Grafton, WI – The Lakeshore Chinooks will bring back two consistent performers from last year’s team with the additions of infielder Royce Ando (Michigan State University) and outfielder Zac Taylor (University of Illinois). Both players contributed key performances in the field and on the base paths, including a game-winning walk-off home run by Taylor on July 31st to quickly end the continuation of a suspended game in the 13th-inning.
Royce Ando, a shortstop from Mississauga, Ontario will return to Lakeshore after the completion of his sophomore season for the Spartans. Playing both shortstop and second base for the Chinooks, Ando hit .241 in 54 games with ten doubles, two triples, and 19 RBI. The three-time member of the Canadian National Junior team started 38 games for Michigan State as a freshman and this season has helped Sparty get off to a terrific 9-1 start by hitting .310 with a .444 on-base percentage. He also homered in MSU’s 5-4 win over North Carolina-Greensboro on February 24th.
Zac Taylor came to the Chinooks from the University of Houston for the 2016 season and quickly made his mark on the base paths by leading the team with 20 stolen bases. The Downers Grove, IL native rotated in the outfield between center and left and earned a reputation for scrappy play in the field. At the plate, Taylor hit .239 with three home runs and 15 RBI and paced the Chinooks in the team’s playoff appearance with two hits against Wisconsin Rapids. This season, Taylor will return to the team after transferring to the University of Illinois and sitting out due to NCAA eligibility rules. The 6’1 red-shirt junior to be will be eager to get plenty of work.
You can catch your first glimpse of the 2017 Chinooks roster on Saturday, June 3rd when Lakeshore takes on the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at 6:35pm at Kapco Park. Season tickets, mini game packages, and group tickets are all currently on sale. Single game tickets go on sale to the public in early May. For tickets and more information, call 262-618-4659 or visit lakeshorechinooks.com.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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 160 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.lakeshorechinooks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Chinooks as your favorite team.