Palmer American Legion team looks ahead to future

PALMER — First-year head coach Tim Rockey spent the early chunk of the Alaska American legion baseball season scrambling to find a practice facility, hoping enough players would show up to field nine.

Rockey, a home grown product, baseball-raised in the Palmer Little League and Palmer High School programs, spent nights throwing batting practice in a makeship setup at Palmer High’s Machetanz Field. Rockey, a young skipper just a few years removed from his own high school and American Legion career, took over a program that stood dormant for a year, following a struggle of an inaugural season in 2014. But after the Pioneers stood idle in 2015, Rockey and the Pioneers managed to field a team this season. While growing pains reigned, Palmer found some success in the postseason, and managed a pair of victories during the Matson Invitational at Bartlett High School in Anchorage.

Palmer’s season officially ended with a 10-7 loss to East Anchorage Friday, but Rockey couldn’t deny the optimism created by his squad’s play in the postseason. Rockey said, as he scurried to gather a squad while adapting to his new role as head coach, he could have honestly never imagined capping his first season with a young squad with a pair of postseason wins.

“If I would have been told I would win two games in two straight days in a tournament, that would have blown my mind,” Rockey said.

Palmer finished with only a pair of wins in league play during the regular season, and needed only two days to hit that total during the Matson Invite. Thursday, Palmer rallied to beat Fairbanks Post 11 5-3, a day after the Pioneers thumped Bartlett 11-1.

“It’s the first time we’ve had two consecutive victories without a forfeit,” Rockey said.

Friday, after falling behind early, Palmer rallied to tie the score at 3. But the Pioneers would fall short on a second attempt at the comeback. Down 7-3, Palmer plated three runs in the top of the fifth to cut the score to 7-6. But East found three unanswered runs to cement the win.

Frank Urbano drove in a team-high three runs for the Pioneers, and Trace Severson and Cole Doss and an RBI each. Joe Ryan led Palmer with two runs scored.

“They fought,” Rockey said.

Overall, Rockey said he loves the improvement he’s seen from the players as both individuals, and as a team.

“I couldn’t be prouder of what those kids did,” Rockey said. “Everybody on that team. They not only improved their skills, but they came together as a team.”

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