Miners coach inks Valley recruits; Colony High grads headed to NWAACC

PALMER — Brad Baker’s not leaving the Valley empty-handed.

Baker, the Mat-Su Miners pitching coach and head coach of the Blue Mountain College baseball program, will be taking a pair of Valley players with him when he leaves Alaska for the summer.

For the second straight year, Baker has recruited two Mat-Su products to play for his Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges baseball squad.

Colony High School graduates Jonathon Boyer and Ben Ross will both suit up for the Pendleton, Ore., program in the upcoming year. Wasilla graduate Josh Grissom and Colony graduate Jacob Butcher played for the Timberwolves last year.

“We had two on the team last year and both did well for me,” Baker said. “Colony High School will have the most kids on my team, three. You wouldn’t think being in Oregon the school with the most kids would be Colony from Alaska. All three will be big contributors for us.”

Butcher, who pitched and played in the outfield last season for the Timberwolves, will be a sophomore. Grissom, who capped his junior college career, will play for Division III Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.

Baker said he’s excited about the pipeline he’s created between the Valley and Blue Mountain, and intends to continue to watch and recruit Valley talent.

“It’s definitely a benefit for me to see the Alaska kids that a lot of the other college coaches don’t get to see,” Baker said.

Baker has had the chance to work with Boyer, a member of the Mat-Su Miners pitching staff, throughout this summer.

“He’s gone out and done well every time in the (Alaska Baseball League). If he does well in the ABL, he’ll do well in the NWAACC,” Baker said.

Boyer, who played at Kansas City Community College as a freshman, has appeared in six games for the Miners this season. The 2013 graduate of Colony High has a 2.84 earned run average and three strikeouts in 12 innings.

“He’s got a big frame. He can locate his offspeed pitch. He has good demeanor out on the mound,” Baker said of Boyer, a 6-foot-6 right-hander. “He’ll be a big part of our pitching staff.”

Ross, a 2014 Colony graduate, has been on Baker’s radar since he recruited Butcher. Ross is currently a member of the Wasilla Road Warriors American Legion baseball program. The corner infielder was recently named to the Alaska American Legion Team of Excellence All-State Team.

Ross is one of the top hitters in the state, posting a .482 batting average and .625 on-base percentage. He had four home runs, 22 RBIs and 15 runs scored during the regular season.

“He’s got the potential to be a really good hitter in the NWAACC,” Baker said of Ross. “He’s a really good athletic.”

Baker said Ross could be a versatile piece for the Timberwolves, with the ability to play either corner outfield or corner infield

spot.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.