Chacon, Trayner and Rogers Ready for summer in the NWL
LA CROSSE, WIS. – With Opening Day of the 2014 season now less than four months away, the La Crosse Loggers baseball club added three key pieces to their roster today when team freshmen Adrian Chacon, Spencer Trayner and Thomas Rogers from the University of North Carolina.
Adrian Chacon is a 6-0, 207 pound utility man that was highly recruited out of Jesuit High School (Fla.) by the likes of Florida, Florida State, Miami and Stanford before deciding to become a Tar Heel. Chacon, who has the ability to catch, play first base, third base and pitch, was ranked as the 19th best prospect coming out of the state of Florida and #102 overall in the country by Perfect Game in the class of 2013. Considered a top-notch defender behind the plate with a strong arm, Chacon also possesses a fastball that sits in the 88-91 mph range and his bat is considered a plus-tool. The Tampa, Fla. native was named a Perfect Game underclass first team all-American in 2012 and garnered Louisville Slugger pre-season all-American honorable mention honors in 2013.
Joining Chacon in La Crosse this summer will be his Tar Heel teammate Spencer Trayner, who also competed at Jesuit High School (Fla.). A true two-way threat, Trayner possesses a lowto-mid-90’s fastball on the mound and is considered an elite defender as a shortstop. Perfect Game ranked Trayner as the #12 player coming out of the state of Florida and the #81prospect in the nation in the class of 2013. Like his teammate Chacon, Trayner also earned Perfect Game underclass first team all-American honors in 2012 and was named a 2013 Rawlings third team all-American and a Louisville Slugger 2nd team all-American.
Thomas Rogers is a 6-0, 180 pound southpaw out of Fairfax Station, Va. that is also ready to embark on his rookie season at UNC. Rogers hauled in a slew of accolades as a high school pitcher including 2011 and 2012 Perfect Game underclass honorable mention all-American honors as well as a Rawlings all-region award in 2013. The left-handed strike-thrower with a ¾ delivery possesses a fastball that reaches the upper 80’s and is expected to make an impact on the Tar Heel pitching staff as a true freshman. North Carolina, a perennial powerhouse in collegiate baseball, is ranked nationally in two pre-season polls as of the date of this release.
Collegiate Baseball ranked the Tar Heels eleventh in their pre-season poll while Baseball America tabbed them at #17.
The La Crosse Loggers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized summer collegiate 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 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.lacrosseloggers.com.