Judkins and Lee return for the upcoming summer
La Crosse, Wis. – The La Crosse Loggers Baseball Club are happy to announce that they have re-signed two position players to their 2018 roster. Returning for the 2018 season will be Grant Judkins (Iowa) and Korey Lee (California), two key run producers for the Loggers last season.
Grant Judkins spent the first half of his 2017 summer in a Loggers uniform, recording an outstanding .312 batting average over 77 at-bats in 20 appearances. The University of Iowa sophomore showed impressive power at the plate, with three doubles and three home runs while knocking in 10 RBI on the summer. Judkins also displayed great plate discipline and ability to reach base safely, drawing 16 walks and notching a .430 on-base percentage. Over a three game span at the end of June, Judkins went a combined 7-11 (.636) with three walks, four RBI, and four runs scored for the Loggers. At the end of the summer season, Judkins joined his Iowa teammates in representing the United States at the 2017 World University Games in Taipei, Taiwan. He started five games — four at first base and one on the mound — and recorded a pair of hits, four walks, and four runs scored to help lead Team USA to a silver medal at the University Games. Primarily a designated hitter for the Hawkeyes in his freshman season, the 6’3” left-handed slugger was rated as the eighth-best freshman in the Big Ten by Baseball America. Judkins started 31 games and hit .270 (30-of-111) with 11 runs and 16 RBI. The Pella, Iowa native hit his first career home run — a pinch-hit solo shot — against Penn State (4/28) just days before connecting on his second four-bagger at Western Illinois (5/2).He also made 10 appearances on the mound, earning a win in his first career start against Loras (2/22) while tossing 3.0 shutout innings and allowing only one hit with four strikeouts.
The Loggers will also have their primary catcher back for the upcoming season. Korey Lee appeared in 55 games for the Loggers in 2017, hitting .266 in 188 at-bats. The right-hander recorded 12 doubles and three home runs, knocking in 30 RBI – good for third most on the club. The sophomore backstop collected 14 multi-hit games, including two 3-hit performances against Mankato (7/10) and Eau Claire (7/16), and a 4-hit day vs. St. Cloud (6/15). Lee’s hot bat was an essential piece in the Loggers’ lineup, as he went 11-20 (.550) from June 11-15 and had a nine-game hit streak from June 25-July 11. Lee is a Vista, California native and sophomore catcher at the University of California, Berkeley. He appeared in 28 games and made 18 starts behind the plate in 2017, where he batted .277 with 18 hits in 65 at-bats, four doubles, three RBI and nine runs scored. Collected his first collegiate hit in his first appearance, singling and driving in a run vs. Cal Poly (2/19). Lee had a strong freshman campaign, recording multiple hits on four occasions including a 3-for-4 day at No. 1 Oregon State (5/7). He finished the year with his biggest hit of the season, a two-run double late in Cal’s season-ending win at No. 15 Arizona. Lee only made two errors and compiled a .984 fielding percentage behind the dish for the Bears, and ranked seventh in the Pac-12 with nine men caught stealing.
Judkins, Lee, and the rest of the 2018 La Crosse Loggers will begin their season on the road against the Waterloo Bucks on Tuesday, May 29. The entire 2018 Loggers schedule is available at www.lacrosseloggers.com!