Mat-Su Miners coaches taking advantage of opportunities

PALMER — A chance of a lifetime for one coach has created a great opportunity for another.

Mat-Su head coach Russell Raley was slated to arrive in Palmer earlier this month to lead the Miners for the second-straight summer. But as the Miners head into their third week of the 2010 Alaska Baseball League season, they’re still waiting for Raley to arrive.

Raley’s still not here, but for a good reason. Raley, an assistant coach on the University of Oklahoma staff, is with his college team as the Sooners compete in the College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

“It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. (We told him) don’t worry about us,” said Mat-Su assistant coach Craig Ringe, who is filling the role of field manager during Raley’s absence. “Hopefully he’ll get a national championship.”

While Raley is enjoying the highlight of his young coaching career at the College World Series, Ringe is taking advantage of his chance to lead a team in Alaska.

“I’m enjoying the opportunity,” Ringe said. “I feel very comfortable, not by any means do I feel overwhelmed.”

With Ringe as the interim skipper, and with the help of pitching coach Michael Hunt, the Miners entered Monday night’s contest against the Anchorage Bucs sporting a 7-2 mark in ABL play. The Miners won nine of their first 12 games this season, and spent a good portion of the first two weeks of the season in first place.

Raley, Ringe and Hunt made up the coaching staff that led the Miners to the ABL title last year, so Ringe and Hunt know what Raley and Miners general manager Pete Christopher expect from the ball club. Raley and Ringe also share similarities in style and personality, which should help the transition once Raley does hit Hermon Brothers Field.

“I think we’re on the same page. We’re both pretty aggressive and take the same type of attitude toward our club,” Ringe said. “I think that’s why we worked so well together last year.”

Christopher said it’s difficult being without a head coach for a stretch early in the season. He expected Oklahoma to do well this season, and planned on being without Raley for at least the exhibition games. And then the Sooners kept winning. They quickly moved through the Regional and Super Regional rounds. On Sunday, Oklahoma edged South Carolina 4-3 and will play Clemson Tuesday. Clemson upset top-ranked Arizona State 6-3.

Christopher also said coaching in the CWS is a great opportunity for Raley, and the Miners are excited for their head coach.

It’s also been easier, considering the success of Ringe and Hunt. Christopher said that proves the importance of having a quality staff.

“You need to have good coaches all around,” Christopher said.

This is the first time in Christopher’s eight-year tenure as Mat-Su general manager that an entire coaching staff returned for a second season. ABL coaching staffs experience turnover just about as often as the players do. But for the last two years, Christopher has had the same quality group leading his club.

“I had scouts come up to me last year at (the ABL MLB Showcase). They were impressed with the Miners and the way they handled themselves,” Christopher said. “That all goes back to the coaches.”

Christopher has said he believes Raley is on the fast track to great opportunities in baseball. The longtime baseball man also believes Ringe will have a good future in the business.

Ringe, who starred at Division II Central Missouri State, has been coaching for about five seasons. The St. Louis, Mo., native was selected in the 2002 MLB draft by the Texas Rangers and played for more than five seasons in the Texas organization. He reached the Double-A level, and played for Frisco of the Texas League.

Since Ringe, a collegiate and pro infielder, hung up his glove, he has coached at the prep, club and college level. Ringe was an assistant at Kansas State for two seasons. He coached high school baseball and served as an instructor at a baseball academy this year.

Ringe said he’d like to return to the college coaching ranks in the near future.

“You’re done playing, but you still love the game,” Ringe said. “You want to make people better.”

During his college playing career, Ringe became one of the best to play for Central Missouri State, a school now known as the University of Central Missouri.

Ringe played in the Division II College World Series in three of his four seasons with the Mules. In 2001, the Ringe-led Mules were the Division II runners-up and finished third in 2002. He was a three-time, first-team All-Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletic Association selection and was named the conference’s player of the year following his senior season.

Ringe still holds the Division II record for runs scored in a career and the school record for walks in a career. He is second on the Mules’ career charts in five other statistical categories.

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