Inaugural All-Star Game between Mat-Su Miners and Legion All-Stars at Hermon Brothers

PALMER - The Mat-Su Miners will face a team of All-Stars from the local Post 15 and Post 35 American Legion teams on Wednesday night at Hermon Brothers Field at 7 p.m. This will be the first time that the Miners have played a group of local players since Mat-Su began playing as the Valley Green Giants in 1976. The game comes as a fill-in for a canceled matchup against the Fairbanks Goldpanners, and will be sponsored by the City of Palmer. Mat-Su Miners General Manager Pete Christopher said that he reached out to Post 35 Manager Ken Ottinger last night after canceling the previously scheduled game against the Goldpanners.

“We want to promote youth baseball in the Valley and we’ll keep doing what we’re doing,” said Christopher. “That’s why we have our clinic in July. That’s why I let them use the field so they could get better and that’s the whole point.”

The Miners are currently in first place in the Alaska Baseball League standings with a 15-7 record, and most recently won 8-2 over the Peninsula Oilers on the 4th of July. Tuesday night’s contest against the second place Anchorage Glacier Pilots was rained out. After receiving the inquiry from Christopher Tuesday night, Ottinger asked Palmer Pioneers Manager Matt Ketchum if he would like to have his players join with the Wasilla Road Warriors to take on the Miners.

“I’ve always wanted to write up a Palmer Wasilla lineup and to see the competition that we could put together, so I’ve just been excited all day long,” said Ottinger. “It’s just community pride. I think it just puts more stock into Valley baseball. I haven't been excited for a game for a while, we’ve had kind of a rough season and I’m excited to go join up with Palmer and make it like the old Alaska Road Warriors days.”

Alaska Legion Baseball has sent a team of College Coaches Camp All-Stars to play against the Anchorage Bucs for the last 27 years with a brief hiatus last year that resulted in local Legion players competing against a group of former “Legends.” Last week, the the Chugiak and Eagle River Legion programs sent a group of All-Stars to play against the Chugiak Chinooks, as has been occurring in recent years. Alaska Legion Baseball President Steve Nerland said that plans were in place to hold a Fairbanks All-Star game as well against the Panners.

“We appreciate the opportunity for the kids to be showcased, so we really appreciate that from the Miners in particular,” said Nerland. “This All-Star Game just adds another positive to it.”

The Post 35 Road Warriors have had more success on the Legion level than the Pioneers historically, competing in three championship games and reaching the state title game each of the last two years. The Wasilla Road Warriors became the first Alaska Legion team to compete for a NWCART championship in 2019, enjoying a historic run at a regional tournament in Cody, Wyoming. The Post 15 Palmer Pioneers were revived in 2014 and again in 2016, and enjoyed their most successful season to date last year with a Matson Invitational Tournament Championship win over the South Open team.

“I think us really partnering up with Post 35, which we’re rivals on the field I would like to believe which I think is extremely healthy and it’s a fierce rivalry on the field, but when we’re off the field we're neighbors. We live in the same community and I think it’s great for us to show some solidarity coming together and playing against the Miners,” said Ketchum. “I was a little bit jealous that Eagle River and Chugiak got to do it with the Chinooks and so I was excited for our players to get that opportunity and I just love playing at the Miners field any time we can.”

The Pioneers have enjoyed another year of improvement in 2021 with a 5-6 record in league play that has Post 15 in 4th place in the American Division. The group is positioned to qualify for the team’s first ever state tournament, which Ketchum said was a specific goal set by team leaders this year. The Palmer and Colony High School teams whose players compete for Post 15 also had banner years this spring. Colony made it to the state title game for the first time in school history and the Moose took home the first ever Division II state baseball title, the first in school history.

“I think it’s great to highlight the high school kids that are playing on the east side of the Valley. That program’s been building for five or six years and I hope we get an opportunity to show everybody the kind of ball we’re playing on the east side,” said Ketchum.

Ottinger will retire from his run as the most successful coach in Post 35 history later this year, and is ecstatic for the opportunity to put his players on a field against the Miners in an All-Star Game. It is not uncommon for local Alaskans to compete on Alaska Baseball League rosters, as local players do not count against the team’s roster. Ottinger has sent a number of players to suit up in the green and gold with a long list of former Post 35 players who have enjoyed success at the collegiate level.

“Mike Carlson and Matt Palmer, those two guys when they played, they really donated to the team. They helped the team, and Nolan Monaghan too,” said Christopher.

Wasilla High School and Post 35 product Monaghan pitched for Division 1 Austin Peay University and Colony grads Jacob Butcher and Matt Palmer also had successful careers for the Miners. Currently, former Warriors James Arend and Austin Robertson are pitching for the Miners. Arend is a Junior at Corban University in Oregon and has a 3.08 Earned Run Average in four appearances with 11 strikeouts. Robertson threw one inning in a 5-2 loss to the Pilots on June 12 earlier this year.

This is a developing story.

Follow @Matsufrontiersman on instagram for live in-game updates from tonight’s game.