BUTLERTWP — Austin Leffler is still at a loss for words when it comes to greeting Curt Schnur at the baseball field.

His conundrum? What to call his former Knoch HighSchool baseball coach and current teammate on the Saxonburg Eagle County League team.

"The hardest thing was trying to figure out what the heck to call him out here," Leffler said.

He still isn't quite sure. His choices are Coach, Curt or Mr. Schnur. Leffler is still struggling with it.

"Last year it was Coach all year," Leffler said. "This year, I'm still a little uncomfortable calling him Curt."

Schnur has a slew of his former players suiting up with him teammates withSaxonburg.

They had always shared a uniform — Schnur has coached the Knoch baseball program for eight years — but this summer they are sharing a uniform as equals.

It has taken Leffler the better part of two seasons to get used to that relationship.

Leffler played for Saxonburg after his junior season in high school, then returned toKnoch to play for Schnur in the spring, and is now his teammate again.

"Actually, it freaked me out for about a game," Leffler said. "Then I got used to it. He's just another guy. He's a great guy."

Leffler is one of six on the Saxonburg roster who have gone from a Schnur player to a Schnur teammate. The others are JustinDemek, Zach Toth, Dan Pickard, Matt DeSantis and Jeff Foster.

Steve Hall, who is an assistant coach at Knoch, is also a member of the Saxonburg team.

"It's definitely a special feeling," Schnur said. "It's nice to see any kid at your program go to the next level."

That doesn't mean Schnur puts his coaching hat on the dugout step before he hits the field with his former players.

Schnur still finds the urge to be a coach as well as a teammate.

"Oh, yeah," Schnur said. "Always. Always. We're more teammates now, but I'm still coaching."

"He offers advice," Leffler said. "Maybe a little more than everyone else."

Perhaps no one's situation stands out more than Demek.

A catcher for three years at Knoch, Demek finds himself now catching his former coach.

And calling pitches.

It's a position thatDemek has had to work his way into: finding a comfort zone.

Schnur also is well aware when he toes the rubber how delicate a situationDemek is in.

"I try to work with him calling the pitches," Schnur said. "I try to work with him on what kind of game to call, what the out pitch is for pitchers and to maximize their potential. He does very well back there."

Demek said he knows his place.

When Schnur shakes him off, he knows his former coach means it.

No going to the mound to lay down the law.

"I don't really have enough courage to do that," Demek said, laughing. "He doesn't shake me off that often."

Schnur is particularly pleased at how well his former players are doing this summer.

Demek is batting .581 with 12 RBI. Leffler has been a beast at the plate with two homers, 13 RBIand a .423 average. Pickard is hitting .429 and Toth has a 2.43 ERA.

Schnur, too, is having another stellar season. Until Wednesday's loss to Mars I, he hadn't given up an earned run. He's also hitting over .500.

The success has helped temper the sour taste of a high school season that saw Knoch start the season with 10 straight losses and finish 3-14.

Leffler and Pickard were seniors on that team.

"It was their senior year and those guys worked hard," Schnur said. "I wish it would have worked out better for them."

Demek said his former coach hasn't changed a bit, whether it was coaching them from the dugout during their high school days as boys or playing along side them now as men.

"At first it was kind of weird playing with Coach," Demek said. "But you get used to it. He didn't change at all. Same old Curt."

Um, coach Schnur, that is.