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Published On: July 25th, 2022

Waterloo, IA – The Northwoods League has announced the rosters for the 2022 Major League Dreams Showcase which includes Waterloo Bucks outfielder Tai Walton.  The event, which will be hosted by La Crosse Loggers at Copeland Park on Tuesday, August 2, will consist of a double-header featuring the top players from the NWL.  Walton will play for the Visiting Team in the 4:00 pm game.

Walton, a freshman from the University of Hawaii and originally from La Canada, California, is an outfielder currently hitting .276 with three home runs, 11 RBI, and six stolen bases.  Walton represented Waterloo in the 2022 NWL All-Star Game.

Players for the Showcase were selected by a panel of Major League Baseball Scouts.  The players will participate in a day of workouts in front of scouts which will be followed by the double-header.

The first game will start at 4:00 p.m. and will match two teams featuring a mix of players from the Great Plains and Great Lakes Divisions. The players on the visiting team in this game will primarily come from Battle Creek, Duluth, Kalamazoo, Traverse City, Waterloo, and Minnesota. The home team will be made up of players mainly from Fond du Lac, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Rockford, and St. Cloud. Marcus Pointer of the Duluth Huskies will skipper the visiting team while Dale Varsho of the Eau Claire Express will manage the home team.

The second game will again be played by two teams of Great Lakes and Great Plains players. The visiting team for this game will be made up of players mostly from Willmar, Lakeshore, Kokomo, Kenosha, and Bismarck. The home team will have players from La Crosse, Madison, Mankato, Rochester, Wausau, and Wisconsin Rapids. Freddy Smith of the Willmar Stingers will be the Field Manager for the visiting team. Mallards Field Manager and former MLB catcher Donnie Scott will be in the dugout for the home team.

Proceeds from the Major League Dreams Showcase will benefit the Northwoods League Foundation. The Northwoods League Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that serves as a vehicle to transform a shared passion for baseball into positive change and support for communities. Of the many needs the foundation may address through grants, scholarships or donations, one ongoing focus will be to view its member communities and look upon the baseball programs they have in place with a harmonious goal of making them all finer places to live.

More information on the Foundation can be found at northwoodsleague.com/community/foundation/

Tickets for the event can still be purchased and are available at lacrosseloggers.com

The Bucks are currently on an eight-game road trip but will return home to begin a two-game homestand versus the Mankato MoonDogs on Friday, July 30 at 6:35 pm.  Tickets are available for all games at www.waterloobucks.com or by calling the Bucks Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633.  Cost Cutters Field at Riverfront Stadium, home of the Bucks, welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested nearly $400,000 in stadium improvements since the end of the 2014 season including group outing areas, painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, kids zone inflatables, wiffle ball field, and concessions equipment.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.

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The Waterloo Bucks 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. Having completed its’ 28th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 280 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 World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). 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. For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.