Pitching, versatility excite Miners going into season

PALMER — Speed and versatility.

Those are the sought-after attributes during any Alaska Baseball League recruiting. This year, the Mat-Su Miners feel they have plenty of both.

“We’re very versatile,” Miners first-year head coach Chris Gordon said recently. “It’s not like being in the Midwest, where you can say let’s grab a shortstop for a couple of weeks. We don’t have that luxury. Having guys with versatility is exciting to me.”

Four of the six infielders on the current roster are listed at more than one position, and at least four can play shortstop.

The Miners will also boast plenty of speed in the outfield this season. General manager Pete Christopher said he typically tries to recruit a group of natural centerfielders to play every position in the Miners’ big home ballpark, Hermon Brothers Field.

“Outfield could be our strength,” Christopher said. “We’re really athletic across the board, definitely in our outfield.”

Mat-Su has four outfielders on the 2012 roster who hit over .300 during the college season. San Francisco junior Justin Maffei led the Dons in batting average (.325), hits (63), runs (45) and stolen bases (24).

Bill Cullen posted a team-high 89 hits and 61 runs as a sophomore at Virginia Commonwealth. Cullen also batted .365.

Ian Miller also led his team in hits and runs. Miller collected 64 hits and 39 runs as a sophomore at Wagner. He also recorded a team-high 34 stolen bases and finished second on the team with a .312 batting average.

Bobby Boyd hit .321 and stole 23 bases as a freshman at West Virginia. Mississippi freshman Will Jamison finished with a .253 average.

Mat-Su also has Columbia Basin Community College outfielder J.D. Mayo, a former Colony High standout, on the roster.

East Tennessee State sophomore Clint Freeman is among the top infielders on the Mat-Su roster. Freeman led his team in batting average (.365), hits (81), doubles (14) and RBI (50). He’s also listed as a pitcher. He made 18 appearances as a sophomore, finishing 1-1 with a 5.01 earned run average.

Freeman, a left-hander, is one of two players who could see time at first base. The Miners also have Washington freshman Branden Berry, who hit .294 with 52 hits and 23 RBI.

Gordon said it will be an advantage to have the left-handed hitting Freeman and Berry, a right-handed bat, to anchor the right corner of the infield.

Wichita State sophomore Erik Harbutz, UC-Davis sophomore Tino Lipson, Washington State freshman Ian Sagdal and Dallas Baptist freshman Nash Knight all have shortstop listed among their positions.

Harbutz, who can play three of the four infield positions, hit .270 with 55 hits. Lipson hit .318 for UC-Davis. Sagdahl hit better than .300 for the first 25 games of the season, but settled for a .265 average.

Nash can play four different positions, according to the Mat-Su roster.

Mat-Su also has a pair of solid defensive catchers — Austin Peay sophomore P.J. Torres and Wichita State sophomore Bob Arens.

Gordon said he expects his team to play solid defensively.

“Last year the one thing that held us in the race was we played phenomenal defense,” Gordon said. “All the games are so low scoring, defense is important.”