Marc Aparicio is doing what he wants to do, where he wants to do it.

After a military career took him around the world, Aparicio, a 1988 Coupeville High School graduate, returned to Central Whidbey last June and will begin his first year as the Wolves’ head baseball coach this spring.

He’s back, he said, because “it’s home.”

“Honesty, I always wanted to come back here to teach or coach. It’s a dream I’ve always had. I loved playing high school sports here.”

Aparicio played football and basketball for Coupeville, then in the spring he competed in both baseball and track at a time when athletes were eligible to compete in more than one sport in a season.

He spent a year as a music major at Western Washington University and played club baseball for the Vikings. He then began a six-year career in the National Guard.

Aparicio returned to college and earned a degree in construction management from the University of Washington in 1993.

A 20-year career as a helicopter pilot in the  Coast Guard followed.

Everywhere he went, he competed in sports, primarily softball and baseball, serving as player-coach on several teams. He is currently playing on a competitive softball team in Bellevue every Sunday.

“Every chance I get, I play something.”

Leading the Wolves this season will be Aparicio’s first high school coaching job. He replaces Willie Smith, who stepped down after 19 years.

Aparicio and his older brother, Mitch Aparicio, will soon be opening the Penn Cove Tap, part of the Penn Cove Brewery, in Coupeville, but coaching will be his top priority.

“I’m committed to baseball; I’ll manage the business from a distance,” he said.

Aparicio likes the strategic elements of baseball, and that aspect of the game and good fundamentals will be the focus of his program.

Teaching the players to think on their feet will help them in other aspects of life, he said.

“My goal is for the players to think smarter in baseball, and hopefully that will transfer to life lessons.”

Education on the ball diamond, however, is secondary to the opportunities presented in the classroom, he added.

Aparicio has a graduate degree in aeronautical engineering, has an MBA and teaches part time for Arizona State University and the Naval Postgraduate School.

“I want my players to have a well-rounded experience,” he said.

Coupeville begins practice Monday, Feb. 29, and plays its first game at 4 p.m. Monday, March 14, in Sultan. The home opener is 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, March 16, with Concrete.