Sweet-swinging Kirby from USD and Switch-hitting SS Knight from DBU Coming to La Crosse
LA CROSSE, WIS. – The La Crosse Loggers baseball club added a pair of position players to their ever-growing
2014 roster today when team officials announced the signings of freshman Ryan Kirby (San Diego) and junior
Nash Knight (Dallas Baptist). Ryan Kirby may be a freshman at the University of San Diego about to embark on his first season of collegiate baseball, but he is already well-versed in the college game. The 2013 Rawlings Third Team High School All-American out of Granada High School in Livermore, Calif. turned down an offer from the San Francisco Giants last June after they selected him in the 40th Round of the MLB Draft. The left-handed hitting Kirby then went onto enjoy a huge summer in the West Coast Collegiate league where he hit .316 in 116 AB’s for the Bellingham Belles and was named the 28th best prospect there by Perfect Game. The 6-2, 185 pound Kirby has the ability to play both first base and in the outfield.
If a switch-hitting shortstop from Dallas Baptist with the last name Knight sounds familiar to Logger fans, it should. The Lumbermen have also secured Nash Knight, the younger brother of Austin, who was the Loggers starting shortstop on the 2009 club that went to the NWL Championship Series and served as an assistant coach on Andy McKay’s staff in 2011. Nash followed in his older brothers’ footsteps to DBU, where he was the starting shortstop throughout the entire2013 spring season, posting a .259 batting average with 19 RBI’s over 185 at-bats along with drawing 32 bases on balls leading to a .383 on-base percentage. Knight is no stranger to summer collegiate baseball either, having competed in the historic Alaskan League over each of the past two summers.
11TH WINTER BASEBALL BBQ JUST ONE WEEK AWAY …
Former Minnesota Twins field manager Tom Kelly will headline their 11th Winter Baseball BBQ, which is planned for Thursday, January 23 at the Stoney Creek Inn (Onalaska). Kelly managed the Twins for a span of more than 15 years (1986-2001), making him the longest tenured coach in Twins history. Under his direction, the Twins won two World Series Titles in a span of five years (1987 and 1991) and Kelly was named the American League Manager of the Year in 1991. The Minnesota native won 1,140 games as the Twins skipper during his tenure and the Twins retired his #10 jersey before a September 8, 2012 game at Target Field. Kelly currently serves as a special assistant to general manager Terry Ryan.The Loggers Winter Baseball BBQ will also feature addresses from members of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team, the Loggers themselves as well as a special silent auction area. Tickets for the event are on sale now at the Loggers ticket office (1225 Caledonia St., La Crosse) or by calling 608-796-9553. Just $15 for adults, $5 for kids 12 & under or two adult tickets for $25 and tickets do include a ballpark-style meal.
The La Crosse Loggers are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized summer collegiate 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 MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.lacrosseloggers.com.