Miners pitching coach recruits local players

PALMER — After the end of the 2013 Alaska Baseball League season, Mat-Su Miners pitching coach Brad Baker didn’t leave the Valley empty handed.

Baker, the new head coach at Blue Mountain Community College, took a pair of the area’s top players with him.

Former Wasilla High standout Josh Grissom and former Colony standout Jacob Butcher were both recruited by Baker and will play for college baseball for Blue Mountain.

“Three weeks before heading up here I got the head coaching job at Blue Mountain. I was still recruiting pretty hard. I was hoping to find a couple kids,” Baker said by cellphone Friday afternoon.

Grissom, a 2012 WHS graduate who played NAIA baseball at Dakota State in Madison, S.D., last season, was the Miners bullpen catcher during the 2013 summer season. Grissom — a utility player who can pitch, catch and take the field — pitched in one ABL league game and appeared in two nonleague games for the Miners.

“I coached him all year. He’s a tremendous kid,” Baker said of Grissom. “I can’t say anything negative about Josh.”

Grissom pitched a scoreless inning against the Alaska Goldpanners during the regular season. Grissom also appeared in a nonleague game against the American Legion All-Stars on July 26. At the plate, Grissom finished 1-for-1, with a double, walk, two RBI and a run scored. He also pitched a perfect inning for the Miners.

“He was always soaking up things, so anxious to learn,” Baker said of Grissom.

As a Dakota State freshman, Grissom stepped to the plate for only six at-bats, but he did see 10 innings of work on the mound.

He fanned four and walked two hitters.

In the Valley, Grissom was a high school standout at Houston and Wasilla, and was also a member of the Alaska Road Warriors American Legion squad.

Baker said Grissom has the ability to pitch and catch at the college level.

Butcher recently capped his high school career with the Colony Knights, but Baker saw what Butcher could do as a member of the Road Warriors.

“(Butcher) walked in and talked to the coaches of the Miners, and (asked) if we were looking for a player,” Baker said. “I went out to watch his Legion game. I really liked what I saw.”

Butcher has pitched and played in the outfield during his time with the Knights and Road Warriors. He’s also hit at the top and middle of the lineup. Baker saw Butcher work on the mound.

“He has good command of his pitches. He dominated the team he was facing,” Baker said of Butcher. “He can definitely work his way into the mix.”

As a senior, Butcher helped lead Colony to a Southcentral Conference title. He finished 8-0 on the mound with 60 strikeouts and a 3.70 earned run average. At the plate, Butcher batted .315 with 21 RBI and 23 runs scored.

Baker said Butcher will have the chance to earn time on the mound and in the field.

Baker, a first-year pitching coach with the Miners, is a former player at Blue Mountain CC. He also played college baseball at Pacific University in Oregon, where he had spent the last seven years as pitching coach.

Baker is slated to return to be the Miners coach next season. He said he hopes to continue to keep his eye out for local talent.

Blue Mountain CC competes in the East Region of the Northwest Association of Community Colleges.