LA CROSSE, WI – The La Crosse Loggers Baseball Club bolstered their 2012 roster in a big way with the signings of four ballplayers from around the country. Two of the newest Loggers-to-be will be coming from the University of Memphis in freshman catcher Carter White and red-shirt sophomore hurler Jonathon Van Eaton. They will be joined by right-hander James Guillen from the University of Southern California and outfielder Lucas Witt from the University of Kentucky.
Freshman Carter White has gotten off to a quick start in his collegiate career for the Memphis Tigers as the left-handed hitting backstop is currently hitting at a .344 clip through the first eleven games of the 2012 season. The Hoover, Ala. native had quite the decorated prep career, earning USSSA All-American honors and was selected to play on the 2010 USSSA High School National Team that traveled to Japan to play five games against international competition. Baseball is certainly in White’s bloodlines as his father played college ball at Southern Miss and his grandfather was a member of Alabama’s National Championship team in 1964.
Right-handed hurler Jonathon Van Eaton has already enjoyed success in summer collegiate baseball having stood out for the Martinsville Mustangs of the Coastal Plains League a year ago. While there the red-shirt sophomore led his team in appearances (24) and saves (6) while going 1-2 with a miniscule 1.74 ERA over 31 innings pitched. Van Eaton also struck out 24 batters while walking only 5 and limited opponents to a .180 batting average over the course of the summer. So far this spring Van Eaton has compiled a 1-0 record with a 1.50 ERA and one save over five appearances for the Tigers.
Sophomore hurler James Guillen is yet another incoming Logger with summer ball experience. Guillen earned all-star honors in the Texas Collegiate League in 2011 while pitching for the East Texas Pump Jacks. The right-hander went 5-4 with a 2.84 ERA over 12 appearances (11 starts) with 66.2 innings pitched. Thus far in the young 2012 season, the Covina, Calif. native has made five appearances out of the bullpen for the 9-3 Trojans and has yet to allow a run over four innings pitched, while striking out six and limiting opponents to a .077 batting average.
Sophomore outfielder Lucas Witt has been a key contributor to Kentucky’s 12-0 start in this 2012 season. The speedster from Lexington, KY is hitting .379 out of the gates with seven RBI’s. Witt excelled last summer as well in the Coastal Plains League when he hit .295 over 125 at-bats for the Asheboro Copperheads and was tabbed as the 15th best prospect in the CPL by Perfect Game. The former 1st Team All-State honoree in the state of Kentucky was also drafted out of high school in 2010 when the Los Angeles Dodgers selected him with their 37th round pick.
