MCCOOK, Ill. - Concordia-St. Paul right-handed pitcher Louie Varland was tabbed as the number two prospect in the Northwoods League, per Prep Baseball Report. Varland was the only Division II player in the top five, otherwise comprised of Division I athletes.

Playing this summer for the Willmar Stingers, Varland ranked only behind Kalamazoo Growlers pitcher Joe Boyle on the list, who pitches at Notre Dame. He also ranked ahead of pitchers from Tennessee and Arkansas, both part of the traditionally strong SEC.

Varland, who will head into his junior season this year for the Golden Bears, posted a 4-2 record with a 4.07 ERA for the Stingers. He also struck out 59 batters in 59.2 innings, which ranked tenth in the league. Varland held opponents to a .228 batting average, a mark that also ranked tenth among Northwoods League pitchers.

The North St. Paul, Minn. native's potential was noticed when he was selected to participate in the 2018 Major League Dreams Showcase on August 7th, an event featuring a doubleheader with rosters comprised of top Northwoods League players and a day workouts in front of Major League Baseball scouts.

Also a standout in the Northwoods League (in 2017) was Louie's older brother, Gus Varland. Gus participated in the 2017 Major League Dreams Showcase and went on to be named D2CCA Central Region Pitcher of the Year and a D2CCA First Team All-American for his stadnout season with the Golden Bears in 2018. In early June he was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 14th round of the MLB draft and has impressed, posting a 0.90 ERA with 39 strikeouts in 30 innings.

The younger Varland will look to follow in his brother's footsteps and build off of his own strong 2018 campaign. Louie recorded a 1.41 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 44.1 innings this spring for the Golden Bears, and was named ABCA All-Central Region Second Team and All-NSIC Second Team.