Mat-Su Miners

The Mat-Su Miners are a college summer baseball club in the Alaska Baseball League (ABL). The Miners are based in Palmer, Alaska, and their name refers to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough where Palmer is located. The team was founded in 1976 and play their home games at Hermon Brothers Field.

The franchise began play as the fourth Alaska‑based team of the ABL along with the Fairbanks Goldpanners, Anchorage Glacier Pilots and the Peninsula Oilers for the 1976 season. Originally called the Valley Green Giants, the team would finish the inaugural season in last place. By the 1980 season the franchise would change its name to the Mat-Su Miners which it has been known as ever since. The franchise has won two National Baseball Congress championships for the [/wiki/1987_in_baseball] and 1997 seasons.

Notable alumni

Some players who started with the Mat-Su Miners went on to play in Major League Baseball. These include Eli Morgan, a pitcher for the Cleveland Indians, Garrett Richards, a pitcher for the Texas Rangers, and Nick Senzel, an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds.

Other notable players from the team are Asa Lacy, a pitcher for the Kansas City Royals, and Kyler Bush, a pitcher for the Chicago White Sox.