Four teams selected of the top prospects in the Northwoods League by MLB Scouts

Kalamazoo, MI. — The Northwoods League has announced the rosters for the 2022 Major League Dreams Showcase, which will be hosted by the La Crosse Loggers at Copeland Park on Tuesday, August 2.

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 4:00 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 Battle Creek, Duluth, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Waterloo, and Minnesota. The home team will be made up of players mainly from Fond du Lac, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Rockford, and St. Cloud. Marcus Pointer of the Duluth Huskies will skipper the visiting team while Dale Varsho of the Eau Claire Express will manage the home team.

The visiting team in this first game will be led by Northwoods League All-Stars Kristian Campbell (Georgia Tech) of the Duluth Huskies and Tai Walton (University of Hawaii) of the Waterloo Bucks. Campbell is currently fifth in the league with a .361 average and Walton has three home runs and 11 RBI.

The home team in game one will feature 2022 NWL All-Star Game MVP Charlie Condon (University of Georgia) of the St. Cloud Rox who is currently hitting .277 with seven home runs, six doubles and 49 RBI.  Matthew Deprey (Xavier University) of the Lakeshore Chinooks will also play in this game. Deprey has a .351 average with five home runs, 11 doubles and 29 RBI in 37 games.

The second game 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 Willmar, Lakeshore, Kokomo, Kenosha, and Bismarck. The home team will have players from La Crosse, Madison, Mankato, Rochester, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids. Freddy Smith of the Willmar Stingers will be the Field Manager for the visiting team. Mallards Field Manager and former MLB catcher Donnie Scott will be in the dugout for the home team.

In the night cap the visiting team will be led by Drey Dirksen (Augustana University) of the Willmar Stingers. Dirksen, a mid-season All-Star is hitting .285 with seven home runs and 32 RBI. The Bismarck Larks have three players on this team. This contingent of Larks is led by Seth Surrett (Long Island University-Brooklyn). Surrett is currently hitting .280 with seven RBI in 11 games. On the mound the Larks will feature RHP Carter Rost (Wichita State University). Rost has a 2.65 ERA in three games and has struck out 12 batters in 17 innings pitched.

Seven members of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters will compete for the home team in the second game. This talented group of players are led by infielder Brendan Bobo (California State University, Fullerton). Bobo is currently hitting .284 with 11 home runs and 38 RBI in 45 games. This team will also feature 2022 Northwoods League All-Star Josh Caron (University of Nebraska) of the Madison Mallards. Caron is currently hitting .292 with seven home runs, nine doubles, one triple and 32 RBI. He has four stolen bases.

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 loggersbaseball.com.

 

###

The Kalamazoo Growlers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27th 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 250 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 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 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. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.growlersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Growlers as your favorite team.