Vikings Sign to Semi-Pro Teams in Alaska

It was recently announced that freshmen infielders/pitchers Matthew Pinal and Alex Seguine have signed to semi-pro teams to continue their baseball careers in Alaska this summer.

Coming off recently being named the South Coast Conference Most Valuable Player, as he batted .320, with 23 RBIs, totaled seven saves on the mound with 38 strikeouts, and had a 3.92 ERA, Pinal has signed with the Alaska Goldpanners based out of Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Goldpanners are notable for the annual Midnight Sun Game, which dates back to 1905, where the Goldpanners play on the longest day of each year (with a full 24 hours of daylight in the Tanana Valley), which continues through the midnight hour and never uses artificial lights. Fairbanks, just 150 miles south of the Arctic Circle, the sun is just beginning to set in the North as the game of baseball gets under way and, at its conclusion some three hours later, the sun begins to rise again - also in the North.

Seguine, who earned All-SCC First Team honors as a shortstop, and boasted a .366, with 1 home run, 5 triples and 24 RBI during conference play, is set to play for the Anchorage Glacier Pilots this summer.

The Glacier Pilots compete in the Alaska Baseball League and play at the Mulcahy Baseball Stadium.

"I am very excited for Matt and Alex," said Head Coach Casey Crook. "This is a great opportunity for these two to showcase their talents at another level, playing against some of the best college players in the nation. The kind of opportunity that could very well increase their chances of getting drafted in the future. In addition, playing in Alaska is a singular baseball experience. The sights, the travel, the fans, the tradition, the midnight sun – all are amazing."