The Rafters continue to add strength in the bullpen with two pitchers from Valparaiso University.

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – As signing season continues, the Rafters pitching staff is coming together with the additions of Connor Lockwood and Jacob Rosenkranz out of Valparaiso University. 

Connor Lockwood is a junior at Valparaiso, and joins the Rafters as a right-handed pitcher out of Libertyville, Illinois. Lockwood made 13 appearances including six starts while striking out 30 batters and walking 12 over 40 2/3 innings. He did his best work late in the year, posting a 1.80 ERA over his last three regular season starts.

In high school, Connor earned all-conference honors and was named co-conference player of the year in 2021. Lockwood also received all-state accolades for the 2021 campaign.

Jacob Rosenkranz is another addition to the Rafter bullpen. He is a senior out of Lincolnshire, Illinois. He logged 18 2/3 innings and struck out eight while walking three batters over 12 appearances out of the Valpo bullpen. Rosenkranz finished the season with a 5.79 ERA and if you take out March 13 at SEMO and April 10 vs. Indiana State, he had a 1.84 ERA over his other 10 games.

Rosenkranz started a new stretch of scoreless baseball on April 12 at Eastern Illinois, when he began a sequence of four straight outings spanning 4 1/3 innings without yielding a run during which he permitted just two hits. He was named the NSC Ace of the Month in May 2019, and earned a spot on the Lake County all-area team in 2019 after becoming an all-conference runner-up. Rosenkranz earned three varsity letters in baseball. 

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The Wisconsin Rapids Rafters 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 in its’ 29th 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, 300 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 and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.raftersbaseball.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rafters as your favorite team.