La Crosse Roster Taking Shape as Collegiate Spring Season Nears
La Crosse, Wis. – With the spring collegiate season nearly upon us, the La Crosse Loggers roster is really taking shape. Today team officials announced the signing of a pair of players from Duke University when the Lumbermen added outfielder Griffin Conine and infielder/right-handed pitcher Zack Kesterson.
The name Conine is certainly familiar to baseball fans as Griffin is the son of former big leaguer Jeff Conine. The elder Conine spent 17 years in the big leagues that included two World Series Championships with the Florida Marlins (1997 & 2003), two trips to the MLB All-Star Game (1994 & 95) plus a 1995 All-Star Game MVP award. Griffin is putting together an impressive baseball resume himself as he prepares for his freshman campaign at Duke University this spring. The sweet-swinging, left-handed outfielder was tabbed as a 2015 Perfect Game Honorable Mention all-American last year before the Miami Marlins selected him in the 31st round of the 2015 MLB Draft. Conine instead elected to pursue his collegiate career at Duke where he was tabbed as the 402nd best freshman prospect in the country according to Perfect Game.
Joining Conine will be another highly touted freshman in ultra-athletic Zack Kesterson. Considered one of the top two-way talents in the country coming out of New Hartford Senior High School (Gainesville, Va.), Kesterson was ranked as the no. 301 prospect in his class by Perfect Game. The 6-2, 210 pound infielder and right-handed pitcher also earned Perfect Game Honorable Mention all-American honors in 2015 along with being tabbed a pre-season Under Armour all-American. Kesterson, who played shortstop in high school, has the athletic ability to play multiple infield positions as well as be a dominating force on the mound with a fastball that sits in the low 90’s.
Conine, Kesterson and the rest of the Loggers will open their 2016 season on the road on May 31, 2016 when they travel to Kenosha to take on the defending NWL Champions. The 2016 home opener is then set for Thursday, June 2 when the Loggers welcome the St. Cloud Rox to the Lumber Yard for a 7:05 p.m. contest.
The La Crosse Loggers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Preparing for its 22nd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods 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 115 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) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.lacrosseloggers.com.