Four Monarchs selected by major league clubs
July 24, 2012 - The Lake Erie Monarchs of the former Toledo franchise had four AAABA alumni selected by major league clubs this year: Seth Willoughby, Pat Ludwig, John Walter, and Ricardo Lizcano.
Willoughby (pictured left) was selected in the 3rd round by the Colorado Rockies. He competed in the 2009 AAABA national tournament. The 22-year-old from Norwalk, Ohio currently attended Xavier University. He was 3-for-17 at the 2009 tournament with a double and 2 stolen bases.
Ludwig was taken by the Boston Red Sox in the 10th round. He also competed in the 2009 AAABA national tournament and attended Yale. The 22-year-old from Okemos, Michigan won Toledo's 2nd game in 2009 against Columbus, pitching 8 innings and allowing 3 runs with 9 strikeouts and 1 walk.
The Kansas City Royals selected John Walter in the 29th round. Walter attends Penn State University and compete for Toledo in the 2011 Zanesville Regional. His team won the regional but declined the invitation to advance to Johnstown. Last year at Penn State, he was a 3rd team All Big Ten All Star with a 3.19 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 84.2 innings.
Lizcano (pictured right)signed as a free agent with the Saint Louis Cardinals. He competed in the 2009 AAABA national tournament and attends Heidelberg University. He was 4-for-19 with 2 RBIs and 2 stolen bases in Johnstown. View this Toledo Blade article for a further write-up on Lizcano from earlier this year.
The Lake Erie Monarchs competed in the AAABA for three years (2009-2011) with two national tournament appearances. While no longer AAABA members, they continue to play in the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League.