Rafters Add Two Beacons from Valparaiso
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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Author: David Keech
David Keech is a retired teacher and works as a sportswriter, sports official and as an educational consultant. He has reported on amateur sports since 2011, known as 'KeechDaVoice.' David can be reached at [email protected]
