Players on the top two teams in the Alaska Baseball League -- the Peninsula Oilers and Anchorage Bucs -- collected the most individual awards.
Led by manager of the year Thad Johnson and co-player of the year Jake Kahaulelio, the ABL champion Oilers tied the Bucs for the most accolades with five.
The Bucs' Bryan Petersen, along with Mat-Su Miner Donald Brown, shared the player-of-the year award with Kahaulelio.
Peninsula (31-15) clinched the ABL title last week after beating the Bucs twice in a pivotal three-game series in Kenai. The Oilers will represent the league at the NBC World Series in Wichita, Kan., starting Wednesday against the Crestwood (Ill.) Panthers.
Johnson managed the Oilers to their first ABL pennant since 2000, keyed by Friday's 1-0 victory on the final day of the league season. He rallied Peninsula after a 1-5 start to finish 23-12 in the ABL.
Kahaulelio, an all-league shortstop, hit .343 in 29 games for the Oilers. He tied for the team lead in home runs (two) and was second in runs (19). Defensively, he was solid all summer.
Petersen, an all-ABL outfielder, torched opposing pitchers at a .368 clip over 34 games. He banged out a team-high four triples and was second on the Bucs with 24 RBIs.
To epitomize the kind of grinder Petersen is with the bat, he fouled off five consecutive two-strikes pitches before lacing a single in the ninth inning of last week's 1-0 loss.
The Miners' Brown, an all-league outfielder, hit .292 in 39 games, with 15 of his 38 hits going for extra bases. Brown drew a team-high 36 walks and struck out just 21 times.
The ABL all-star team was selected by team managers and compiled by league official Mike Baxter.
Alaska Baseball League All-Stars
2006 Season
Manager of the Year -- Thad Johnson, Peninsula Oilers, Riverside Community College.
Player of the Year -- (three-way tie) Donald Brown, Mat-Su Miners, Jake Kahaulelio, Peninsula Oilers, and Bryan Petersen, Anchorage, Bucs
Catcher -- Kip Masuda, Peninsula Oilers, freshman, Long Beach State.
First base -- Andy Preston, Peninsula Oilers, sophomore, Garden City (Kan.) Community College.
Second base -- Travis Coulter, Mat-Su Miners, freshman, Washington State.
Third base -- (tie) Xavier Scruggs, Athletes in Action Fire, freshman, UNLV; and Robert Taylor, Anchorage Bucs, sophomore, Arkansas-Little Rock.
Shortstop -- Jake Kahaulelio, Peninsula Oilers, junior, Oral Roberts.
Outfield -- Bryan Petersen, Anchorage Bucs, sophomore, University of Cal-Irvine; Donald Brown, Mat-Su Miners, sophomore, Pepperdine; Kevin Koski, Anchorage Bucs, junior, Southern Illinois; Blake Stouffer, Athletes in Action Fire, sophomore, Texas A&M.
Utility -- Jason Castro, Anchorage Bucs, freshman, Stanford.
Designated hitter -- Beau Mills, Fairbanks Goldpanners, sophomore, Fresno State.
Starting pitcher -- Chris Kissock, Fairbanks Goldpanners, sophomore, Lewis-Clark State; Jesse Jordan, Peninsula Oilers, junior, Lenoir-Rhyne; Chris Wielispach, Mat-Su Miners, sophomore, Yale.
Relief pitcher -- Darrell Fisherbaugh, Anchorage Bucs, junior, University of Hawaii.
Closer -- Casey Weathers, Anchorage Glacier Pilots, junior, Vanderbilt
