Moose, Knights earn spots in state baseball tourney

PALMER — At the beginning of the season, Palmer head coach Dave Combs knew he had the pieces. But overall success would come down to whether his team could put it together.

During the Southcentral Conference Championships, the Moose came together and Palmer is in the state tournament for the first time in school history. Palmer and Colony grabbed the conference’s two automatic berths to the ASAA/First National Bank State Baseball Championships, which starts Thursday at Mulcahy Stadium in Anchorage.

Palmer used a 10-7 victory over Colony in the region final to make school history, and will play South Anchorage Thursday at 4 p.m. in the first round. Colony, which needed a 14-5 victory over Grace Christian in the region’s second-place game, faces Chugiak Thursday at 7 p.m. at Mulcahy.

Palmer entered the region tournament as the seventh seed, but beat three higher seeds en route to its first region title since 1997.

“(The players) figured out, if we try our best, somebody has to bring it to beat us,” Combs said earlier this week.

Palmer finished just 3-5 in conference play during the regular season, but the five losses came by a combined nine runs.

“Nobody really blew us out,” Combs said.

Combs said something clicked for his team late in the season. The pieces fell together. Players began living up to their potential, he said. Confidence grew. Combs said his players executed when the team needed it.

“The Colony game, there was no way we were going to lose that one, even though it was back and forth,” Combs said. “It was really cool to see.”

After edging second-seeded Homer 4-2 in the first round, Palmer scored a combined 27 runs in its next two games. Palmer pounded Grace Christian 17-4 prior to the 10-7 win over the Knights.

Combs, in his 11th year as head coach, is a former Palmer baseball standout. As a player, he helped lead the Moose to a conference title in 1996 and 1997. The conference included only four teams — Palmer, Colony, Wasilla and Kodiak — and there are no banners in the gym. Combs said he’s thrilled Palmer baseball is going to finally get its banner.

South Anchorage finished second in the Cook Inlet Conference. Combs said who Palmer plays doesn’t matter.

“I don’t care who we play,” Combs said. “What do we have to lose? We got our goal we set out to do.”

But that doesn’t mean Combs doesn’t believe his Moose can have success in their first trip to state.

“To make noise in state wouldn’t surprise me at all,” Combs said. “Nobody expects us to do anything.”

Combs said he used Sitka as in example in a speech to his players.

“Sitka was 9-7 going into the state tournament and won a state title,” Combs said of the Wolves last season.

Colony, which faces CIC champion Chugiak, is in the state tournament for the second straight year. The Knights were the fourth-seed in the region tourney. Prior to regions, Colony head coach Jordan Chadwell said his team’s leadership and pitching has been key.

“We have some seniors who have been around for a little bit,” Chadwell said. “It makes a big difference.”

Colony opened regions with a 17-5 win over Soldotna and followed with a big 3-1 victory over Kodiak.

Valley players named all-conference

A handful of Valley players earned All-Southcentral Conference honors.

Junior Luke Guggenmos represented Palmer on the first team. Seniors Joe Ryan and Kolten Ketchum were named first-team for Colony. Wasilla landed seniors James Arend, Ben Werner and Austin Robertson on the first team.

Wasilla’s Clayton Boyett, Kyle Graham; Palmer’s Skyler Hale, Brady Shults and Kalen Huddleston; Houston’s Noah Plumb and Hayden Chivers; and Colony’s Cooper Smith, Trace Severson and Zach Satterly were named to the second team.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.