Tourney time: After hosting Todd Ryan, Warriors ready for BP Invite

WASILLA — A team's success is measured in wins at the season-ending tournament. Winning the BP Invitational Tournament this weekend at Mulcahy Stadium would prove the Alaska Road Warriors belong with the top teams in the state and should be in the hunt for the state championship come August.

“No doubt about it, this is the premier tournament,” said head coach Myrl Thompson. “There's going to be some games we’re playing for pride.”

The BP Invitational Tournament features the top six teams in the state, as well as teams from Columbia, Tenn. — a few years removed from an American Legion World Series title — and Castroville, Texas, which won the Todd Ryan Memorial tournament last weekend in Wasilla.

The Road Warriors (11-4,13-6) are tied for second place in the state with South Anchorage and trail league-leading Kenai by only two points.

“We're going to have to stay focused. A BP tournament title would be nice, but the state title means so much more,” outfielder David Newman said.

Thompson said his team is very well rounded. This season the Warriors have added speed to their list of weapons. They play strong defense behind a talented group of pitchers, he said.

“We have some pretty darn good pitching,” Thompson said.

The Road Warriors get offensive contribution from all over the lineup. Captains Josh Grissom, Newman and Damon Hammer are often in the thick of things, but have been met and challenged by the bats of rookies on the varsity squad. Jacob Butcher is a key part of the outfield and pitching staff, and his brother Aaron Butcher provides a burst off the bench.

“The guys really respond to him. He always brings a lot of energy,” Thompson said of Aaron Butcher.

The Warriors also have infielder Ben Ross, who is hitting well over .400 in addition to play nearly perfect at third base.

The Warriors will have one last chance to prove themselves against out-of-state competition at the BP. After an error-filled mercy-rule ending against Strongsville, Ohio, in a 13-2 final, they bounced back to compete with Castroville, Texas, but fell short losing 3-0. Bryce Borngraeber stayed consistently strong on the mound, but didn't have offensive support enough to get the win.

“Hit the ball,” said senior Damon Hammer on how to beat out-of-state teams. “They had really good pitching, but we did not hit well against either of those teams.”

After finishing last weekend's tournament with a win over Chugiak, the Road Warriors will face them again today at 2:15 p.m. to start BP pool play. Saturday features a tough doubleheader starting with Columbia, Tenn., at 2:15. The Warriors stay on the field to play South at 5 p.m.

Columbia has shown they are beatable. The team suffered a loss to Kenai at the Bill Miller Big Fish tournament in Kenai on Tuesday.

“We're only a couple weeks away from the state tournament, and it's going to be a horse race for those top four seeds,” Thompson said.

The Warriors will need every aspect of their well-rounded approach to make a statement at the BP. Only one game against Chugiak counts toward league standings, but pride and confidence may be just as important as wins and losses if the Road Warriors want to keep playing into August.

Contact Tim Rockey at tim.rockey@frontiersman.com or 352-2252. Follow @trockeynews on Twitter.