Injury keeps Miners pitcher off mound

PALMER — Each year, the Mat-Su Miners roster is assembled with players from all across the United States. In 2015, the Miners roster consisted of 28 players at its start, one above the Alaska Baseball League maximum, which forced the team to leave two players off of the active roster. One of these two players at the start of the year was left-handed pitcher Scotty Sunitsch from Washington State University.

His story was significantly different than of any other Miners.

Sunitsch, who figured to serve in a relief role for the team, did not see the field in 2015. After feeling some discomfort in his throwing shoulder prior to the start of the season, he was put on the disabled list to start the year. He then met with a surgeon in Pullman, Washington, who decided that Sunitsch needed to be put on a rehabilitation program for a month and a half to see if the SLAP tear in his labrum will heal itself.

“You start to feel worthless with an injury,” Sunitsch said.

For Sunitsch, the waiting game continues. If his labrum does not repair itself with rehab work, he will need surgery, which would force him to miss all of his 2016 season at Washington State. Because of the injury, Sunitsch was sent back home to Federal Way, Washington, in early July.

“It’s a learning experience because now I know what it feels like to have baseball taken away from me. You take your favorite sport for granted, I guess,” Sunitsch said.

Sunitsch said Miners relief pitcher Corbin Martin had a similar injury in high school and did not have surgery. Martin is currently the only pitcher in the ABL who has pitched more than four games without allowing an earned run this season. Sunitsch says he feels encouraged Martin’s history with the similar injury.

Despite not appearing in any games for the Miners this season, he did appear in 24 games (two starts) for Washington State during the spring. He finished the season with a record of 0-3 with a 4.28 ERA, while striking out 26 batters and walking 20 in 33.2 innings.

While in Alaska, Sunitsch was able to experience some aspects of the state he had never been able to in the past. One such experience included hiking Hatcher Pass with several members of the team. He feels that his experience in Alaska was worthwhile.

“Leaving Alaska was tough because it was a dream come true (to be there). I had never been there before and I started to fall in love with it,” Sunitsch said. “To add insult to injury the squad up there is the best team I’ve ever seen on talent, and personality-wise as well.”

Sunitsch is not the only one to be affected by his departure.

“(Sunitsch) brings a lot of humor to everyone around him. Everybody bonds with him so well because he is so good talking to people,” said catcher J.J. Hancock, Sunitsch’s roommate and teammate at Washington State. “Having him leave was tough as his roommate and for the team. We miss him a lot.”

With the Alaska Baseball League Top of the World Series set to start Monday and the Miners scheduled to take on the Anchorage Bucs for the ABL title, Sunitsch has no doubts that the Miners will give the Mat-Su Valley a championship.

“The 2015 Mat-Su Miners could beat any summer team in the country,” Sunitsch said.

Sunitsch also received a special offer before returning to Washington. Miners general manager Pete Christopher invited Sunitsch back to Palmer next year to play for the 2016 Miners team.

“The people in the Miners family were great. They took me in like family as long as I worked hard and was a teammate. Pete, (secretary) Denise (Christopher), (clubhouse attendant/groundskeeper) Kevin (Christopher), (vice president) Terry (Johnson), and the coaching staff are fantastic. I can’t wait to go back next year and make my mark on the field,” Sunitsch said.

While Sunitsch will not be in uniform for the Miners in the Top of the World Series, he will still be supporting them from back home in Washington. Game 1 is Monday at 6 p.m. at Hermon Brothers Field. Game 2 is Tuesday at 3 p.m., and Game 3 will follow approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game two, if necessary. The Miners will finish off the regular season today with a 2 p.m. matchup in Kenai with the Peninsula Oilers, which can be viewed on the Mat-Su Miners YouTube Channel.