Mat-Su Miners finalize 2005 summer schedule

April 19, 2005

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Frontiersman sports editor

The Mat-Su Miners now know the path to defending their Alaska Baseball League title. And there are 46 obstacles in 49 days.

The ABL recently released its 2005 master schedule and the 46-date adgenda for the Miners.

The Miners, who finished 27-15 overall and 22-13 in ABL play last season, open hosting a Southern California summer league club on Thursday, June 9, at Hermon Brothers Field.

Mat-Su general manager Pete Christopher said with the first glance at the schedule he always looks for the number of road trips and the number of days off. If that is the criteria for a tough season, Mat-Su may have its work cut out.

After taking a day off following their first two-game series of the season, the Miners play for 25 consecutive days. Mat-Su also has a pair of long road trips toward the end of the season, traveling to Fairbanks for seven games against the Alaska Goldpanners and the Athletes in Action and then to Kenai for a pair of games against the Peninsula Oilers at the end of the season.

The Miners have just seven days off this year, compared with 11 last

year.

A key to the success of the Miners may be their road record in July.

"Going up to Fairbanks is always tough. We never seem to play well up there, at least when I have been general manager," Christopher said. "It's tough, but we have to go up and win and see how it all plays out."

Of Mat-Su's 27-game home schedule, a highlight for fans may be a two-game series against a team from Taiwan on June 15-16. A team from Hawaii was originally on the ABL schedule, but after that squad backed out schedule makers were able to lure the Taiwaneese squad to Alaska for a set of games. A team from Taiwan recently won the National Baseball Congress World Series, a mark all ABL teams annually aim for.

"Its going to be something different, something fun for fans," Christopher said.

The Miners begin ABL play on June 20 with a road date against the Anchorage Bucs.

For the complete 2005 Mat-Su Miners schedule, see Page A13.