t seen before and hasn’t seen since.

Jeremiah LeSourd and Andy Otis were key components of the best baseball teams the city of La Conner has produced, teams that reached the state championship games in 1998 and 1999.

“I remember going to Yakima to watch them,” said Braves player Chris Pierson, who was 8 at the time. “I thought it was cool. I kind of looked up to them.”

Pierson and the rest of the 2008 Braves are now looking to the duo for guidance.

A decade removed from the state title games, LeSourd took over as the Braves coach this year.

Otis, along with LeSourd’s younger brother, Nate, are his assistants.

“It’s an honor to coach at La Conner High School,” LeSourd said. “Since I was in high school, I knew this is what I wanted to do. I wanted to coach here. I wanted to coach at my alma mater, so it was great the school district gave me the opportunity.”

LeSourd coached the junior American Legion team for three summers and was an assistant on the high school team to Dave Storrer in 2003 before leaving to attend mortuary school.

He returned to work at Kern Funeral Home, the family business, in 2005.

When former coach Rich Watkins stepped down for health reasons after last season, LeSourd was hired as head coach.

“I wanted to be part of the community, and I wanted to see people when they were smiling,” LeSourd said. “I don’t want them to just see me on the worst days of their lives.”

Upon getting the job, he called his friend and former teammate. LeSourd and Otis had talked about coaching together as far back as high school.

The process has been a crash course. While they had coached a few of the players in their younger days, for the most part they had to learn a new group of players and get them ready for games in two weeks.

Many of the older players went to state for basketball, which cut another week off the process.

“Coming into this situation, you’ve got to get the kids’ respect and discipline,” Otis said. “We had one week before we started playing games, so we had to set down the rules.”

Their place in La Conner history helped. Otis is also one of the best all-around athletes to come out of La Conner, and still owns the county’s all-time basketball scoring record.

“It definitely counts that they have that experience,” senior Kenny Ketcham said. “They’re not so old school. They’re really into the game. You’ll never catch them not into the game.”

“They’re the most focused coaches I’ve ever had,” Pierson added. “During games, they’re all business, but there are times in practice when we joke around. It is more focused than the past.”

The two preached fundamentals, working extensively on fielding and throwing, and letting the hitting take care of itself. They also developed a good cop-bad cop partnership, with Otis as the bad cop.

“Our mentality is still a lot of the way it was when we were younger. He’s the one who tells you how it is,” LeSourd said. “It’s been a lot of fun. I can’t believe how fast things have gone. The season is only two months. Before you know it, the season is halfway done.”

The Braves have won five of their eight Northwest 2B/1A League games this year, putting them in the hunt for a playoff spot and a building block, their coaches hope, to a return to their former prominence.

“I want them to have banners, to have something to tell their children about,” LeSourd said.

Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or by e-mail at