Strong bonds, total team effort have been key to the Anchorage Bucs’ success this season

Lights-out pitching. Timely hitting and base running. A total team effort.

The Anchorage Bucs notched a decisive victory over their rival, the Anchorage Glacier Pilots, earlier this week that was a microcosm of their season so far.

“Everybody is super tight,” Arizona State University catcher Brody Briggs said. “We bonded early and that has contributed to our success.”

Wednesday’s 2-0 win extended the Bucs’ first-place lead as the top seed in the Alaska Baseball League standings and also saw the Bucs produce their first no-hitter of the season.

Just like their previous 12 victories, it wasn’t just one or two players who led the way.

They played four pitchers total by the top of the ninth inning, with none surrendering a single hit thanks to some excellent fielding from their teammates in both the in- and outfields.

“The kids came out and attacked the (strike) zone, and (Briggs) did a great job with his sequencing and calling pitches,” Bucs pitching coach Tim Montez said. “They followed a good game plan and pitched to their strengths. That’s what it looks like when everything is clicking.”

While he acknowledged that anything can happen over the course of a game, he believes that “if you keep your team close with good pitching and good defense, good things happen.”

One of the brightest stars of the night, and the season so far, for the Bucs was left-handed pitcher and first baseman Cole Carlon, also from ASU. He set a strong tone for his teammates to follow by being absolutely lights out on the mound through the first five innings.

He increased his total number of kills on the season to 24, which surpassed his ABL and college teammates, Wyatt Halvorson, for the most in the league heading into the weekend.

Montez was proud of how Carlon bounced back after not being “as sharp in his last outing” because of the immense potential he possesses.

“He is a guy who has a chance to pitch at the next level, I really believe that,” Montez said.

Strong bonds lead to greater success

Summer baseball leagues at the collegiate level collect talent from across the country and even the world, in some cases.

To have this team come together as quickly and efficiently as they have is a testament to the strong bond they share.

“We’ve come together pretty good, and I’d say our team chemistry is through the rough,” Carlon said. “We’re all already really good friends, and we just enjoy being around each other.”

Montez also credits the Bucs coaching staff and especially head coach Bill Springman for fostering the kind of environment that has allowed this year’s team to meld together so well, so quickly.

The bond between the trio of Sun Devils on the team runs especially deep. They were suitemates as college freshmen last year and are staying with the same host family this summer, and plan to live together again.

“It’s great living with them and playing with them,” Briggs said. “It’s always a good time and those two guys are great. Those guys are studs too and just dominate.”

Their familiarity stemming from that pre-existing relationship has made the transition to the ABL a seamless one, and a big contributor to their success.

“Just being able to trust Brody and knowing what he is calling back there, he is a really good catcher and I know that he is going to get strikes for me,” Carlon said.

Montez believes the bond between the two Sun Devils helps them excel “without a doubt.”

“They trust each other, and when there’s trust between a pitcher and a catcher, good things happen,” he said.

One of the Bucs’ favorite team bonding activities is awarding Player of the Game honors — and the accompanying ceremonial fake sword that comes with it — and celebrating with the recipient.

“It’s just something that the players do being Buccaneers,” Montez said. “It’s a team bonding thing, they’ve rallied around it and they’ve gotten closer every day as the season has gone on.”

While the previous honoree is the one who ultimately decides who receives the honor and the swashbuckler’s blade, the fact that the whole team gets to join in is what makes it fun for everyone.

Carlon’s performance on Wednesday earned him the prestigious honor for the second time this season, which he graciously accepted.

“It feels good to know that I was able to do anything I can to help my team win,” he said.

Montez believes that at the end of the day, all team sports boil down to relationships, and one of the lessons the coaching staff stresses the most is that “the relationships they make this summer are going to last them a lifetime.”