Florida Atlantic University junior baseball player Andy Mee has continued his strong play on the diamond this summer, as one of the star players for the Mat-Su Miners in Palmer, Alaska – where the sun never sets during the summer, and Hall of Fame players have honed their baseball skills for more than 40 years.

The Palm Beach Gardens native earned second team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and first team South Central All-Region honors this spring in helping lead FAU to a Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship and appearance in the NCAA Division I regional tournament.

This summer, playing a long way from home, Mee has continued to shine for the Mat-Su Miners, the defending Alaska Baseball League champions. He ranks among the league leaders in batting average (.367), runs scored (25), hits (47) and doubles (12), while also driving home 25 runs.  He also has made a successful transition to hitting with wood bats, instead of aluminum bats in collegiate baseball.

Besides playing the outfield, Mee also has contributed to the first-place Miners’ successful summer season on the pitching mound – just like his FAU playing days.  He has earned three victories, secured two saves, and has a 2.00 earned run average.

Mat-Su, which has a 23-9 record this season, plays its home games in Palmer, Alaska , a community outside Anchorage .  The team gets its name from the Mat-Su valley, which also includes the community of Wasilla, the home of former Republican vice presidential-candidate Sarah Palin.

The Alaska Baseball League has produced such major league stars such as Barry Bonds, Mark McGuire, Tom Seaver and Dave Winfield.  The league has an annual Midnight Sun Baseball Classic in Fairbanks , Alaska , with first pitch at 10:30 p.m. and takes advantage of 24-hours of daylight on the first day of the summer season.

At FAU, Mee led the Owls in 2009 with a .378 batting average while connecting on eight home runs and 55 runs batted in.  He helped the team secure its first Sun Belt Conference regular season title and an appearance in the NCAA Regionals.

Source: FAU Media Relations