LA CROSSE, WI – Over the past four summers the La Crosse Loggers have won more summer collegiate games than any other team in the summer collegiate world. In 2012, the same manager that has guided them to 157 victories during that time span, will be back at the helm to help celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Loggers Baseball in La Crosse. Logger officials announced that Andy McKay will indeed return to manage the club in 2012, which will be his fifth and final season in the Copeland Park dugout.
Since McKay’s arrival in La Crosse the Loggers have never won less than 38 games in a Northwoods League regular season. 2009 was the banner year as it saw the McKay-led Lumbermen win a franchise-best 41 games, take the second half South Division title, sweep Eau Claire in the divisional playoffs and eventually lose the NWL Championship Series two games to one to the Rochester Honkers.
The Loggers have had 31 players drafted into professional baseball over the past four seasons under McKay’s tutelage including current big league pitcher Chris Sale (White Sox). McKay has also overseen two NWL top prospects in Cory Vaughn (2008) and Robert Brantly (2009) and also helped guide catcher Andrew Knapp to a NWL batting title this past season when he became the second player in NWL history to hit .400.
During the nine months outside of La Crosse, coach McKay continues to lead one of the most storied junior college programs in the country as the head coach at Sacramento City College (Sacramento, Calif.). In twelve seasons leading the Panthers, McKay has amassed a 408-185 record (.686) including eight conference championships, 16 post-season regionals and five state final four qualifiers.
During his twelve-year reign Sac City has also won more postseason games than any other program in the state of California and over 140 student-athletes have either transferred to four-year schools or signed professional contracts. Coach McKay was honored as the 1999 Community College Coach of the Year and the Panther Baseball program was tabbed as the 1990’s Team of the Decade by Baseball America.
McKay also continues to work as a Sports Psychology instructor at Sac City and around the country, often consulting and speaking to collegiate baseball programs. His work on and off the field has also garnered attention by national publications. McKay has previously published a column entitled ‘Mental Game of Baseball’ for Collegiate Baseball Magazine and in 1996 he assisted Jerry Weinstein in assembling the pitching and catching manual for Team USA. Coach McKay was most recently a featured speaker at the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention that was held in Nashville, Tenn. this past year.
Coach McKay will embark on his final season in Logger green in late May of 2012. The 2012 slate of games is expected to be released from the NWL office prior to the end of the year. And while next season will be the final chapter of the McKay era in the Logger dugout, he will continue to be a part of the Loggers organization beyond 2012 as the Senior Advisor to the General Manager/Player Scouting & Development. Under this role, McKay will continue to be an aid in recruiting and the organization will continue to call on his sports psychology expertise to aid in player development.
The Andy McKay file:
2008: 38-29
2009: 41-27* (Won 2nd Half South Division Title, Lost NWL Championship Series 2 games to 1 to Rochester)
2010: 39-29
2011: 38-31
157-116 (.575)