The Edmonds-Woodway Warriors debuted new high school baseball uniforms on Saturday — and the revealing came with a pronouncement from coach Dan Somoza that could be taken as either a celebratory announcement or a note of warning.

“We wanted something that would stand out, that’s a lot of fun and that people would talk about,” Somoza said. “They’ll either love it or they might hate it, but that’s OK.”

The bright Kelly green shirts and pants with white and purple pinstripes were worn by the Warriors for the first time in their home contest against the Lake Stevens Vikings on Saturday, a game the Warriors lost 9-3.

While the defeat led to a tough-love talk by Somoza to his team after the game, the E-W coach smiled as bright as the new uniforms themselves a little while later while talking about the new team attire.

“We wanted something that’s a little flashy and fun,” Somoza said. “Because baseball’s supposed to be fun. And it’s pretty cool to do something a little bit different.”

“I think they look pretty sharp, in my opinion,” he added.

The all-green combination of shirt and pants can be mixed with white pants also purchased by the team, or could even be paired with the more traditional uniforms the team will continue to wear that include white pants and shirts of different colors, all with and without pinstripes. (The starting pitcher will choose which uniform the team will wear on that particular day.)

Somoza knows the new uniforms may create some debate from fans — in fact, even members of his own team don’t have similar opinions about them. 

Senior Luke Boland expressed his support for the new garb. “Oh man, I love them,” he said. “I think they show our spirit super good. We’re a super energetic team and especially with bright green on. I just love it.”

Players had input into the design of the new uniforms. Boland liked how some of the elements in his design suggestions made it into the final product.

But junior Finn Crawford was hesitant to give the new uniforms his endorsement. “They’re not my favorite,” he said. “I think it’s the brightness. They would be better a darker green.”

The Kelly green is a departure from the more traditional forest green that is a part of other Warriors sports teams’ apparel. But as Somoza had the final say on the design of the uniform, it was his view that ruled.

“I wanted something that would really stand out,” he said. “I thought they would be a little flashier — which they are.”

Choosing the Kelly green could be considered an homage toWoodway High School, the school that closed in the spring of 1990 and merged with Edmonds High School the next fall to form Edmonds-Woodway High School. The Woodway mascot was the “Irish Warriors.” But Somoza has a much simpler reason for the slightly different green color scheme — and the new uniforms as a whole.

“I thought it would be fun just to spice it up a bit,” he said.