Loggers Excited to Welcome Back Six Key Pitchers
Pitching Staff Gets Major Building Boost with Veteran Presence Returning
LA CROSSE, WIS. – One week after announcing that five key position players will be returning to La Crosse for the upcoming 2026 season, today the Loggers front office shared that six pitchers from last year’s squad will join them in dawning the Logger pinstripes for another summer. Mateo Gray (Central Florida), Brayden Olson (St. Thomas), Myles Dismute (Southern), Cristien Banda (Long Beach State), Jack Ghufran (Sierra College) and Mason Beltrand (Winona State) will provide the Lumbermen with an anchor of experience to lead the staff.
Mateo Gray is heading into his sophomore season at Central Florida with high hopes following a very successful summer in La Crosse last year. The former Florida high school state player of the year went 2-0 with a 3.45 ERA over five starts with the Loggers, striking out 23 batters over 28.2 innings that was highlighted by a complete game, three-hit shutout that he tossed back on June 24 over the Eau Claire Express in a game that he tossed just 92 pitches to finish off the gem. Gray also excelled at the plate for La Crosse, hitting .311 with three home runs and 20 RBI’s.
Big right-hander Brayden Olson will also be returning after he completes his junior season at St. Thomas University (Minn.). The St. Croix Falls, Wisc. native transferred to St. Thomas after spending his first two collegiate seasons at Purdue. Last summer, Olson was a key arm in the second half of the season for the Loggers when he went 2-0 with a 4.15 ERA, striking out 19 batters over 17.1 innings pitched.
Myles Dismute will be returning to his summer home for his third consecutive season in La Crosse. The junior right-hander is entering his first season at Southern University after spending the past two springs at Long Beach City College where he was the ace of their staff. In 2024, Dismute spent the second-half in La Crosse making seven appearances out of the bullpen during the regular season before tossing four innings of shutout baseball in St. Cloud when he helped lead the Loggers past the Rox and onto the NWL Championship game that year. Last season he was a key part of the Loggers second half rotation when he went 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA over four starts, striking out 15 batters over 19.1 innings.
Cristien Banda tied for the team lead in appearances last summer for the Loggers with 15 while also making six starts. The Long Beach State southpaw went 2-3 with a 6.63 ERA and struck out a team—high 52 batters over 38 innings pitched. The rising junior appeared in 14 games for the Dirtbags last spring, striking out 14 batters over 17 innings.
Jack Ghufran tied Banda for the team lead with 15 of his own appearances last summer, posting a 1-2 record with a 6.91 ERA while also making a pair of starts. The Granite Bay, Calif. native red-shirted during his freshman season at San Jose State and has now transferred to Sierra College (Calif.) where he’ll begin his spring campaign today.
The third Logger pitcher that made a team-high 15 appearances last summer was Mason Beltrand and he’ll also be returning to add even more veteran leadership. The rising Winona State junior went 2-0 with 2 saves and posted a 3.58 ERA while striking out 28 batters over 32.2 innings pitched for the Lumbermen. Last spring he went 3-0 with three saves for the Warriors while striking out 18 over 16 innings of work.
The 2026 edition of Loggers Baseball takes to the field on Monday, May 25 when they host the Duluth Huskies at 3:05 p.m. at the friendly confines of Copeland Park. Season tickets, group outings and flex plans are on sale now with ticket information available at www.lacrosseloggers.com or by calling the Loggers ticket office at 608-796-9553. The Loggers office is also open Monday thru Friday, 8:30 am – 5 p.m., at 1225 Caledonia Street, La Crosse.
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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 entering its’ 33rd 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford 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 (BAL) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on FloSports. 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.