Monday, the Peninsula Oilers learned their opponent in the Top of the World Series playoffs. The Oilers also learned two of their own won major awards in the Alaska Baseball League.
In ABL All-League team awards announced Monday, Nick Costello of the Oilers tied with Blake Jackson of the Anchorage Glacier Pilots for Player of the Year.
Ty Correa of the Oilers was named the Top Prospect.
Other major awards went to the Pilots’ Will Bermudez for Gold Glove, the Pilots’ Jackson for Silver Slugger and the Mat-Su Miners’ Tyler LeBrun for Coach of the Year.
Correa led the league in ERA at 0.82. He finished 3-1 and gave up just three earned runs in 32 2-3 innings pitched. He struck out 32 and walked 10. He also was a first-team ABL starting pitcher.
Costello hit .355 for the Oilers with 17 RBIs, 23 runs, six doubles, a triple and two home runs. He also was a first-team ABL outfielder.
Connor Throneberry also made the first team for the Oilers as a closer.
Second-team honors for the Oilers went to Theo Forshey at first base, Owen McElfatrick at shortstop, Arnad Mulamekic at starting pitcher and Throneberry at relief pitcher.
Also Monday, the Miners swept a doubleheader from the Pilots to win the ABL regular season title.
That means the Oilers, the No. 4 seed, open a best-of-three series against the Miners in the league semifinals Tuesday at 6 p.m.
The other semifinal pits the Anchorage Bucs against the Pilots.
The Miners finished 23-16 to win the league, while the Pilots were 1.5 games back at 22-18, the Bucs were 2.5 games back at 21-19, the Oilers were 4.5 games back at 18-20 and the Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks were nine games back at 14-25.
