Burke, VA- Former West Springfield coach Ron Tugwell spied on his old team one day, setting up in the school's parking lot and watching from behind the outfield fence. His curiosity wasn't discovered until he spoke with his predecessor later, commenting on what was happening in practice.

His eyes won't be the only one's on the Spartans. Many are curious to see what new coach Ken Munoz does in his first season at West Springfield.

All he has to do is replace Tugwell, who won two state titles in 26 years and made a habit of reaching the Northern Region final. And Munoz must deal with high expectations for a team that returns a pro prospect and is considered the one to beat in the Northern Region.

``This definitely not a situation where things were falling apart,'' said Munoz, a Spartans' assistant for five seasons and a former George Mason University player. ``I know he built an unbelievable program. It's a little difficult thinking of trying to measure up. But I have a lot of confidence that I can continue what he already started. I learned a lot working with him.''

But Munoz isn't the only coach going through an indoctrination process.

Nine other teams will have new coaches this season: Robinson (Bill Evers), Chantilly (Chris Haddock), Fairfax (Rick Freeman), Langley (Jeff Ferrell), Marshall (Richard Sullivan), McLean (Joe McDonald), Mount Vernon (Jim Linza), Falls Church (Jim Goldsmith) and Edison (Dave Snider).

In addition, Chuck Welch takes over at first-year school Westfield after 17 seasons coaching Langley.

``It's refreshing being at ground zero,'' Welch said. ``This is similar to my first year of coaching.''

It's likely a record for coaching turnover in a region used to baseball coaches who rarely left.

In the past two years, 16 schools have changed coaches. Some coaches, like Ferrell and Linza, spent one season at their former schools before taking their new jobs (mostly to teach in the school where they coached).

After trying to establish the ground rules for the program in one place, they must start over, concentrating on everything from discipline to jersey styles.

``It's really like starting everything from scratch,'' Linza said. ``Next year should be that much easier because we'll have all that stuff in place.''

For the first time in a long time, no area coach will be in their 20th year at one school. Lake Braddock's Dan Griel, in his 17th year, has spent the most time at one school.

``Usually by this time, I've had a half-dozen conversations with Tugwell,'' Griel said. ``So that will be different. The personality of the teams will be different. I've had a good feel for how guys run their teams and the [strategy they use]. But this is good. It's re-energized baseball.''

In the last two years, three coaches with at least 25 years experience have retired: Tugwell, Oakton's Tom Hall and Marshall's Dean Sissler. They represented an era when baseball coaches stuck at one school, creating few openings for younger coaches.

But with more responsibilities, fewer coaches are willing to hang around that long.

A common theme is the amount of paperwork coaches must deal with. Also, baseball has sprouted into a year-round sport with fall leagues and winter camps. Fundraisers also drain energy.

That, coupled with the usual headache of field maintenance - something coaches in other sports don't have to deal with - has stripped many coaches of their desire to last a long time.

``These guys used to stay around 20, 30 years,'' Oakton coach Scott Rowland said. ``Now it's different. But this is the way it will be. You won't find 30-year guys anymore.''

``You see that in all sports,'' said Haddock, who replaced Tim Gordon. ``There are a lot of great coaches at the tail end of their careers. I can only hope I have the success of Tim or Ron. If I have half the success they did, I will have done a good job.''

Most aren't looking that far down the line. Like Munoz, Freeman is trying to fill large shoes by replacing Tom Verbanic, who won eight district titles in 17 years.

``It's nice to take over a program where the program is already established,'' said Freeman, a 1986 Fairfax grad who spent three years as a Rebel assistant under Verbanic. He also spent five seasons as Falls Church's head coach. ``But you could become a goat real quick. [Verbanic] was like a mentor for me. We do some things different, but baseball already was taught well here.''

Haddock, who is Munoz's brother-in-law, and Sullivan also are coaching their alma maters.

``This is the only place I ever wanted to coach,'' said Sullivan, who played for Sissler.

Ditto for Haddock, a 1988 Chantilly alum, who takes over for Tim Gordon.

Haddock, a Chargers' assistant for seven seasons, called Chantilly his dream job. No one knows better than he the Chargers' tradition. In the past two years, Chantilly won 40 games - more than any other team.

``It will be different,'' Haddock said. ``There will be a lot of new faces in the dugouts and at the meetings. But time marches on and we'll get to know good people. This will be exciting for me and a lot of the younger guys. I plan on being here for a long time. I've got a great deal.''