ASHWAUBENON – The Green Bay Booyah Baseball Club has announced the return of four players for the 2021 season, including three local standouts.
Max Wagner, Ryan Stefiuk, Ben Hampton and Ben Hart will again don Booyah uniforms at Capital Credit Union Park.
The announcement marks the first player signings for the 2021 season.
“Coming off stellar high school careers, we were thrilled to have Max, Ryan and Ben join us during the abbreviated season last summer,” said Booyah Vice President and General Manager John Fanta. “It’s good for baseball in the local community. It gives younger players someone to look up to and illustrates what you can achieve through hard work. The players got an opportunity to get their feet wet against high-level collegiate competition last summer before going to college. I look forward to seeing their growth this summer.”
A graduate of Green Bay Preble, Wagner will be playing his freshman season at Clemson this spring.
He was the 2020 Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year, becoming the first Green Bay Metro player to win the award since 2002.
He was a three-time player of the year in the Fox River Classic Conference and helped lead the Hornets to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament each season of his career.
He finished his high school career with a 16-3 record and a 0.82 ERA (earned run average) on the mound.
Wagner signed a two-year contract as a high school senior last summer, making 15 appearances for the Booyah.
The left-handed pitcher Stefiuk, who was a teammate of Wagner’s at Preble, will be playing his freshman season at Vanderbilt this spring.
He was the top-rated southpaw and fourth-best prospect overall in the state and the 15th-ranked southpaw nationwide in the Class of 2020 according to Perfect Game.
Stefiuk sported a 0.90 career ERA in high school and was a four-time, all-state first-team and 2020 Perfect Game Preseason All-America.
He made seven appearances for the Booyah last summer.
A West De Pere graduate, Hampton will be playing his freshman season at West Virginia this spring.
The left-handed pitcher was ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect in Wisconsin by Perfect Game in 2020, was a Rawlings-Perfect Game Senior Preseason All-America High Honorable Mention, Bay Conference Pitcher of the Year, district player of the year and an all-state selection.
Hampton struck out 112 hitters in 58 innings, leading to a team MVP award after leading the Phantoms to a state tournament appearance as a junior.
He made four appearances for the Booyah in 2020.
Hart, a left-handed pitcher, will be playing his redshirt freshman season at Dixie State this spring.
A native of Lakeside, California, Hart made seven appearances for Dixie State in 2020, his true freshman season.
As a member of the Booyah, he appeared in eight games (four starts) spanning 28 innings.
Hart struck out 23 batters while posting a 3.54 ERA.