Time to play ball

PALMER — During the 2007 Alaska Baseball League season, the Mat-Su Miners were dominant on the mound.

But at the plate, the ABL co-champions did just enough to get by.

“We won a ton of ball games last year, but a lot of those games were 2-1 and 3-2,” said Conor Bird, who was promoted from pitching coach to head coach during the offseason. “It’s exciting, but it’s nerve racking.”

The Mat-Su pitching staff recorded a league-best 2.17 earned run average. But on the flipside, the Miners hit a meager .242 at the plate.

This year, Bird and the Miners hope to keep that team ERA low, while resuscitating the cumulative batting average.

“We’ll continue to pitch well and hopefully improve our offense,” Bird said prior to the team’s practice on Monday.”

Overall, Bird and Mat-Su general manager Pete Christopher are excited about the Miners’ 25-man roster.

“We’re looking pretty good,” Christopher said earlier in the offseason.

Mat-Su returns three pitchers from the 2007 squad that tied with the Fairbanks-based Athletes in Action. Washington junior Jason Erickson, San Jose State sophomore Max Peterson and Odessa Community College sophomore Mike Carlson are all back for another summer with the Miners.

Peterson, an All-ABL selection, led the league with a 1.31 ERA. He was also 5-0 with a team-high 37 strikeouts.

Erickson was named All-ABL honorable mention after posting a 3-3 record and a 1.56 ERA.

Carlson, a former Palmer High School standout, pitched in nine innings last season, and is expected to see much more work this year.

The pitching staff also includes Santa Clara Thain Simon, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American.

Also back is Washington sophomore Ty Rasmussen, who saw his first summer in the Valley cut short due to a wrist injury.

Rasmussen hit .291 during his sophomore campaign, collecting 44 hits in 46 games.

For more on the position players, see the Friday edition of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman.

Mat-Su starts its 42-game series with a nonleague contest against the Bears of California at Hermon Brothers Field, Saturday at 7 p.m. League action starts when the Miners host AIA on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Hermon Brothers.

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