Hawaii Connection Continues with Latest Logger Signings
Elite Backstop Redding, Top Prospect Kong Heading to La Crosse
LA CROSSE, WIS. – Many Hawaii Rainbow alums have spent their summers in La Crosse, Wisc. excelling in the Northwoods League and that tradition will continue this summer as Logger team officials announced the signings of a pair of Hawaii’s finest in catcher Jake Redding and infielder Mana Lau Kong.
Sophomore backstop Jake Redding is getting set to embark on his first season on the island after a very successful freshman year at Sierra Junior College (Calif.) where he hit .321 with four home runs and 40 RBI’s. The 6-3, 210-pound catcher helped lead Sierra to the State Championship in 2025 before joining the Rainbows. Redding, who’s an elite defender, was a 2024 graduate of Lincoln High School in Lincoln, Calif.
Mana Lau Kong will be an unmistakable presence in a Loggers uniform this summer as the true freshman stands 6-6 and goes 245 pounds. The corner infielder is a top 200 freshman in the country and the top prospect coming out of the state of Hawaii in 2025. A Honolulu native, Lau Kong was a three-time all-state selection in Hawaii who hit .416 during his senior season last spring before getting a taste of summer collegiate baseball by playing in the West Coast Collegiate League as a high school senior before stepping foot on Hawaii’s campus.
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.