Loggers Add Talented Trio from Hawaii

LA CROSSE, WIS. – The La Crosse Loggers bolstered their 2024 roster today when team officials announced the signing of a talented trio from the University of Hawaii in outfielder Matt Miura, infielder Elijah Ickes and pitcher Brayden Marx.

Sophomore outfielder Matt Miura is preparing for 2024 on the heels of earning all-league honors in the Cal Ripken League last summer after he hit .388 with 24 RBI’s and walked 22 times compared to only six strikeouts. The 6-0, 185-pound athletic outfielder also led the team with 17 stolen bases. Miura, a Honolulu, Oahu native, saw action in 23 games as a true freshman for Hawaii last spring, hitting .222 with 10 runs scored and four stolen bases.

Joining Miura will be fellow Rainbow Elijah Ickes who is also coming off of a summer to remember himself in 2023. As a high school senior, the slick-fielding shortstop was tabbed as the Top Prospect in the West Coast Collegiate League last summer after hitting .277 over 48 games played and he also stole 11 bases. Ickes was highly coveted coming out of high school when the Texas Rangers selected him in the 19^th round of the 2023 MLB first-year player draft. Ickes, who was named the 2023 Hawaii Gatorade Player of the Year in the state, declined the Rangers offer to stay home and play for the Rainbows.

The third member of the Hawaii trio coming to La Crosse is hard-throwing right-hander Brayden Marx from Pleasant Grove, Utah. Armed with a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid 90’s Marx was ranked as the second best right-handed pitching prospect coming out of Utah for the class of 2023 according to Perfect Game and was a Futures Game participant while in high school.

Miura, Ickes, Marx and the rest of the Loggers will open their 2024 campaign on May 27 when they travel west to Mankato, Minn. to take on the MoonDogs. The 2024 home opener is set for May 29 at Copeland Park & Events Center. Season tickets and ticket packages for the 22^ndseason 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’ 31^st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), 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.