La Crosse, Wis. – The La Crosse Loggers made four key acquisitions to their 2022 roster today when they locked up four uber-talented freshmen from the nationally ranked LSU Tigers program. Outfielder Josh Stevenson, infielders Luke Leto and Brennan Holt, along with catchers Blaise Priester will be come the first set of Tigers to dawn a Loggers uniform when they head north to La Crosse this summer.
Athletic outfielder Josh Stevenson comes from a baseball family as his older brother, Andrew, is a member of the Washington Nationals big league club. Like his brother, Josh has tremendous upside as well as the left-handed hitting freshmen comes into LSU as one of the top “rookies” in this year’s LSU class. Stevenson is no stranger to summer baseball either as he showed well in the Perfect Game Summer Collegiate League last summer when he hit .298 with two homers and 14 RBI’s over 104 at-bats and 29 games played. A speedster in his own right who can cover much ground in the outfield, Stevenson also swiped seven bases last summer when hitting at that top of the lineup for the Saugerties Stallions. The 6-1, 195 pound outfielder also came up big when it mattered most in the playoffs and the Perfect Game League tabbed Stevenson as the 2021 PGCBL Playoff MVP after hitting .400 in the post-season with two more home runs and seven RBI’s.
Very highly touted infielder Luke Leto will be joining Stevenson in their trek north to the land of the Loggers. Tabbed as a top 100 Freshman in the country by numerous publications, Leto’s prep career is full of accolades. The Portage, Mich. native was recognized as the Mr. Baseball in the state of Michigan last season and he also helped the United States win their first ever U-15 World Baseball Championship back in 2018. An early commit to LSU, the left-handed hitting infielder was also selected to participate in the Perfect Game All-American Classic. Prior to entering LSU this past fall, Leto also got a taste of the Northwoods League last summer as a high school senior when he hit .241 over 54 at-bats with the Kalamazoo Growlers and garnered an invite to the prestigious Major League Dreams Showcase event before an injury derailed his appearance.
Fellow infielder Brennan Holt will be the third LSU Tiger who’s excited to tackle the Northwoods League grind this summer. The Baton Rouge, La. native is a slick-fielding middle infielder was one of the top prospects in the state coming out of high school as Prep Baseball Report ranked him as the No. 5 player in the state and Perfect Game tabbed as No. 9. A three-time Under Armour pre-season all-American, Holt also competed in summer collegiate baseball last summer in the Florida Collegiate League where he hit .241 over 54 at-bats and swiped seven bags for the Sanford River Rats.
Blaise Priester is another Louisiana native who will join his fellow teammates in La Crosse this summer. Ranked as the top catching prospect coming out of the 2021 class in the state, the well-built Priester enjoyed a prolific senior season at Live Oak High School in Denham Springs, La. where he hit .426 with ten home runs and 44 RBI’s along with throwing out 54% of attempted base stealers.
Stevenson, Leto, Holt, Priester and the rest of the Loggers will open their 2022 campaign on May 30 when they travel to Eau Claire. The 2022 home opener is set for Tuesday, May 31 when the Loggers welcome the Express for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. Season tickets and ticket packages for the 20th anniversary season of Loggers Baseball are on sale now with information available at www.lacrosseloggers.com or by calling the Loggers ticket office at 608-796-9553. Fans can also visit the Loggers office at 1225 Caledonia Street, La Crosse between 8:30-5, Monday thru Friday.
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The La Crosse Loggers 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’ 28th 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.
