Kris Didion's two summers as an Anchorage Glacier Pilots' assistant coach will go down as two of the more successful in the 34-year history of the team.
The Pilots won the National Baseball Congress World Series in 2001 and last season finished as co-champions with the Fairbanks Goldpanners, their Alaska Baseball League rival.
Didion went along for the ride, working under former manager Bob Miller. Now, he's in the driver's seat for his first trip through the ABL as Pilots manager.
"I would much rather take a job like this, where the team's been winning," said Didion, who will be an assistant coach at New Mexico in the fall. "It's a lot better pressure to deal with. This is the kind of team people want to watch and players want to play for."
The Pilots, who share Mulcahy Stadium with the Anchorage Bucs, open the nonleague portion of their schedule tonight at Mulcahy against the Beatrice (Neb.) Bruins, an NBC regular.
Didion's squad doesn't have too big a task in front of it. Last year, the Pilots only earned a share of the ABL title and finished 28-19 in the regular season.
"But my thing, and I've expressed this to the coaches, is to come out with a lot of energy and provide an atmosphere where the players enjoy themselves," said Didion, 27. "We expect to have a good time. One day, some of these players could be playing in the majors, and they need to enjoy these moments.
"If that's the attitude you have, it's easier to get to the ballpark at 3 p.m. each day and take that extra batting practice."
Didion's coaching staff will be familiar to the Pilots' faithful. He will be assisted by former Pilots Jaime Bluma and Phil James as well as long-time pitching coach Lefty Van Brunt and volunteer assistant Kevin Tucker.
The Pilots will also have a wealth of ABL experience in the middle of the infield.
Jose Ortega, a junior from San Diego, is back for his third season in Pilots blue and white. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound infielder started 57 of 58 games with the Toreros and hit .268 in 220 at-bats.
"Jose doesn't do anything extravagant, but having him here will be huge," Didion said. "He sat there last year after we lost the (NBC) championship. He knows how to work it up here. He knows the trip to Fairbanks might not be the greatest week of your life, and we'll need to feed off his energy."
East High graduate Jon Dyson, now playing at Northern Colorado under former Pilots manager Kevin Smallcomb, is back for a third season with the Pilots. Pitcher Josh Wilson, who played high school and American Legion baseball for Chugiak, also returns after a summer away from the game.
The rest of the Pilots' roster is peppered with players bringing impressive college numbers to town.
Outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury hit .330 and scored 56 runs in 53 games as a freshman at Oregon State. The Loyola Marymount duo of sophomore Jonathan Oller (.307, 13 home runs, 42 RBIs) and junior Jonathon Higashi (.349, 40 RBIs) will see time at catcher and designated hitter.
Wichita State catcher Cody Clark (.320) started 73 games for the Shockers.
"He was just drafted in the 11th round (Texas Rangers) and so far he's still coming," Didion said.
Clark played at Arkansas for two years and was named to the Southeastern Conference tournament team in 2002.
Bluma, who pitched for Wichita State, helped Didion land a few more Shockers to bolster the pitching staff.
Steve Uhlmansiek, a left-hander, went 8-3 at Wichita State and was named to the Collegiate Baseball magazine's freshman all-American team. Mathew Jakubov, a sophomore, went 5-4 with a 5.11 earned-run average in 61 2/3 innings as a Shocker.
Didion is still making calls, hoping to land a few more quality players before the Pilots get into the meat of the ABL schedule.
Reporter Matt Nevala can be reached at mnevala@adn.com.
