Miners season preview: New skipper stoked about team's desire

June 8, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - If Jeff Pritchard could use just one word to characterize the 2007 edition of the Mat-Su Miners, the first-year head coach of the Alaska Baseball League team said it would be, &#8220desire.”

&#8220There's a desire to not only play the game correctly, but also to work on some things that may be lacking in their game back at school,” Pritchard said Thursday while taking a break from working on the infield of Hermon Brothers Field. &#8220The theme is they want to bring something to the table, but they also have something they really want to develop.”

The Santa Clara assistant beginning his first coaching venture in Alaska showed nothing but enthusiasm as he talked about his 25-man roster and three assistant coaches.

&#8220I think these guys are pretty headsy baseball players that are interested in getting better, excited to be playing for Mat-Su and excited to be out in the community,” Pritchard said. &#8220They're solid guys.”

Pritchard is the captain of a four-man coaching staff this summer.

Joining Pritchard in the dugout are pitching coach Conor Bird, assistant coach Nate Thompson and assistant pitching coach Ryan Heil.

The four-man staff is something new to the Miners, a club that normally carries just three assistant coaches.

But after hiring both Bird and Thompson, Heil - a former pitcher with the Miners - offered to volunteer his time with the club.

Pritchard said he jumped at the opportunity, knowing that having another former ABL player on his staff could be invaluable. Thompson also played in the league. The former Dallas Baptist player spent the summer of 2004 with the AIA Fire in Fairbanks.

&#8220I haven't coached in the ABL, so I'm going to pick their brains,” Pritchard said.

The Miners begin their 38-game season June 16, hosting Three Rivers in the first of two nonleague games at Hermon Brothers Field. Mat-Su starts the ABL portion of its schedule June 18 against the AIA

Fire.

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