Road Warriors ‘A’ squad continues to impress

WASILLA — The Alaska Road Warriors ‘AA’ squad played for an Alaska American Legion baseball championship on Saturday. But the Road Warriors ‘AA’ program is not the only local team enjoying a tremendous amount of success this season.

The Road Warriors ‘A’ team took a 23-3 overall record and 16-game winning streak into action Saturday, which places them at the top of the ‘A’ standings in the state.

“It’s just one of those things where they’ve got really great chemistry,” head coach Myrl Thompson said. “They play really good ball together.”

The team chemistry is there, along with some unbelievable statistics.

“The statistics are hard to explain,” Thompson said. “Statistically, they’ve been unbelievable this year.”

Thompson said the bulk of his club is batting more than .400.

Leadoff hitter Jacob Butcher, a Colony product, entered the weekend hitting .425 with 40 runs scored. Palmer High’s Isaac Courson, the No. 2 hitter in the lineup, is hitting .400. Houston’s Russell Ruta is hitting .480 in the three-spot.

Clean-up hitter Patrick Fitzgerald, who makes the commute from Talkeetna to play with the team, is batting .560.

Wasilla High’s John Stormont, who typically hits fifth, is batting .415.

Courson has been the team’s top pitcher this summer, Thompson said. But Ruta has also dazzled. The incoming junior at Houston High tossed no-hitters in back-to-back starts in July.

Thompson said his team’s success also has to do with the leadership of his captains, Courson, Fitzgerald and Ruta. Each provides something different.

“Courson is the brains, Fitzgerald is the heart and Ruta is the action, he gets it done,” Thompson said.

Thompson said the Road Warriors ‘A’ squad has improved dramatically during recent seasons. Last year, the team was 17-10. The Warriors finished just 7-22 the year before.

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