Mequon, WI – Lakeshore Chinooks VP/GM Dean Rennicke has announced that 2015 Northwoods League All-Stars Lake Bachar (University of Wisconsin-Whitewater) and Lucas Raley (Lake Erie College) will return for the 2016 Northwoods League campaign. Raley was named the Chinook's 2015 MVP and Bachar claimed the 2015 Pitcher of the Year award. Both of the record-setting players will look to expand their personal resumes by helping the 2014 Northwoods Champion Chinooks return to the league playoffs in 2016.
Lake Bachar, a 6’3, 210 pound right-handed pitcher from Wheaton, IL burst on to the national scene in 2015, his first year of collegiate baseball after focusing on football during his freshman year in school. The highly-decorated punter and kicker for the perennial football power Warhawks took to the mound where all he did was post a 7-1 record and 2.24 ERA in helping UW-Whitewater finish sixth in the final 2015 national rankings.
Bachar’s hot season continued with the Chinooks as he proved to be the team’s most consistent starter in 2015, leading the team with eleven starts, 65.2 innings pitched, and a 6-3 record. Bachar struck out 63 batters, to tie for the team high with Marshall Kasowski, and walked only 19 as he posted a stellar 2.46 ERA against the heavy hitters of the Northwoods League. For his efforts, Bachar was named a postseason All-Star by the league, was the winning pitcher at the Northwoods League All-Star Game in Wisconsin Rapids, and struck out three in his one inning of work in the Major League Showcase. Tabbed by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Northwoods League, the draft-eligible Bachar will return to Lakeshore after competing in his second season for John Vodenlich’s nationally-ranked Warhawks. Bachar went 5.1 innings against Anderson to get the win in his first appearance of 2016, allowing one run while striking out six.
Luke Raley enjoyed more success at the plate than any hitter in the Lakeshore’s first four seasons. The 6’3, 200 lb. slugger pounded out 80 hits, including a club-record 14 home runs, and knocked in a club-record 55 RBI's. Playing through a variety of injuries, the Divison II Lake Erie outfielder caught the attention of major league scouts by also belting out five triples, thirteen doubles, and batting .314 in 67 games. The highlight of Raley’s summer came on July 4th in Kalamazoo when Raley became the first player in Northwoods League history to hit four home runs – in one game, a 16-2 seven inning win over the Growlers. Like Bachar, Raley played in both the All-Star Game and Major League Showcase and was selected as a postseason All-Star.
The affable slugger from Hinckley, OH was the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference Freshman of the Year in 2014 when he hit .353 with nine home runs, but was hampered by injury during his sophomore campaign for the Storm. Raley played in just 23 games, hitting .350 in 2015, but was primed and eager for the grind of the Northwoods League. An All-GLIAC Academic selection, Raley will return to the Chinooks after a junior season in which great things will be expected from the powerful slugger. After getting off to a solid start hitting .353 and slugging .588 with two home runs in his first eleven games already, Raley looks primed and ready for another terrific season.
You can catch your first glimpse of the 2016 Chinooks roster on Saturday, June 4th when Lakeshore takes on the Green Bay Bullfrogs at 6:35pm. Season tickets, mini game packages, and group tickets are all currently on sale. Single game tickets go on sale to the public Tuesday, May 3rd at 10:00am. For tickets and more information, call 262-618-4659 or visit lakeshorechinooks.com.
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 22-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com.