Vinny Rottino to Headline 21st Loggers Winter BBQ
Brewers TV Analyst, Former UWL Eagle Excited to Return to La Crosse
LA CROSSE, WIS. – The likes of Max Scherzer, Ned Yost, Tom Kelly, Paul Molitor, Robin Yount and more have visited La Crosse, Wisc. in past years to turn up the hot stove for the La Crosse Loggers annual Winter BBQ and that off-season tradition is now set to continue Thursday, January 9, 2025, as team officials announced today that current Milwaukee Brewer television analyst and former University of Wisconsin-La Crosse player Vinny Rottino will headline the 21st Winter BBQ event.
Rottino, the player, made his major league debut with the Milwaukee Brewers on September 1, 2006, after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He was also a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers (2009) and Florida Marlins (2010, 2014), New York Mets (2011-12), and Cleveland Indians (2012) and Chicago White Sox (2016). Rottino was also the starting catcher for Team Italy during the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
In between stints with Major League clubs, the well-traveled utility player also spent the 2013 season playing for the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. One year later, Rottino signed on with the Nexen Heroes of the KBO League before returning to the states and signing a minor league contract with the Marlins in late 2014. After a stint in Florida, he caught on with another minor league contract with the Chicago White Sox before eventually announcing his retirement from the game on September 9, 2016.
That same year Rottino was inducted into the UWL Hall of Fame. He played for the Eagles baseball team from 1999-2002, earning four letters. A 2002 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-America First Team selection, Rottino became the first player in school history to earn ABCA All-America accolades. Named the 2002 WIAC Position Player of the Year, Rottino was a 2001 and 2002 all-conference first team selection. He was also named to the 1999 All-WIAC honorable Mention Team.
Selected to the WIAC All-Time Team in 2012, Rottino was the WIAC Scholar-Athlete in 2002. He was also voted to the 2002 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-American® First Team and to the 2001 CoSIDA Academic All-American® Second Team. Rottino holds UWL’s single-season record for home runs with 15 in 2002 and currently ranks in the top-eight in six career offensive categories. He is third in career doubles (50), tied for third in home runs (23), sixth in hits (199), at-bats (587) and tied for sixth in runs (192) while ranking eighth in RBI (120). Rottino hit .339 in his career.
Rottino, the former Brewer player, became a Brewers television broadcaster in 2022 and has enjoyed the last three seasons as a key member of the Bally Sports Wisconsin broadcast team. Vinny, his wife, Maggie, and their daughters, Adrienne, Olivia and Cecilia, reside in Racine, Wisconsin.
This year’s event will be held in the Riverside Ballroom at the La Crosse Center in downtown La Crosse and will once again feature an induction ceremony from the La Crosse Area Baseball Hall of Fame.
Tickets for the Loggers 21st Winter Baseball BBQ are on sale now at 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. Individual tickets can be purchased for the event for just $25. Corporate reserved tables of eight are also available by contacting the Loggers ticket office. All tickets include a catered meal and the Winter Baseball BBQ program. Doors will open to the public at 5:00 p.m. for a social hour, followed by the program at 6:35 p.m.
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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’ 31st 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, 360 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 (STL) and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). 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.