3,056 miles. The distance from Juno, Alaska, to Peoria Stadium, the home of the 14U National Team Championships Arizona.

What may seem like a long travel to the average team, pails in comparison to the travel players from Alaska must endure in their own state.

With Alaska being such a big state geographically, teams in state must fly up to two hours just to play a team in their own league. Since such extreme travel is required, it makes funding and fielding a roster very difficult across the state.

Enter RBI Alaska. The program was formed with the hope of giving those passionate about baseball a team to continue playing for at a reduced cost. They also provide an indoor place to play and practice during the state’s unforgiving eight months of winter every year.

“We founded the program with the idea of offering the training we got in a pro setting to kids here in Alaska,” 14U RBI/Gamers Alaska head coach Jamar Hill said. “Giving these kids facilities and consistent practice time throughout the year is a key part in the development of these younger athletes.”

The main problem for Hill was that a lot of the kids he wanted to be impacting just couldn’t afford the program. He responded by turning the program into a non-profit and partnering with the MLB RBI initiative to gain some funding and accessibility for all kids.

Although the state is large, populations in each city remain relatively low compared to their counterparts on the west coast. However, Hill mentioned every town has a “Mr. Baseball” of their community and his vision is to get them on the same team to represent The Last Frontier.

“We have the talent out here, we just don’t have the depth of some of the other teams like California and Arizona,” Hill said. “Coming out to Phoenix exposes them to top level baseball and makes them ask themselves if it’s something they’re really committed to.”

Alaska has produced a handful of high-level players such as Chad Bentz of the Montreal Expos and Matt Way of Washington State. There is a baseball culture in the state, but Hill says the National Team Championships Arizona help give them some exposure on the mainland.

Back home, Alaska plays host to a Collegiate National League over the summer months that have seen some prominent big leaguers pass through the system. Aaron Judge and Paul Goldschmidt are two recent all-stars who have spent time with the Anchorage Bucs, part of the Alaska Baseball League.

The league sometimes starts games at midnight and goes throughout the waning hours of the morning with the sun still shining bright in the sky. Dubbed the “Land of the Midnight Sun,” it’s a unique opportunity that many players have dreamed of taking part in for years.

“There are a lot of big-name guys who have come through this league, and I think that has anchored the Alaska baseball culture,” Hill said. “It’s kept our state connected to the game in a way you wouldn’t imagine based on the weather here.”

As the championships begin, they hope to pride themselves on the way they treat others, similar to that of their home state’s thriving tourism industry. With visitors being a big part of their state’s economy, he wants to expose others to the culture of Alaska and get them to come visit during the summer.

However, for the next week they will battle the Arizona heat as they look to leave their mark on the championships that have had these kids excited for months. And who knows, they might even bring you some Alaska native smoked salmon if you’re lucky!