Hit parade: Miners boast explosive offense early in the ABL season

PALMER — In 2013, the Mat-Su Miners led the Alaska Baseball League in most major team batting categories. The Miners finished with a team batting average 15 points higher than the runner-up, and scored 20 more runs in league play than any other team in the ABL.

Miners alumni A.J. Simcox and Christian Stewart, both University of Tennessee standouts, combined to lead the league is just about every individual batting statistic.

Hard to top, right?

Judging by Mat-Su’s work at the plate during the first seven league games of the season, maybe not.

Heading into its contest against the Anchorage Bucs Saturday night, Mat-Su boasted a .293 batting average. The Miners averaged 7.4 runs per game in the first seven league outings, and hit double digits in runs three times. The Miners are also averaging a league-high nine hits per league game.

In 11 total games, which also includes nonleague play, Mat-Su is sporting a .283 batting average and a league-high 82 hits. The Miners are averaging just shy of 10 runs per game in 11 total games.

Last season, Mat-Su finished with a .270 team batting average, while averaging nine hits and five runs per game.

“The guys are just starting to get comfortable, getting at-bats and feeling really good,” Miners head coach Ben Taylor said recently.

The Miners are also getting production throughout the order. Four players have a batting average of .333 or higher, and eight of the 14 position players on the roster are currently hitting .280 or better.

“We’ve got good players playing. We’ve got good players on the bench,” Taylor said. “It’s a tough thing to make the lineup every night.”

Taylor said his players’ drive to play every night shows with their work at the plate.

“These guys want to play ball. These guys don’t want to sit the bench,” Taylor said. “When they get their opportunities, they’re making the most of them. They’re making my job really tough, which is fun.”

Cameron Frost has been a steady presence at the top of the lineup throughout the early stretch of the season. Frost, a Washington State outfielder, is batting .357 with a team-high 15 hits. He’s also one of three Miners with a team-high nine runs scored.

“(Frost) can really play. He brings an unbelievable energy to our team,” Taylor said.

Two of the most recent arrivals to the team, Stanford outfielder Jonny Locher and UC Santa Barbara outfielder Cameron Newell, have also sparked the Miners lineup.

Locher exploded for Mat-Su during his first three games, batting .600 with nine hits, seven runs, two home runs and six RBIs. He hit a walk-off grand slam to give Mat-Su a 10-7 win over the Anchorage Glacier Pilots on June 14.

Newell has been just about as impressive batting .480 in his six games with the Valley team. In only 25 at-bats, Newell has 12 hits, two doubles, two home runs, nine runs and a team-high 11 RBIs.

“Newell is going to be a senior. He understands what it takes, knows what to do. Locher has been Mr. Clutch,” Taylor said. “It’s been exciting.”

Newell has at least a hit in each of his six games with the Miners, and has a pair of three-hit nights already.

Cal State Northridge infielder Nick Blaser, another recent addition to the team, is batting .333 in five games, and riding a four-game hit streak.

Grand Canyon outfielder Brandon Smith is batting .282, and has at least one hit in eight of his nine games with the Miners. Grand Canyon shortstop Paul Panaccione, also batting .282, started the summer with a six-game hitting streak.

“It’s fun,” Taylor said. “I didn’t expect to be as complete as we are.”

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