Northwoods League Announces 2021 Major League Dreams Showcase Rosters

Rochester, Minn. — The Northwoods League has announced the rosters for the 2021 Major League Dreams Showcase, which will be hosted by the La Crosse Loggers at Copeland Park on Tuesday, August 3.

The annual Showcase will consist of a double-header featuring the top players from the Northwoods League who were selected by a panel of Major League Baseball Scouts. The players will participate in a day of workouts in front of scouts, which will be followed by the double-header.

The first game will start at 4:05 p.m. and will match two teams featuring a mix of players from the Great Plains and Great Lakes Divisions. The players on the visiting team in this game will primarily come from Kokomo, Battle Creek, Traverse City, Lakeshore, and Willmar. The home team will be made up of players mainly from Waterloo, Kenosha, Green Bay, Rockford, and Madison. Josh Rebandt of the Traverse City Pit Spitters will skipper the visiting team, while former MLB catcher Donnie Scott of the Madison Mallards will manage the home team.

The visiting team in this first game will be led by Northwoods League All-Stars Griffin Doersching (Northern Kentucky) of the Lakeshore Chinooks and Chandler Simpson (Alabama at Birmingham) of the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. Doersching currently leads the league with nine home runs, and Simpson leads the league in steals with 47.

The home team in game one will feature 2021 NWL All-Star Alex Iadisernia (Elon) of the Madison Mallards, who is currently hitting .333 with eight home runs, 21 doubles, and 28 RBI. Josh Kasevich (University of Oregon) of the Waterloo Bucks will also play in this game. Kasevich has a .365 average with two home runs, four doubles, and five stolen bases in 30 games.

The second game will start at 7:35 p.m. and will again be played by two teams of Great Lakes and Great Plains players. The visiting team for this game will be made up of players mostly from Bismarck, Eau Claire, Minnesota, Duluth, Kalamazoo, and Fond du Lac. The home team will have players from La Crosse, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Rapids, Rochester, Mankato, and St. Cloud. Will Flynt of the Bismarck Larks will be the Field Manager for the visiting team. Loggers Field Manager Brian Lewis will be in the dugout for the home team.

In the nightcap, the visiting team will be led by Jackson Loftin (Oral Roberts) of the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders. Loftin, a mid-season All-Star is hitting .307 with five home runs, 42 RBI, and 35 stolen bases. The Kalamazoo Growlers have three players on this team. This contingent of Growlers is led by Luke Storm (Duke). Storm is currently hitting .275 with 24 RBI and 10 doubles in 49 games. On the mound, the Growlers will feature RHP Braden Forsyth (Mississippi). Forsyth has a 1.27 ERA in 12 games and has struck out 30 batters in 21.1 innings pitched.

Six members of the hometown La Crosse Loggers will compete for the home team in the second game. This talented group of players are led by catcher Ildefonso Ruiz (San Diego State). Ruiz is currently hitting .328 with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs in 33 games. This team will also feature 2021 Northwoods League All-Star Game MVP Otto Kemp (Point Loma Nazarene) of the St. Cloud Rox. Kemp is currently hitting .325 with four home runs, 11 doubles, two triples, and 32 RBI. He has stolen seven bases and walked 28 times.

Proceeds from the Major League Dreams Showcase will benefit the Northwoods League Foundation. The Northwoods League Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as a vehicle to transform a shared passion for baseball into positive change and support for communities. Of the many needs the foundation may address through grants, scholarships, or donations, one ongoing focus will be to view its member communities and look upon the baseball programs they have in place with a harmonious goal of making them all finer places to live.

More information on the Foundation can be found at northwoodsleague.com/community/foundation/

Tickets for the event are still available and can be purchased at lacrosseloggers.com

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 28^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 260 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove finalist, and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.