Miners back to defend crown

PALMER — As Russell Raley prepared for his first Alaska Baseball League season as the field manager for the Mat-Su Miners, the former Oklahoma University standout wanted to fill the roster with a particular style of player.

Raley, with Miners general manager Pete Christopher, built their blueprint for success with players who had a blue-collar work ethic.

It worked and the Miners ran away with the 2009 ABL title. Now, Raley and the Miners are building the team the same way this season.

“We looked for kids who are going to play the way we played the game last year,” Raley, who is finishing up the 2010 NCAA season as an assistant on the Oklahoma staff, said by phone late last week. “We played with a lot of emotion, (played) hard every day with a respect for the game.

“We want kids to enjoy being in Alaska, but to get better as a baseball player, understand they’re not just here on vacation.”

Raley said the Miners will have an assortment of talent who can swing the bat — eight of the 13 position players hit .300 or better during the college season — but two other staples allow a team to have success.

“Pitching and defense,” Raley said. “Two things you bring to the ballpark every day.”

The Miners currently have 15 pitchers on the staff, nine right-handers and six lefties.

“I really like to have some balance,” Raley said.

Three or four of those left-handers could be starters for the Miners.

Among the leaders could be Florida International sophomore RL Fondon, Raley said. Fondon finished 5-3 in 18 appearances and fanned 76 hitters in 90 innings. Another to watch is a Division II standout, Incarnate Word sophomore Kirk Jewasko.

During the 2010 season, the southpaw finished 12-3 with a 3.38 earned run average and 105 strikeouts in 106 innings.

James Allen, a standout as a sophomore for Kansas State, finished 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA and eight saves, and could be the front-runner to be the closer.

Florida State’s Scott Sitz was 5-0 for the Seminoles.

Offensively, a trio of Division II products are players to watch, Raley said.

Infielders Brett Schwartz and Nick DeBiasse and outfielder Tyler Ruch come to the Valley from a Central Missouri program that produced Miners assistant coach Craig Ringe.

“They had some gaudy numbers,” Raley said. “We’ll see if they can keep it up.”

Each of the three hit .350 or better, collected 80 or more hits and drove in at least 50 runs. DiBiasse, who hit .406 with 17 home runs and 78 RBI, is expected to start at first base for the Miners. Schwartz (.358, 81 hits, 51 RBI) is expected to start at short. Ruch (.362, 11 home runs, 77 RBI) will be in the outfield.

Miami (Ohio) junior third baseman Ryan Kaup and Tulane freshman Quinn Pippin should round out the infield, Raley said, with St. John’s sophomore Matt Wessinger also in the mix.

Kaup hit .333, Pippen batted .283 and Wessinger finished at .284 with 15 doubles.

Florida International sophomore Pablo Bermudez, who hit .336 and stole 21 bases, should start in center field, Raley said.

Outfielder Matt Ozanne hit .380 and scored 26 runs in 38 games with Santa Clara as a freshman. The Miners also have Scott Arthur, the lone player to return from the Miners’ 2009 title-winning squad, who can play in the infield or outfield.

Arthur stole 21 bases as a sophomore at Texas A&M.

Florida Atlantic junior Andy Mee could also be an intriguing prospect. The two-way player hit .383 with 53 RBI as an outfielder, and finished with 11 saves and a 2.96 ERA on the mound.

Ringe and pitching coach Michael Hunt also return as second-year members of the staff.

The Miners start the season with three, seven-inning exhibition games against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. The team opens Monday against the Pilots at 7 p.m.

The contest will be the first of 46 games scheduled in 55 days. Mat-Su will play 42 total ABL games, 21 at Hermon Brothers and another 21 on the road. The Miners will also play an exhibition game against the Anchorage All-Stars adult league team on July 3.

Among the highlights on the scheduled are a pair of home doubleheaders — against the Bucs on June 20 and Alaska Goldpanners on July 30 — and three games in the annual ABL MLB Showcase at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

The Showcase, which runs July 1-18, was designed to give Major League scouts the opportunity to see all six ABL teams over the weekend at the same location.

For more on the Miners, see the Tuesday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

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