Valley athletes honored by Southcentral Conference

PALMER — The Palmer Moose finished just a win shy of advancing to an ASAA-sanctioned state baseball tournament for the first time in school history. And a big reason for the baseball turnaround on the west side of the Valley was the work of senior Tim Rockey and junior David Media.

Both were among a half-dozen Mat-Su players named first-team All-Southcentral Conference late last week.

Rockey was one of eight seniors who played their final game with the Moose during a 6-3 Southcentral semifinal loss to Kodiak last Friday.

“I’ve had him coming to practice since he was in the seventh grade, when (older brother Josh Rockey) used to coach,” Palmer head coach Dave Combs said. “He’s been around for a long time.”

Rockey pitched, caught and played third base for the Moose. Media pitched and played third. At the plate, Media and Rockey finished ranked first and second in the conference in RBI.

Colony, which also suffered a loss in the conference semifinals, also placed a pair of players on the first team. Senior Taylor Palmer and sophomore Jonathon Boyer made the team. Palmer, an athlete who could line up virtually anywhere on the field for the Knights, was Colony’s top backstop. He also hit in the heart of the order. Boyer established himself as Colony’s ace on the mound, and was a starter at shortstop when not pitching.

Houston junior captain Russ Ruta was named to the first team. Ruta pitched and helped anchor the Hawks middle infield. He could also be used behind the plate.

Wasilla senior David Newman represented the Warriors on the first team. Newman, a pitcher and outfielder, led his team with a .373 batting average.

Five Valley players were also named to the second team. A pair of those athletes, Colony sophomores Morgan McJimsey and Shane Andrews, were among the biggest surprises on the Knights squad, Colony head coach Jamie Mayo said during the conference tournament.

“Coming into this game, he was hitting .540, leading the team in hits, doubles, triples, RBI as a sophomore hitting in the second spot of the order,” Mayo said of McJimsey after a quarterfinal win over Homer. “The two biggest surprises are Morgan and Shane Andrews.”

Andrews was 4-0 with a 0.65 earned run average for the Knights.

The Hawks also placed a pair of players on the second team, junior Scott Kramer and senior Patrick Fitzgerald.

Kramer was a top pitcher and shortstop for the Hawks. He also batted in the leadoff spot. Fitzgerald, a catcher and outfielder for the Hawks, is a Susitna Valley High School student who commuted from Talkeetna to play baseball at Houston. ASAA allows small-schools athletes to compete in a sport at a nearby school if that sport is not available at the student’s home school.

“I can’t say enough about a kid who’ll drive from Talkeetna. Ever since I’ve known him at Wasilla Youth Baseball he’s been making the drive from Talkeetna to play the game he loves,” Houston head coach Bill Kramer said.

Wasilla senior Brody Coleman was also named second team. Coleman hit .349 and scored a team-high 24 runs for the Warriors.

All-Southcentral Conference

First team:

AJ Hull, Kenai; Pat Pickett, Kodiak; Brandon Mahle, Kodiak; David Media, Palmer; Tim Rockey, Palmer; David Newman, Wasilla; Russ Ruta, Houston; Jonathon Boyer, Colony; Taylor Palmer, Colony; Josiah Covey, Soldotna.

Second team:

Ethan Oliver, Kenai; Raphael Matautia, Kodiak; Eddie Arellano, Kodiak; Mikel Garner, Kodiak; Brody Coleman, Wasilla; Scott Kramer, Houston; Patrick Fitzgerlad, Houston; Morgan McJimsey, Colony; Shane Andrews, Colony; Tyler Fritz, Soldotna.