LA CROSSE, WI – The La Crosse Loggers have won 80 games over the past two seasons, bolstered by strong pitching staffs that have ranked in the top five in the Northwoods League during each of those two seasons. Today, the eighth year franchise announced the signings of a pair of highly touted freshman arms in Tobin Mateychick (Wichita State) and Ruben Orozco (UC-Irvine) to their ever-growing 2010 roster.
Mateychick chose to attend Wichita State this fall instead of join the Detroit Tigers organization. The Tigers drafted Mateychick in the 28th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of Enid, Okla., but the 6-5 right-hander chose to attend school.
Baseball America assessed Mateychick at draft time and had this to say about the freshman hurler, “Righthander Tobin Mateychick is extremely projectable and could blossom into an early-round 2012 draft pick after three years at Wichita State. He’s a 6-foot-5, 185-pounder with a quick arm that delivers fastballs topping out at 94 mph. “He may throw 100 mph one day,” one area scout said. Mateychick also can run his slider up to 84 mph, though it features more cutting action than bite. His changeup is similarly raw. He’s very athletic for his size and doubles as a center fielder with good speed.”
Mateychick becomes the first Wichita State player to join the Loggers since Phil Napolitan in 2004.
Joining Mateychick on the Logger pitching staff will be southpaw Ruben Orozco from UC-Irvine. The 6-0, 190 pound left-hander begins his stint with the nationally ranked Anteaters fresh off a very successful career at Mater Dei High School in Santa Anna, Calif. Mater Dei High School finished the 2009 season ranked 19th in the country, according to Collegiate Baseball, and Orozco was one of their top pitchers, posting a 6-1 record with a 2.57 ERA as a senior.
UC-Irvine is coming off of a 2009 season that saw them win a school-best 45 games (45-15) and capture a Big West Title. The Anteaters were ranked first in the country for six consecutive weeks at one point and hosted an NCAA regional as well in 2009.
With the signing of Mateychick and Orozco, the Loggers have now signed five players to-date for the 2010 season including Tony Mueller (Winona State), Boomer Collins (Nebraska) and Blair Moore (San Diego State).
