Summer is officially in full swing, and for many sports fans, that means baseball.
The Alaska Baseball League features college players from all over the United States. While a few of the players in the league are from Alaska, a great majority are from the Lower 48.
This week the Anchorage Daily News is talking to a few players from each of the five ABL teams. We asked them what they’ve liked about Alaska, what they miss from back home and what else they’re into. Today we talked to a trio from the Chugiak Chinooks, and Sunday we will hear from players from the Mat-Su Miners.
Jack Lawrence
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Lawrence is a 22-year-old infielder who just graduated from Frostburg State University, still has two years of eligibility left, and is looking for a new program.
“I’m trying to play my best ball, talk to the guys here and see who needs what and if a spot opens up somewhere and it’s a good fit, I’ll go there,” he said.
Hometown: Laurel, Maryland
Q. What are you most excited to do in Alaska when you aren’t playing baseball?
A. I definitely want to go fishing. I’m a big beach guy, so I’ll see what the water is like, I hear it’s really cold. Some hiking and seeing sights.
Q. What will you miss most about your hometown/college town while you are in Alaska?
A. I miss my family. I love talking to them but they’re coming up next week so I’ll get to see them and share the experience with them.
Q. Favorite MLB player or team?
A. My hometown team is the (Baltimore) Orioles. I love Camden Yards. I like the way Kike Hernández plays. He is very versatile, plays every position, has got good energy. I miss Manny Machado a lot.
Q. What made you want to participate in the ABL?
A. I knew it would be great competition and I love to travel. I figured if I was going to play good competition at home or good competition against travel, I might as well travel a little bit.
Q. What preconceived notions did you have about Alaska before getting here?
A. I think it’s crazy that there are mountains all over the place and they’ve still got snow on them. The sun is up all the time and I knew it would be up.
Q. Favorite genre of music?
A. I love hip-hop, but I’ll listen to anything. My teammates are getting me more into country, so we’ll see how that goes. I like Mac Miller, he’s probably at the top of my list. I like J. Cole and Frank Ocean who hasn’t come out with any new music but his old stuff is good.
Q. Favorite series to binge watch?
A. I watched “Seinfeld” a lot when it first came out on Netflix. “Friends,” “That 70′s Show,” and stuff like that. “Friends” is funny because we watched it growing up. We would have it on in the kitchen while my mom was cooking dinner, so that was like a family thing. The most recent series I watched was “Breaking Bad.”
Ty Beck
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Beck is an 18-year-old catcher from Lebanon High School going into his freshman season at The Master’s University in Santa Clarita, California. He has been coming up to Alaska in the summer for 17 of the 18 years he has been alive because his father, Chris, is the general manager of the Chinooks.
Hometown: Lebanon, Ohio
Q. What are you most excited to do in Alaska when you aren’t playing baseball?
A. I really love being outdoors. I’m not a big hiker but that’s just because I’ve been on pretty much all of them throughout my life. I really like going on ATVs and seeing what God’s made in his creation.
Q. What will you miss most about your hometown/college town while you are in Alaska?
A. Probably just my friends. Definitely not the heat, just my friends.
Q. Favorite MLB player or team?
A. I’m a big Los Angeles Dodgers fan mostly because of Mookie Betts.
Q. What made you want to participate in the ABL?
A. Growing up I’ve watched it all and I’ve just seen how many people have come here and gone pro so I think it’s a perfect starting point going into my college career.
Q. What do you like most about coming back to Alaska every year?
A. I really enjoy the weather. This is perfect. There is no humidity but I really like looking at the mountains, the greenness, the fresh air. It’s very different from Ohio
Q. Favorite genre of music?
A. Country for sure and Morgan Wallen.
Q. Favorite series to binge watch?
A. I don’t watch a lot of TV, I just like watching college baseball. I did binge watch “Outer Banks.” I’m looking forward to the new season. JJ is my favorite character because he’s kind of like me, crazy and stuff.
Brenden Argomaniz
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Argomaniz is a 22-year-old pitcher from the University of Richmond going into his senior season who is back for his second summer with the Chinooks.
Hometown: Claremont, California
Q. What are you most excited to do in Alaska when you aren’t playing baseball?
A. I like hiking, seeing the different mountains and going to different places. It’s fun to explore.
Q. What will you miss most about your hometown/college town while you are in Alaska?
A. I miss family and friends. Not being able to see them every day has been tough but to get this experience in Alaska is very rare.
Q. Favorite MLB player or team?
A. My favorite team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. Favorite player is probably Walker Buehler. He’s a competitor, he’s aggressive, he has a lot of confidence and knows he’s good. I really try to emulate myself after his game.
Q. What made you want to participate in the ABL?
A. The league is super competitive so I feel like I’m getting better when I’m up here baseball-wise. I love what this team is about with our discipleship and getting to explore more of Alaska because I can’t imagine myself coming up here any more times before I die.
Q. What preconceived notions did you have about Alaska before getting here?
A. I thought it was going to be a lot colder. My preconceived notions of Alaska were what Alaska is like in the winter which was cold and more moose and bears walking around. ... It’s closer than I thought it’d be but there’s definitely some things where I was wrong about for sure.
Q. Favorite genre of music?
A. Country and favorite artist is probably Jack Johnson. He’s not country, he’s alternative but he’s my favorite artist overall.
Q. Favorite series to binge watch?
A. I just finished “Ozark” and that was really good. I like the suspense, never knowing what’s going to happen next and just seeing how crazy the plot twists are. You never know what you’re going to get with that show. The ending was a little weird. I think they were trying to do a little bit too much but it was still a really good show overall.