Miners hand out team awards

PALMER — An annual baseball tradition continued at the Palmer Moose Lodge Friday night. The Mat-Su Miners hosted the annual Miners Host Family Dinner.

The event, which dates back to Pete Christopher’s first year as Miners general manager in 2003, gives Miners players an opportunity to bond with their fellow teammates along with their host families in a recognition of all the families have done for them this season. All the attendees were able to enjoy food and socializing with Miners players and coaches in a lively setting.

As the night began to wind down, it was time to announce the recipients of the Miners team awards. The decision process as to who would be the winners of each of the five awards was no easy task. Assistant coach Sean Winston stressed just how difficult it was to choose the winners.

"It was really tough," Winston said. "When you have so many talented guys on this roster, it's brutal to try and decide which guys should receive the awards. They are all such special players."

Making the process more difficult was the fact the team has the potential to be among the best in club history. The Miners finished the regular season with 34 victories, most in a single season during Christopher’s 13-year tenure with the team. The 2015 mark surpassed the 2010 campaign in which they finished 33-15 and won the ABL crown. Pete's wife and team secretary Denise Christopher reminisced on just how special this 2015 team is.

"It's good to see all the hard work Pete and (head coach Ben Taylor) put in to find these players paid off," Denise Christopher said. "Each and every one of them mean so much to this team, myself, and the community. They are all class acts on and off the field."

Despite the difficulty of putting together the team honors, five names were chosen by the coaching staff for five coveted awards. The most hotly contested of these awards was the Best Pitcher award. With eight of the 12 members of the staff with an earned run average below 1.90 on a team that has a 1.80 ERA for the entire season, finding one winner was difficult. In the end, Eli Morgan was the recipient of the award, possessing a 5-0 record in 42.2 innings pitched. Morgan posted a 0.84 ERA in seven starts, fanning 47, while issuing only 13 walks. The Gonzaga product was very humbled in receiving this award.

"It's a special way to win an award keeping in mind that eight pitchers made the All-Star team," Morgan said. "They all deserved this award as much if not more than me. It was an absolute honor to receive it."

The Most Valuable Player for the Mat-Su Miners was an only slightly easier decision for the coaching staff. There is no player on the roster that has had as big of an impact on a game-by-game basis as Brick Paskiewicz. He possesses the second-highest batting average in the ABL at .342 while leading the league in saves with 14 saves in 14 attempts, and only committing one error in 33 games played out in the field. The Miners are also a perfect 18-0 when he steps onto the mound in a ballgame this season.

The Offensive Most Valuable Player award went to the hitter who stood in the way of Brick Paskiewicz earning the batting title. Alex Caruso has been a trusty bat and run-producer for the Miners all season long. He hit .364 average this season, one home run, and drove in 22 RBI (which is third in the league), and drew a team-leading 23 walks. In 40 games, he's had 13 multi-hit games including Sunday's game in Kenai where he went 3 for 5 with two RBI.

Back in 2003 in Pete Christopher's first year as general manager, a special player by the name of Mike Kelly played on that team. He wasn't a flashy guy whose play would necessarily pop out in statistical categories. Kelly was a guy who consistently played well and did the task he was asked to do no matter how big or small it was. During that year, Kelly went on to save several games for the Miners along with hitting for a good average and playing good defense.

Since Kelly's time with the Miners, Christopher has gone on to name an award after him for the best utility player on the team. Tanner Nishioka was the most deserving 2015 Miner of this award. He has played multiple positions ranging from learning how to play first base to starting in the outfield in this season. Add to that a solid .364 batting average, seven doubles, one home run and 16 RBI, Nishioka has been the model of flexibility and consistency for the Miners this season.

The 2015 Stan Zaborac award for leadership and sportsmanship went to catcher and designated hitter Matt Diorio. The Central Florida product’s calm and collected demeanor has reflected in his statistics with the Miners this season. Diorio stepped up in clutch situations when his team has needed him and has kept his cool when the team or himself has encountered struggles. Fortunately for him and the team's sake, the struggles this season were isolated and few and far between. Diorio collected a .331 batting average this season, good for fourth in the ABL among qualifying hitters. He also has 19 RBI and has committed no errors in his split time between DH and catcher this season.

After the players had been honored, Pete Christopher had one more award to give away. The award he gave was a plaque to Taylor, recognizing him for his 200th win as manager in the summer collegiate ranks. Taylor got that 200th win when the Miners defeated the Pilots 5-4 on July 8. The skipper was most certainly surprised and honored to receive the plaque.

"It was a surprise," Taylor said. "It was a classy gesture from a great man that I'm very blessed to work for."

Taylor will look for win numbers 215 and 216 when his Miners take on the Anchorage Bucs in the Top of the World Series to be played at Hermon Brothers Field.