Grafton, WI – Four former Lakeshore Chinook players heard their name called this week in the 2021 MLB draft, plus two former members signed non-drafted free agent contracts.
Austin Murr (Detroit Tigers: Round 6, Pick 165)
Murr, who just finished up his junior season with the North Carolina State Wolfpack, began his collegiate career at Des Moines Area Community College. As a freshman, he collected NJCAA Division II All-Region Team honors along with All-American recognition as a sophomore in 2019.
Following his sophomore year, he arrived in Mequon, where he appeared in 15 games for the Chinooks before heading home with a wrist injury, according to field manager Travis Akre.
In Raleigh, the Minnesota native won a plethora of awards this past spring. Most notably, Murr added the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Award to his trophy case and a Second Team All-ACC accolade too. Through 71 games played, including 70 starts, Murr did not commit an error in his NC State career, according to NC State Athletics.
Words from Coach Akre: “He [Murr] played at DMACC and I got to face him a ton at Ellsworth and saw him in high school, he’s just a cool story…To see him move onto NC State and then all of a sudden play in Omaha and hit leadoff… He is such a good person, I am so pumped for him.”
Trenton Wallace (Toronto Blue Jays: Round 11, Pick 332)
This past spring at the University of Iowa Wallace received Big Ten Pitcher of the Year honors; the first time a Hawkeye has ever won the award. In addition, Wallace picked up First-Team All-Big Ten, amassing a 7-1 record with a 2.34 ERA and 106 strikeouts. His strikeout total ranks second for most punchouts in a season.
The 6-1 left-hander capped off his Iowa career as a Collegiate Baseball and ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American.
In his time with Lakeshore, Wallace appeared in five games on 11.2 innings pitched and registered a 3.09 ERA.
Words from Coach Akre: “He’s [Wallace] a dude, man. I am so happy for him. The experience he had here, he showed a lot of signs of getting to that point. When he became the Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, that didn’t surprise me one bit.”
Michael Trautwein (Cincinnati Reds: Round 13, Pick 390)
In 28 games this past in Evanston, Illinois, at Northwestern, Trautwein recorded 27 RBIs. The slugger also had a five-game span in which he homered in every game, highlighted by his first career grand slam against Michigan State.
The Johns Creek, Georgia native appeared in 40 games behind the plate in Lakeshore, where he batted .312 on 48 hits and 23 RBIs.
Words from Coach Akre: “Mike Trautwein has got some big days ahead of him. He’s an athletic catcher. He played some outfield here but he’s a left-handed hitter with some juice.”
Cole Barr (Seattle Mariners: Round 15, Pick 444)
Barr finished his career in Bloomington with a career batting average of .269 and a career slugging percentage of .526. However, this past spring, he hit .292 in 44 games started and lanched eight homers, good enough for a Third Team All-Big Ten selection.
In 2019, in Mequon, the Hoosier saw 49 games from the hot corner where he homered nine times.
Words from Coach Akre: “Cole Barr has some serious tools: a live arm, runs extremely well, baseball IQ is exceptionally high, has power, a five-tool guy in my opinion.”
Trevor Tietz (Milwaukee Brewers, Signed Non-Drafted Free Agent Contract)
Tietz finished his sophomore season this past spring at Jefferson College in Missouri and was electric. The right-hander from Watertown, Wisconsin, appeared in five games. He recorded a 4-0 record, two of them being complete games.
The pitcher threw 24 innings with 37 strikeouts and recorded a 1.88 ERA.
Through six games with Lakeshore, Tietz, concluded with a 1-1 record in 28.1 innings pitched.
Words from Coach Akre: “He [Tietz] has an electric fastball…has really made some big strides since he left here. You could just see that it [potential] was in there. It’s cool to see him get that opportunity.”
Konnor Ash (Philadelphia Phillies, Signed Non-Drafted Free Agent Contract)
Ash pitched three seasons with the Missouri Tigers before entering the transfer portal in mid-June.
The Plainfield, Illinois native pitched 28.2 innings with 32 strikeouts. Ash recorded a season-high nine strikeouts against Tennessee on May 9.
With the Chinooks in 2018, Ash saw the mound six times where he threw 24.1 innings.
Words from Coach Akre: “The free-agent deal came, he’s going to the Phillies and that’s going to be a perfect organization for him and the way that they do things. He’s got a really good slider and a power arm.”
Editor’s Note: This article includes players who were drafted or signed to NDFA contracts on or before July 16, 2021.
