Happy New Year! As we embark on the 2020s, we wanted to take a look back on the past 10 years in La Crosse Loggers baseball and come up with a lineup that represented the incredible amount of talent that has come through Copeland Park. This list was compiled after much discussion and debate between Loggers front office members, coaches and broadcasters, and it provides a snapshot featuring the best of the best over the past decade.

POSITION PLAYERS

C: Andrew Knapp, University of California, 2011

On his journey to the MLB where he is currently a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, Knapp became the first and only Loggers player to hit .400 for a season, finishing with eight doubles, five home runs and 33 runs driven in as well as a team-record .503 on-base percentage. He was selected by the Phillies in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft.

Runner-Up: Chris O’Dowd, Dartmouth College, 2010

O’Dowd led Loggers regulars with a .316 batting average while appearing in 56 games for the Loggers in 2010, hitting seven home runs while driving in 37 runs. He went on to play six seasons in the minors after being selected in the 23rd round by the San Diego Padres.

1B: Michael Katz, William & Mary, 2013

Katz posted monster numbers in his only season with the Loggers, setting a team record with 18 home runs, while driving in 55 runs while batting .288. The slugger was also selected to the Big League Dreams Showcase, where he went 2-for-5 with a home run before being selected in the 9th round by the New York Mets.

Runner-Up: JT Schwartz, UCLA, 2019

Schwartz posted 10 hits in his first four games in a Loggers uniform, on his way to a Northwoods League-best .378 batting average for the 2019 season. He added 15 doubles and 35 RBI to a 74-hit season, adding on 25 walks for an impressive .464 on-base percentage, good for second in team history.

2B: Ryne Birk, Texas A&M, 2014

The 2014 Loggers team MVP, Birk led all regulars with a .340 batting average – good for sixth in the league – while tallying 71 hits in 57 games. His .447 on-base percentage ranks fourth all-time in team history, and did not commit a single error defensively over the course of the season. He represented the Loggers at the 2014 Northwoods League All-Star Game, and was drafted in 2016 by the Houston Astros in the 13th round.

Runner-Up: Cullen Large, William & Mary, 2016

Large shared the 2016 team MVP trophy with Mason McCoy after leading the team with a .328 batting average and .438 on-base percentage, good four fifth place in team history. He collected 24 extra-base hits (20 doubles, four home runs), and was awarded the Rawlings “Big Stick” Award as the best offensive second baseman in the NWL for the 2016 season.

SS: Mason McCoy, Illinois Central/Iowa, 2015-16

McCoy re-wrote both the Loggers and NWL record books in his time with the Loggers, tallying a league-record 112 hits in 71 games in 2015 on his way to Northwoods League MVP honors. He finished his record-setting 2015 season hitting .367 with nine home runs and 80 runs scored. He followed up that campaign by hitting .320 with 88 hits and eight home runs over 65 games in 2016, earning his second straight Rawlings “Big Stick” Award.

Runner-Up: Matt Chapman, Cal State Fullerton, 2012

The future Gold Glove third baseman for the Oakland Athletics played primarily shortstop for the Loggers, hitting .283 over the course of the season, with nine home runs and 33 runs batted in. He added two home runs in the Loggers’ championship run in 2012, scoring eight runs over the team’s four playoff games.

3B: David Villar, University of South Florida, 2017

Villar started his Loggers tenure with a seven-game hitting streak, and did not slow down over the course of the 2017 season, hitting .312 with 13 home runs and 49 RBI to go with 15 doubles and 72 hits total in 58 games, all while playing top-notch defense, earning the Rawlings “Finest in the Field” award for third base. He was drafted in 2018 by the San Francisco Giants in the 11th round, rising to High-A ball at the end of the 2019 season.

Runner-Up: Mike Marjama, Sacramento City/Long Beach State, 2010

A future big-league catcher with the Seattle Mariners, Marjama was a fan-favorite third-baseman for the Loggers, batting .286 with two home runs and 10 doubles over the course of 69 games in the 2010 season. He was drafted in 2011 by the Chicago White Sox in the 23rd round, and made his MLB debut in 2017.

OF: Richard Prigatano, Long Beach State, 2012

Prigatano was the MVP of the Loggers’ 2012 championship team, hitting .316 with 11 home runs and 15 doubles in 61 games, stealing 21 bases as well. He went 2-for-4 for the South Division team at the 2012 NWL All-Star Game, and was drafted in the 11th round of the 2014 draft by the Colorado Rockies

OF: Griffin Conine, Duke University, 2016

The slugger lead the Northwoods League in home runs with 16, adding 15 doubles with a .286 batting average and a .976 OPS. His excellent summer helped propel Conine up the draft boards, where he was taken in the 2nd round in 2018 by the Toronto Blue Jays.

OF: Harrison Freed, Butler University, 2018

Freed established a new franchise RBI record with 61 over 63 games in 2018, adding 12 home runs and 15 doubles to a .291 campaign. He was voted the 2018 Loggers Team MVP, and was drafted in the 13th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants.

Runners-Up:Bobby Juan, University of Minnesota, 2011-13; Braiden Ward, University of Washington, 2018; Kennie Taylor, Duke University, 2017; Mike Nadratowski, Grand Valley State, 2014

Juan is second in career hits with 156, trailing only Mason McCoy, and finished with 19 career home runs over three seasons with the Loggers…Ward swiped a franchise-record 35 bases in just 49 games in the 2018 season…Taylor hit .330 with a .430 on-base percentage in 2017, tallying 68 hits in 51 games…Nadratowski hit .285 over two seasons with the Loggers, with his 126 career hits ranking fifth in team history

UT: Korey Lee, University of California, 2017-18

Lee played a number of positions with the Loggers, including shortstop, first base, and outfield, but his specialty was behind the dish, throwing out 19 runners over the course of two seasons en route to becoming the first-round draft pick of the Houston Astros in 2019. Lee also hit .275 over his two seasons with the Loggers, in addition to 26 doubles, good for second in Loggers history.

Runners-Up: Kevin Zak, Grand Valley State, 2013-14; Jordan Zimmerman, Michigan State, 2015; Shane McGuire, University of San Diego, 2018; Tony Mueller, Winona State, 2010

Zak finished fourth in team history in career runs with 77, and fifth in career RBI with 68 after hitting .286 over two seasons, while playing a number of position across the diamond. His 184 total bases ranks fourth in team history, while his 36 extra-base hits ranks fifth…Zimmerman hit .296 with eight homers and eight doubles, with 52 RBI over 67 games as the primary double-play partner of Mason McCoy. His seven-RBI night on June 20, 2015 ranks as the top total in franchise history…McGuire was limited to just 50 games in his lone season with the Loggers, but batted .337 with 16 extra-base hits and 46 RBI, while playing catcher, first base and second base…Mueller helped out everywhere in the 2010 season, his second with the Loggers, hitting .306 with 28 stolen bases, while striking out 51 batters in 63.1 innings over 13 pitching appearances

DH: Ryan Holgate, University of Arizona, 2019

The big left-hander showed impressive power in his lone season with the Loggers, hitting 13 home runs while adding 18 doubles with 53 RBI. His 31 extra-base hits is good for third all-time in Loggers single-season history, while his home run and doubles total are each tied for fourth. His .554 slugging percentage and .946 OPS also rank in the top five in the team’s single-season record books.

Runner-up: Brock Lundquist, Long Beach State, 2015

Lundquist hit .317 with 21 doubles, tied with McCoy for the best single-season mark in team history. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2017 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays, progressing to Class AA in his second season in the minors.

PITCHERS

SP: Josh Frye, Long Beach State, 2012-13

After joining the team late in the 2012 season and helping the Loggers secure the NWL title, Frye started 12 games during the 2013 season, finishing 6-3 with a 3.31 ERA. He struck out 79 batters over 76 innings, the second-best Loggers mark of the past 10 years, leading to a All-Star Game nomination. His crown jewel of the season was a complete-game shutout on the road late in the season against Madison, striking out seven and scattering four hits in a 4-0 Loggers victory on Aug. 3, 2013.

SP: Nick Raquet, William & Mary, 2016

Raquet posted some impressive stats in his lone season with in La Crosse, as his 2.23 ERA ranks second and his 62 strikeouts ranks as the third best mark over the last 10 years of Loggers baseball. He finished the season with a gem, striking out nine over eight shutout innings in a 2-0 win vs. Rochester on Aug. 13, 2016. He was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 3rd round of the 2017 MLB Draft, winning 11 games in High-A in the 2019 season.

SP: Matt Flemer, University of California, 2010

Flemer started off the decade by posting an 8-2 record for the Loggers in 2010, the most wins by any Loggers pitcher this decade. His 2.05 ERA ranks in the top six in Loggers history, earning a South Division All-Star nomination. Flemer finished out the 2010 season with eight consecutive quality starts, and allowed zero or one earned runs in eight of his 12 appearances with the Loggers. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 27th round of the 2012 MLB Draft.

SP: Jake Stassi, Long Beach State, 2011-12

Stassi posted a 9-4 record over two seasons with the Loggers, including a 4-1 mark with a 2.78 ERA over 11 appearances in the Loggers 2012 championship season. His 96 career strikeouts rank inside the top 10 in team history, as do his 131 innings pitched. He represented the Loggers at the 2012 NWL All-Star Game.

RP: Jacob Dorris, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 2012, 2014

Dorris made 26 appearances for the Loggers in the 2012 NWL Championship season, striking out 86 batters over 57.2 innings pitched.  His 80 regular-season strikeouts ranks fifth all-time, and added 23 more over 23 innings for the Loggers in the 2014 season. His 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings pitched in 2012 is the best mark in team history, besting Chris Sale’s mark of 12.57 K/9 in 2008.

RP: Ty Provencher, Long Beach State, 2014-15

Provencher had an impressive two-year run with the Loggers, transitioning from a starter in 2014 to a full-time bullpen arm in 2015. His 14 saves in 2015 is tied for the best mark in team history, as are his 16 saves over two seasons. He posted a 1.68 ERA over 20 appearances in 2015, and his 1.12 career WHIP ranks third in franchise history.

Runners-Up: Jared Freilich, Penn State, 2019; Jonathan Van Eaton, University of Memphis, 2012; Steve Hagen, Wooster College, 2013; Breckin Williams, University of Missouri, 2014; Jordan Jess, University of Minnesota, 2015; Brando Tessar, University of Oregon, 2011

Freilich lead the NWL with 13 saves over 23 appearances, posting a 1.60 ERA over 33.2 innings… Van Eaton recorded 14 saves in the Loggers’ 2012 NWL championship season…Hagen finished 7-1 with a 3.89 ERA over 13 starts, striking out 59 in 74 innings pitched…Williams had 12 saves for the Loggers in 2014, striking out 31 in 24 innings with a 1.87 ERA…Jess served primarily as a set-up man for the Loggers, pitching 32.2 innings over 21 games, striking out 46 while sporting a 1.37 ERA…Tessar went 6-1 with 51 strikeouts in 77 innings, recording a 2.45 ERA over 11 starts