Miners season preview: Mat-Su staff loaded with lefties

June 10, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - Jeff Pritchard has a thing for left-handers.

&#8220I don't know what it is, but I'm a big fan of left-handers,” the first-year head coach of the Mat-Su Miners said Thursday. &#8220They control the running game, they just give you so many options.”

Considering Pritchard's admiration of the southpaws, it's no surprise the Mat-Su pitching staff includes four lefties. And Pritchard has already penciled in three of those left-handers as starters for the beginning of the season.

Pritchard said he tentatively has St. Johns junior George Brown, Point Loma Nazarene sophomore Jared Eskew and San Diego-Mesa freshman Max Peterson written in as his top three starters.

Gardner-Webb junior Webster Beal is the fourth lefty on the team.

Brown could be the most experienced pitcher on the staff. He finished 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA in 14 starts during his junior campaign. He also had a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 78 innings of work.

&#8220I'm looking forward to having him take some guys under his wing,” Pritchard said. &#8220The guy's been starting at St. Johns for the last two years, and he's thrown some big, big games for them.”

After having Eskew on his team last season, Pritchard said the Bakersfield, Calif., native was one of the first players he contacted about suiting up for the Miners in 2007.

As a sophomore, Eskew posted a 5-3 mark with a 2.96 ERA. He also averaged nearly a strikeout per inning - 71 K's in 73 innings - and walked only 14 hitters.

&#8220He'll remind you a little bit of Jamie Moyer,” Pritchard said of Eskew. &#8220He's not going to blow anybody's doors off, but for some reason he'll be in the seventh inning with a 3-0 lead.”

Eskew pitched for Pritchard last season on the Kauai Menehunes in the Hawaiian Collegiate League.

&#8220Pound for pound he was probably the best pitcher in that league,” Pritchard said.

Peterson finished his freshman season at San Diego Mesa Community College 7-5 with a 3.61 ERA. He fanned 81 hitters in 89.2 innings, and held opponents to a .210 batting average.

Pritchard said his fourth starter could be Santa Clara freshman Alex Rivers. Despite his small stature - 5-foot-10 and 150 pounds - Pritchard said Rivers is imposing on the mound.

Rivers was 2-2 with a 3.35 ERA in 27 appearances as a freshman.

As far as the fifth starter, Pritchard said he wants to see who grabs a hold of the opportunity. Pritchard said there are certainly a group of worthy candidates.

Among them are Lehigh's Joe Matteo, California Riverside's Matt Montgomery, Santa Clara's Nate Garcia and California Santa Barbara's Mike Ford.

Matteo, Garcia and Ford each made 10 or more starts during the college season, and Montgomery recorded a 2.96 ERA.

Looking at his staff as a whole, Pritchard said he is excited about what the Miners have.

&#8220There's a good mix of starting pitching, and then some big, hard throwers for later on in the game,” Pritchard said.

Also on the roster are Washington's Jason Erickson, Michigan State's Chris Cullen, Central Michigan's Bryce Morrow and Odessa Community College's Mike Carlson, a former Palmer High School standout.

Pritchard said he expects the 13 members of his staff to get their opportunities on the mound.

&#8220I like to use a lot of pitchers, especially for summer ball,” Pritchard said. &#8220They're here to pitch.”

Pritchard will also have a pair of pitching coaches to direct the staff. After hiring Conor Bird as his pitching coach early in the offseason, the Miners added a familiar face to the staff. Ryan Heil, fresh off a stint in the New York Mets' organization, pitched for Mat-Su in

2003.

Pritchard said it's a great opportunity to ensure more attention to the staff.

Bird said he is also excited about what the Miners have to work with. With the four left-handers on the staff, Bird said the Miners will be able to easily match-up against opposing hitters.

&#8220In the past when I worked with Jeff, we liked to go with the matchups,” Bird, a College of Marin assistant coach, said. &#8220I think we'll be using our bullpen pretty regularly.”

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.