La Crosse, Wis. – The La Crosse Loggers added four more familiar names to their 2023 roster today when team officials announced the signings and return of Carson Hornung (South Carolina), Mac Danford (UT-Martin), Blaise Priester (Meridian CC) and Jake Gebb (UC-Riverside).
Rising sophomore Carson Hornung was one of the top hitters in all of the Northwoods League a summer ago after he posted a .317 batting average that also included a team-high 13 doubles and also drove in 28 runs. The Gamecock outfielder also set a new Loggers team record by hitting safely in 25 consecutive games between June 12 – July 13. The Overland Park, Kansas native saw considerable action at South Carolina last spring as a true freshman, appearing in 41 games (32 starts), hitting .209 with a pair of home runs and drove in 11 while posting a .342 on-base percentage. Hornung was a highly touted recruit coming out of high school as Perfect Game ranked him as a Top 100 freshman in 2022 and the #2 ranked prospect coming out of the state of Kansas.
Mac Danford is also set to return to the Lumberyard this summer looking to build upon a 2022 summer that saw him excel on a temporary contract for the Loggers. The utility man from Grand Ridge, Fla. hit .246 over 16 games with one home run and drove in 14 runs while splitting time between third base and behind the plate. Prior to transferring to UT-Martin, Danford was a first-team all-conference selection at Enterprise Community College (Alabama). Danford has also excelled in other summer spots as well, most notably in 2021 when he hit .339 for the West Virginia Miners of the Prospect League.
Blaise Priester will be bringing his big arm and big bat back to La Crosse this summer as well looking to add to his team-best eight home runs from 2022. The big-armed backstop hit .238 and drove in 25 runs to go along with those eight long balls and posted a .367 on-base percentage. Priester red-shirted during the spring of 2022 at LSU before transferring to Meridian Community College (Miss.) where he will begin his 2023 campaign on Friday, February 3. Priester was ranked as the top catching prospect in the state of Louisiana by Perfect Game coming out of Live Oak High School in Denham Springs, La. in 2022.
Funky southpaw and highly competitive Jake Gebb is also excited to dawn the Loggers pinstripes once again this summer. Gebb was a mainstay coming out of the Loggers bullpen last summer, posting a team-high 26 appearances with a 2-3 record, 2 saves and a 4.62 ERA over 25.1 innings pitched. The Pleasanton, Calif. native spent the spring of 2022 at the University of Nevada where he ranked second on the team with 18 appearances while striking out eight batters over 15.2 innings pitched. Prior to Nevada, Gebb spent one season at Chabot Community College (Calif.) where he posted a 1-3 record with one save and struck out 22 batters over 31 innings pitched with a 3.77 ERA.
Hornung, Danford, Priester, Gebb and the rest of the Loggers will open their 2023 campaign on May 29 when they travel north to Eau Claire. The 2023 home opener is set for May 30 at Copeland Park & Events Center. Season tickets and ticket packages for the 21st 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. Now in its’ 29th 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, 300 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 (NYM), 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 winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.lacrosseloggers.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Loggers as your favorite team.
