2/2/8: Warrior players return for ring ceremony "Beau Mills, Jessie Mier, Mark Thompson. Remember those guys from last year's NAIA World Series Championship team? Well those three players and more are back in town this weekend for the annual Ring ceremony."

8/6/6: Lead-off Thompson triple sets pace for Oilers - Anchorage Daily News

WICHITA, Kan. -- Peninsula coach Thad Johnson didn't bother researching the season statistics for Fairbanks' Mark Thompson before adding Thompson to the Oilers' roster for the NBC World Series. "I've seen the kid for two years in Alaska do anything and everything he can to get on base," Johnson explained. "He's just a baseball player, a guy every coach would love to have." Thompson's presence made an immediate difference for Peninsula as it faced elimination early Saturday morning against Beatrice (Neb.). Thompson tripled to lead off the game and scored, setting the pace for himself and his team in an 8-4 victory at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

"That triple was just huge," Johnson said after the win. "After playing at 3:30 in the morning, the guys wanted to sleep all day yesterday. But we had to play with the clock, work them out more in the afternoon, to make sure we slept before playing at 8 in the morning today. "To the players' credit, they came out with energy and Mark gave us that spark." Peninsula (33-16) will play Clarinda (Iowa) at 10 a.m. ADT today. The winner will be among the tournament's top 14 remaining teams. Thompson has plans far beyond that. Momentum is such a key here," he said. "It's so hot, and it's a long tournament. If things start going well, we know we can win nine straight or whatever it takes." Whatever it takes has defined Thompson's tournament so far. After reaching base in each of his five plate appearances during the opener, Thompson was on base four more times against the Bruins. His tournament already includes two walks, twice being hit by a pitch and reaching on an error his speed helped create. "Being a pickup," Thompson said, "I really just want to do whatever I can to help the team."