Chinooks add veteran talent to roster

The Lakeshore Chinooks have added two players to this year’s roster

Julio Cortez of South Florida and Jackson Gray of Western Kentucky have joined the team. Both players will bring experience and a strong bat to the Chinooks, according to a release on the team’s website.

Cortez, a junior catcher, was born in Venezuela, went to high school near Weston, Fla., and is a third-year player at the University of South Florida. He is hitting .273 in 44 at-bats and has added six RBI.

During the shortened 2020 season, he appeared in 10 games and started seven of them at catcher.

As a freshman in 2019, Cortez hit .354 and had 16 RBI.

Gray, a sophomore outfielder is an everyday player for Western Kentucky who brings a powerful bat to the lineup. In 68 at bats this season, he has 24 hits with six doubles and hit .353.

Gray spent the 2020 season at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Ill., where he played in nine games and hit .577 with 15 hits, 11 runs, and 11 RBI.

He spent the 2019 season at Washington University in St. Louis, appearing in 41 games, hitting .323 with 27 RBI.

The Chinooks are still looking for host families for the nearly 50 players who will take their turn on the Chinooks’ roster from late May to mid-August.

Host families provide a room for the player, breakfast and lunch when the team is in town, and sometimes transportation to and from the ballpark. Families become part of the team by providing personal support for young men, many of whom are spending their first summer away from home.

Immediate family members receive complimentary tickets to all home games, special outings at Kapco Park, merchandise discounts and guaranteed giveaway items, along with a free subscription for the Northwoods League streaming service so they can follow their players on the road.

Families are needed for the entire summer but also for limited-contract players who stay for a shorter portion of the summer.

The team has established protocols and guidelines that host families and players must follow due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Staff members will discuss the protocols with all interested and returning host families.

For more information, visit https://northwoodsleague.com/lakeshore-chinooks/community/host-family-pr... or contact the Chinooks’ office at (262) 618-4659.

The home opener is scheduled for Thursday, June 3, against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.