Miners named All-ABL

PALMER — Bill Cullen may be among the smallest players on the Mat-Su roster, but the 5-foot-8 centerfielder has made a big impact for the Miners.

Cullen is one of four Miners named All-Alaska Baseball League. Cullen and pitcher Jay Calhoun were both named first-team. Utility player Clint Freeman and pitcher Jake Long were named second team.

Mat-Su head coach Chris Gordon said Cullen, who smacked his league-high eighth home run against the Anchorage Glacier Pilots on Monday, is one of the top players in the ABL.

“He should have got some consideration for player of the year,” Gordon said of Cullen, a Virginia Commonwealth sophomore.

Heading into action Monday, Cullen led the league in home runs and was among the leaders with 21 RBI. He leads Mat-Su in both categories, and is second on the team with 35 walks. He also has seven stolen bases.

“He’s played as good as anybody this year,” Gordon said. “I don’t see Bill having a problem moving up (in baseball).”

Calhoun, Mat-Su’s ace this season, was one of five starting pitchers named to the ABL first team. The Dallas Baptist product is also the son of former Houston Astros pitcher Jeff Calhoun.

“He’s got the pedigree,” Gordon said. “He knows how to pitch at this level.”

Calhoun has dazzled on the mound for the Miners, but Gordon said his preparation between starts also sets him apart.

“He works his butt off. He’s always ready to go,” Gordon said.

Calhoun leads the Miners with a 3-0 record and 1.38 earned run average. He also has 15 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched.

Freeman, a second-team utility player, has made an impact at the plate and on the mound for the Miners.

Entering Monday’s game in Anchorage, Freeman was third in the ABL with a .383 batting average. He leads the league with 44 hits and 11 doubles. Freeman is also second on the team with 19 RBI.

The East Tennessee State product has also pitched in seven games, and has made three starts. He is tied for the team lead with two saves.

“Freeman can do it all,” Gordon said. “He really loves playing this game.”

Long was named second-team as a relief pitcher. A teammate of Freeman at ETSU, Long was a late arrival to the team, but made an immediate impact. Long is currently second on the squad with a 2.08 ERA. He has made two starts and saved one game, and fanned 17 hitters in 13 innings.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com, find him at twitter.com/matsu_sports and find him by searching Valley Sports Huddle on Facebook.

2012 All-ABL

Player of the Year: Chase Compton, Bucs

Top Prospect: Braden Shipley, Bucs

Gold glove: Alex Staehly, Oilers

Silver Slugger: Chase Compton, Bucs

Coaching staff of the Year: Glacier Pilots and Bucs

First team:

First base — Kristopher Kwak, Chinooks; Second base — Josh Miller, Oilers; Shortstop — Blake Miller, Goldpanners; Third base — Kevin Swick, Pilots; Catcher — Jeff Kremer, Pilots; Outfield — Bill Cullen, Miners; Tyler Spoon, Pilots; Danny Susdorf, Bucs; Utility player — Chase Compton, Bucs; Starting pitcher — Jay Calhoun, Miners; Kyle Freeland, Pilots; Scott Grist, Bucs; Jordan Mills, Oilers; Jon Maciel, Oilers; Relief pitcher — Braden Shipley, Bucs; John Straka, Oilers; Travis Pitcher, Pilots.

Second team:

First base — Trey Richardson, Oilers; Second base —Kevin Casey, Goldpanners; Shortstop — Alex Staehely, Oilers; Third base — Ryan Leonards, Bucs; Catcher — Adam Humes, Chinooks; Outfield — Adam Humes, Chinooks; Brenden Kalfus, Bucs; JJ Turbin, Chinooks; Utility player — Clint Freeman, Miners; Nigel Nootbaar, Oilers; Starting pitcher — Trey Teakell, Pilots; Mike Theodore, Bucs; Ben Doucette, Bucs; Jake Long, Miners; Carl Robinson, Goldpanners.