Waterloo, IA – A pair of 2013 Waterloo Bucks have captured spots on 2014 pre-season All-American teams.  Pitcher T.J. Renda and third baseman Chesny Young both recently received honors from Louisville Slugger and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA).

Alabama State University junior T.J. Renda was voted onto the 2014 Louisville Slugger Pre-season All-American third team.  Renda, who is originally from Apopka, Florida, was named a mid-season Northwoods League All-Star last summer for Waterloo.  With the Bucks, the righty finished with a 5-0 record and a 2.70 ERA to go along with 33 strikeouts in 10 appearances.  Last season for Alabama State, Renda led the Southwestern Athletic Conference in wins with nine and batters struck out with 85 to go along with an ERA of 2.38.  Renda was a 2013 first team All-SWAC selection and ‘13 Pitcher of the Year.

Mercer University junior Chesny Young was named to both the ’14 Louisville Slugger and NCBWA Pre-season All-American third teams.  A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Young was both a mid-season and post-season NWL All-Star.  For Waterloo, Young hit .325 with 42 RBI and 12 stolen bases.  The third baseman led the league in on-base percentage (.470), runs (62), and walks (60), while compiling three triples that tied him for third in the NWL.  Young finished the ’13 season for Mercer with an Atlantic Sun Conference leading .401 batting average and 141 total bases to go along with 65 RBI and a .458 on-base percentage.  For his efforts, Young was named the ‘13 A-Sun Conference Player of the Year after finishing the season on a 30-game hitting streak and ranking second in the country with 105 hits.

The Bucks will open the 2014 season on the road versus the Rochester Honkers on May 27, but return to Waterloo for their home opener versus Rochester on May 28.  Season tickets and group outings are currently on sale.  For more information, call the Bucks’ Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks in the off-season by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com.

The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21^st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 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, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com.

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