Alaska Baseball League: Local products gain valuable experience with Miners

Aug. 17, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - You can't always judge progress by merely looking at the statistic sheet.

During the 2007 Alaska Baseball League season, Mat-Su pitcher Michael Carlson logged only nine innings and Miners infielder Adam Briceland saw action in only four games.

But that does not mean Carlson and Briceland didn't improve during their time with the team.

Heading into the season, Carlson, a former Palmer High ace, and Briceland, a past standout at Wasilla High, both knew they wouldn't see a ton of playing time on a squad full of all-conference caliber players from some of the top Division I schools in the nation.

But both saw the chance to be a part of a squad in one of the top summer collegiate developmental leagues in the country, as an opportunity they could not refuse.

&#8220I definitely learned a lot, and got a lot better,” Carlson said after the season. &#8220Being around good players makes you play up to those standards.”

Carlson redshirted his freshman season at Odessa Junior College in Odessa, Texas, before joining the Miners. Briceland was a redshirt at Western Oregon, a Division II program.

Carlson said he nearly pitched in a summer league in Texas, but opted instead to pitch in his hometown.

With the Miners, Carlson got daily instruction from a pair of pitching coaches. Mat-Su pitching coach Coner Bird is a coach at College of Marin in California, and assistant pitching coach Ryan Heil is a college coach and former minor league pitcher.

&#8220The pitching coaches boosted my confidence every day,” Carlson said. &#8220That's one of the biggest reasons I improved so much.”

Carlson said his improvement during the two-month season was significant.

&#8220When I first got there my mechanics were pretty poor,” Carlson said. &#8220Now I'm throwing a lot harder, and a lot more accurate.”

Carlson said his coaches stressed things such as staying on his back foot and altering the movement of his hips during his delivery.

The result - Carlson added about seven mph to his fastball.

He started the summer throwing in the 82-83 mph range, and now can hit 88 and 89.

&#8220The mechanics definitely made the velocity go up a lot,” Carlson said.

Carlson - who throws a fastball, curve and splitter - said he would like to be a starter, but could also handle a role as a key reliever. He'll return to Odessa JC for another season, and hopes to land a spot on a Division I roster in the future.

&#8220My goal is to go pro,” Carlson said.

Carlson finished the summer with a 2.00 ERA in nine innings. He fanned four hitters, and allowed only two earned runs.

He worked out of the bullpen against ABL opponents, but Carlson had the chance to start a nonleague game.

In seven innings against the Anchorage Adult League All-Stars, Carlson struck out eight and gave up only one unearned run.

He threw 68 pitches.

While Carlson feels he made some major improvements with his mechanics, Briceland said it was all about the little things.

&#8220I had pretty good fundamentals, but needed little tweaks here and there,” Briceland said.

Briceland said it was a little nerve-racking when he did step up to the plate against Division I competition in the ABL, but an experience that will help him in the long run.

Briceland, an infielder who can play either first or third, is hoping to crack the lineup once he returns to Western Oregon. And like Carlson, he is planning on returning to the Miners next year for another summer in the ABL.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.