By Blake Dowson
Thirteen Hawkeye baseball players will spend the summer on baseball diamonds spread across four summer leagues.
The Northwoods League, with teams from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, will host eight Hawkeyes.
Austin Guzzo — who ended the year going 5-for-14 in the Big Ten Tournament with 5 RBIs — will travel to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, to play with the Express.
The Rockford Rivets gain two Hawkeyes in Grant Klenovich and Drake Robison. Klenovich played sparingly in 2016, starting 13 games at first base. Robison, a relief pitcher, did not make an appearance for the Hawkeyes after transferring from Ole Miss last season.
Zach Fricke, Robert Neustrom, and Daniel Perry will play for the Waterloo Bucks, the only Northwoods team located in Iowa. Neustrom was a key contributor this season as a true freshman. The 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year in Iowa from Sioux City hit .307 with 21 RBIs.
The La Crosse Loggers return the 2015 Northwoods MVP in Mason McCoy, who broke league records in hits and total bases last summer. Luke Farley will also head to La Crosse. The freshman from Denver, Iowa, hit .239 in 29 games last season.
Three Illinois natives will head to Chicago to play in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League. Mitchell Boe, Shane Ritter, and Kyle Shimp will play for the Lombard Orioles. Boe batted .190 playing at second base, and Ritter posted a 3.00 ERA in 13 appearances.
Nick Allgeyer, a St. Louis native, will play in the St. Louis League. Allgeyer had a 3.44 ERA in 22 appearances out of the bullpen.
Kyle Wade will head back to his native California to play in the California League. The redshirt freshman made one appearance against Air Force in 2016.