FIELD OF DREAMS: Valley products find success as members of the hometown Miners

PALMER — Jacob Butcher has been going to Mat-Su Miners games since he was in elementary school. The former Colony High School standout’s family hosted past players, such as future Major Leaguers Josh Satin and David Phelps.

Butcher is spending another summer at Hermon Brothers Field. But this time, Butcher’s not just watching. He’s playing.

Butcher is one of a pair of Valley products on the 2017 Mat-Su roster, alongside former Wasilla High standout Nolan Monaghan. And both are among reasons why the Miners recently clinched the regular-season title and home-field advantage in the Alaska Baseball League playoffs.

Mat-Su head coach Ben Taylor has said throughout the season, Butcher and Monaghan are not in uniform so the Miners can boast a couple of local kids on the roster. Butcher and Monaghan are here because they can contribute, he said.

“The fact that they are two local guys doesn’t mean anything to me,” Taylor said. “They’re just two really good arms from good college programs, and they’re living up to that billing. The fact that they are local boys makes the story even more fantastic, but these two are highly competitive, good arms on a really good pitching staff.”

Both Butcher and Monaghan are 3-1 this season. Each has a save. Butcher has made nine appearances, including three starts, and has posted a 2.14 earned run average with 20 strikeouts in 29 1/3 innings. Monaghan has appeared in 11 games, including four starts, and has a 4.11 ERA. As of Friday night, Monaghan was third on the team with 33 strikeouts in 35 innings. On July 27, Monaghan allowed only two hits over five scoreless innings during a 7-0 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots.

“They’ve just done a good job, a hell of a job,” Taylor said.

Both Butcher and Monaghan said their time with the Miners has exceeded all expectations.

“At first (my expectations) were kind of low. I didn’t think I’d see a lot of time,” Butcher said. “I didn’t now how I’d compare to the rest of the guys.”

In the fall, Butcher will enter his redshirt senior season at Division II Minnesota-Crookston. As a junior, Butcher finished 6-3 and fanned 34 hitters, compared to only 10 walks, in 50 2/3 innings of work. He transferred to Crookston after two seasons at Blue Mountain Community College in Oregon, where he was coached by former Miners pitching coach Brad Baker.

Butcher, a 2013 graduate of Colony High, was named first-team All-Southcentral Conference twice, and was also a standout for the Wasilla Road Warriors American Legion program.

Butcher has climbed the ladder from legion to junior college to Division II. Now he’s finding success in a league made up largely by Division I players. Taylor said Butcher’s toughness and competitiveness stands out.

“He competes. He’s not afraid of anyone,” Taylor said.

Butcher said he’s spent the last three summers away from Alaska, and he wanted an opportunity to pitch in his home state.

“I really wanted to go home, see Alaska in the summer again,” Butcher said. “This is my redshirt senior year. I wanted to be back at home, finish it out at home.”

Monaghan, a 2016 graduate of Wasilla High, led the Warriors to three straight conference titles. He recently completed his freshman season at Feather River Community College in California, where he made a dozen appearances. He was 1-2 with 16 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. Like Butcher, Monaghan said he didn’t expect to have the opportunity to contribute this much.

“I thought I was going to be a bullpen guy, not seeing as many innings,” Monaghan said. “I’ve gotten a lot of innings.”

Like Butcher, Taylor said Monaghan has become an important part of the team.

“Nolan’s found a way to really compete with his repertoire and establish himself in a really important role for this team,” Taylor said. “It isn’t easy for a junior college arm, let alone a freshman junior college arm. I think he’s done a fantastic job, made huge strides for us.”

Both said they feel they’ve improved tremendously this summer. They said Mat-Su pitching Matt Greely has played a big role in their development, and spending their days surrounded by Division I players has made a difference.

“Being around all of these guys from big Division I schools, soak up all the information they know,” Monaghan said.

Monaghan said he hopes to continue to work toward his ultimate goal of the opportunity to pitch for a Division I program. Butcher, who is majoring in golf and turf management at Crookston, hopes to find a career in that field, maybe in baseball stadiums.

In the meantime, both will spend the next week trying to help the team from the community they grew up in win its second straight ABL title.

“Honestly, it’s a dream come true,” Butcher said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.