Not your typical rookie; Vancouver, Wash., native making an impact for the Mat-Su Miners

PALMER - Jay Ponciano may be the youngest player on the Mat-Su roster, and the only Miner who has yet to play in a single college game. But Ponciano is no rookie to the game of baseball.

At just a few months past his 18th birthday, Ponciano already has reached the top stages of baseball - several times. He's played in the Little League World Series and the Babe Ruth League World Series. He also helped the Team USA Youth National Team win a gold medal in the 2003 World Championships.

All of this experience, despite his young age, is making the transition to the wood bat Alaska Baseball League fairly easy for the Vancouver, Wash., native.

&#8220I'm pretty used to being away from home, coming in with a team I don't know,” Ponciano said. &#8220I've been through it before.”

Ponciano, a top recruit of Washington State University, was signed by the Miners last week to fill a hole in the Mat-Su roster. The Miners have lost two catchers this season. Lower Columbia College sophomore Tony Jones was sent home last week because of an injury. Jones was signed to replace California junior Travis Howell, who skipped the summer season to fulfill academic requirements.

As a general rule, Mat-Su general manager Pete Christopher said he is always a little skeptical when facing the possibility of signing a player fresh out of high school.

&#8220I went by what the coaches told me,” Christopher said. &#8220He was highly recruited. He could catch, he could throw and he could hit a little.”

Ponciano already had a connection to the Miners. One of his future coaches at WSU is Matt Dorey, the head coach of the Miners. Dorey said there was no hesitation to bring one of Washington State's top recruits to the Valley for the remainder of the summer.

&#8220To be with me and some of the other guys at Washington State, I think is going to be a big advantage for him,” Dorey said.

The Miners already had four WSU players on the roster - pitchers Wayne Daman and Steve Kost, second baseman Travis Coulter and shortstop Paul Gran.

&#8220I feel fortunate to get up here and play with the big boys,” Ponciano said.

Ponciano had been playing summer baseball in his hometown, but felt he had to take advantage of the opportunity.

&#8220I thought it was a good chance to get better at my game,” Ponciano said. &#8220It was kind of tough to leave my summer team, but I had to do what's best for me to play ball at Washington State.”

When Panciano arrived in the Valley, he said Dorey told him he'd catch about every third game. But he's already seen more playing time than he may have thought.

In his first week with the team, Ponciano played in five games. He saw time behind the plate, and as designated hitter. And he's made an impact.

&#8220He can play in this league,” Christopher said.

Ponciano is hitting a modest .273, but already has posted 5 RBI. He has only one strike out in 11 plate appearances.

&#8220When we had to bring a guy up, I thought it was a perfect fit,” Dorey said. &#8220I thought this kid's going to come up here and not be intimidated at all, and he hasn't.”

&#8220He's going to get some playing time, no doubt about it,” Christopher said.

Christopher and Dorey feel the level of baseball Ponciano has already experienced has made him more valuable than the average 18-year-old prospect.

&#8220He's very mature beyond his years,” Christopher said. &#8220That's from facing the top competition every summer.”

In 2000, Ponciano helped lead the Hazel Dell Little League squad to the Western Region title, and a spot in the Little League World Series. The then 12-year-old pitched a two-hitter to lead his team to a 5-0 win in the opening game of the World Series.

At 16, Ponciano helped Team USA win the gold medal in the Youth National World Championships in Taiwan.

Ponciano's prep team, Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, is one of the top teams in the state of Washington each year. At the start of Ponciano's junior season Hudson's Bay was ranked 21st in the nation by Baseball America.

Dorey said the level of competition Ponciano sees each summer is part of the reason why the 5-foot-9, 180-pound catcher is a top Division I recruit, and a player who immediately will vie for a starting spot in the Washington State lineup.

&#8220He's played with some of the best players in the country at his age level,” Dorey said.

That alone eases Ponciano's transition as he now works with a staff full of Division I pitchers. Also helping, Ponciano said, is that he regularly catches the pitches of a highly touted professional prospect.

&#8220I'm lucky. A buddy back home [Greg Peavey] has the chance to be drafted in the first three rounds,” Ponciano said. &#8220He throws with really good velocity in the low to mid 90s, and has a good slider.”

Ponciano was a four-year starter at catcher for Hudson's Bay. He earned all-league, all-region and all-state honors in his final three seasons of high school. He hit .371 as a sophomore and .404 as a junior. Ponciano also lettered in football and basketball.

Ponciano said he considered a number of Division I schools, but felt WSU presented his best opportunity to play right away.

&#8220I didn't want to go somewhere and end up sitting,” Ponciano said. &#8220You don't get better doing that.”

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