Meet the Lemonade Leaguers!

LANSING, Mich. – The Lemonade League, opening play this Thursday, July 23rd, at Cooley Law School Stadium, today officially announces its roster, comprising baseball players representing 18 different colleges.

The rosters were determined by the Lemonade League’s Director of Baseball, Chad Roskelly (Oakland), working in collaboration with coaches Cam Vieaux (Pittsburgh Pirates), Riley McCauley (Michigan State), Pete Romsek (Salem) and Cullen Turner (LCC), and the Lansing Lugnuts’ Greg Kigar, with the pool of players split between the Collegiate Lugnuts, coached by McCauley and Turner, and the Collegiate Locos, coached by Vieaux and Romsek, when play begins on Thursday.

“It’s going to be awesome seeing these two teams going head to head multiple times a week,” said Roskelly. “We had a mini-draft between the staff and feel we did a good job at splitting up the teams equally. We have players competing alongside their in-state school rivals and against some of their own college teammates. It will make for some great competition and bragging rights.”

“The great part about the Lemonade League,” Roskelly added, “is that if we find out that the teams aren’t equal, some trades will be taking place. It will be an experience most of these guys have never been through before.”

The league has a strong local flavor. The Michigan State Spartans are well represented thanks to former players Roskelly, Vieaux and McCauley and four current Michigan State Spartans among the Lemonade League players: Jesse Heikkinen (Holt), Andrew Morrow, Gabe Sotres and Zaid Walker. The league also includes five Lansing Community College Stars beyond coach Turner: Mark Connelly (DeWitt), Hunter Lay, Kameron Marnon, Craig Palidar and Elliott Patten (Grand Ledge).

Saginaw Valley State University’s baseball team provided the greatest amount of players in the league, with eight Cardinals participating: Jason Clark, Colin Cornwell, John Fantauzzo, Nolan Knauf (DeWitt), Brandon Scheurer (Portland St. Patrick), Chris Schmees, Derek Slocum and Logan Welch.

Other colleges represented include:

• Albion: Sean Haddlesey, Matthew Williams
• Central Michigan: Logan Buczkowski, Zach Heeke, Aaron Husson, Kade Preston
• Colorado School of Mines: Garrett Lanker
• Concordia: Ryan Abenth, Vann Acker (Eaton Rapids), Adam Purdy
• Davenport: Brock Henley, Luke LaLumia (Grand Ledge), Owen Ruddock
• Eastern Florida State: Drew Cavanaugh
• Eastern Michigan: John Holt
• Grand Valley State: Alex McCormack, Jake Rydquist
• Kalamazoo: Adam Dorstewitz
• Madonna: Joey PeJuan
• Mott CC: Ethan Young
• Oakland: Michael Stygles (DeWitt)
• Olivet: Ben Compton
• Toledo: Darryn Davis
• Wayne State: Jacob Badalamenti, Brendan Bilkovic, Nick O’Dea, Dustin Renfroe

The Lemonade League will feature yellow baseballs, Minor League Baseball umpires, seven-inning games, and extra innings replaced by a one-on-one Home Run Derby. Every Lemonade League game will be livestreamed FREE across multiple social and digital platforms, including the Lansing Lugnuts’ Facebook and Twitter pages.

For more information, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.

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