Portage Central senior Luke Leto has long been thought of as the best baseball player in country in the class of 2021.
The LSU signee will get a unique opportunity this summer to play for the Kalamazoo Growlers of the Northwoods League which is generally reserved for players already in college.
""It's super exciting," Leto said. "Just to have a chance to play at home with a team that I have seen play a bunch of times, go to their games and all that. It is really exciting for me."
The appeal is shared by the Growlers, both for the caliber of player they are getting as well as the fact that Leto is local.
"A great player, but just as good off the field as he is on the field," Growlers team president Brian Colopy said. "He's local, people in the area know about him. It is great to see programs like LSU all around the country want to send guys to our team and this league."
While high school seniors have played in the Northwoods League, it is pretty rare.
"It's an honor to be able to do it," Leto said. "I just want to go out there, get better, play with good guys."
The Growlers had to get special permission to add Leto because he is a high school senior.
"They want the kid to be ready and be able to perform," Colopy said. "We think Luke can play and be here at this level and compete against college seniors and juniors. These are guys that are four, five, six years older. We think Luke will fit in really well."
Baseball shouldn't be a problem, but what about the between innings entertainment that the players often participate in?
Leto has been to many Growlers games and is aware of the festivities.
"I know they do a bunch of crazy things," Leto said. "They already talked to me, they said that I might be involved in it, I might not be so I don't know, we'll see."
Leto said he is good either way.
