Miners release 2003 schedule

This week marks the opening of the 2003 Major League Baseball season. With professional baseball games gracing our television sets, the itch is being felt locally as fans yearn for the start of the Alaska Baseball League season.

To whet the appetite of the local baseball fan, the Mat-Su Miners have released their summer schedule.

The 2003 schedule includes 24 games at Hermon Brothers Field and 17 games away from the Valley. The Miners will also participate in a pair of tournaments during the summer. Mat-Su will compete in the Kenai Tournament, June 9-11, and the Anchorage Bucs Wood Bat Invitational, July 28- Aug.1.

The Miners will opening day at Herman Brothers, Thursday, June 12 against the California Dons. The first pitch is slated for 7 p.m.

Mat-Su will begin its Alaska Baseball League schedule when it travels to Anchorage to take on the Bucs on June 15.

As part of their home schedule, the Miners have several special events planned. These include a doubleheader against Fairbanks on July 13 and a fan appreciation day on July 26.

The Miners are looking to improve on their sixth-place finish in the 2002 season. Mat-Su finished the regular season 14-30 overall and 12-23 in league play.

The Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Fairbanks Gold Panners each claimed a piece of the ABL regular season title going 22-13. The Pilots finished 33-19 overall, while Anchorage finished 31-18.