Going National: Waco Signs With MLB’s Washington Nationals

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.- Former UW-Oshkosh all-region pitcher LJ Waco signed a free agent minor league contract with Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals on Saturday (May 23).

Waco becomes the 53rd former Titan to sign his first contract with an MLB organization and the first since pitcher Luke Westphal in 2015.

“The past month has been a crazy journey,” said Waco. “Going from working and not expecting to continue playing baseball, to signing with Sioux City [Explorers] and only pitching 1.1 innings and then getting the call from my agent that the Nationals were purchasing my contract. If feels surreal getting the opportunity to play professional baseball at the affiliate level. It wasn’t something that seemed possible a couple years ago and now I am living it.”

 

Waco made his professional debut with the Explorers, a member of the MLB Partner League American Association of Professional Baseball with 1.1 innings of work across two appearances against the Chicago Dogs, accumulating a pair of strikeouts across the two performances.

 

Between 2021 and 2024, Waco posted a career record of 11-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 38 games on the mound for the Titans, including 17 starts. In all, he pitched 145.1 innings for the Titans, striking out 191 against 53 walks and allowing 49 earned runs against 121 hits. The Cary, Ill. native was named the WIAC Pitcher of the Week twice: Feb. 27-March 5, 2023, and April 24-30, 2023. He was also tabbed for the All-WIAC First Team in 2023 and 2024 and earned American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region honors in both seasons; first team in 2023 and third team in 2024.

 

“The whole Titan family is excited for LJ!” said head coach Kevin Tomasiewicz. “He has worked tirelessly since graduation to get an opportunity to play professionally and now because of that work ethic, he now joins a prestigious group of Titan professional baseball players. Hopefully in due time, we can take a road trip to Washington to see him play!”

 

In his final season in black and gold, Waco went 5-3 in 10 games, making nine starts and posting a 2.89 ERA in 62.1 innings. Waco finished tied for first on the team in wins and second in innings pitched. He punched out a team-high 79 batters and finished the year surrendering 20 earned runs on 48 hits with 20 walks and a 1.091 WHIP.

 

In 2023 Waco went 6-0 in nine games with eight starts with a 2.21 ERA in 61 innings. He was third in innings pitched for the Titans and first in strikeouts at 79. He yielded 15 earned runs on 54 hits with 13 walks to post a 1.098 WHIP for the season.

 

Waco made 16 relief appearances in 2022 with no record but recorded two saves in 19.2 innings of work. His 16 games pitched led the Titans and he would put up an end-of-season line of 35 strikeouts, giving up 10 earned runs on 16 hits while issuing 16 free passes. Waco finished with a 1.627 WHIP for the season. Following his sophomore season, Waco pitched for the Green Bay Rockers in the collegiate summer ball Northwoods League, appearing in two games.

 

Waco made three relief appearances in 2021, throwing 2.1 innings and fanning one batter while allowing four earned runs on three hits and four walks.

 

Waco will report to the Nationals’ Florida Complex League affiliate, a member of the Rookie League.

“I’m super thankful for my support system,” Waco added. “From my family, friends, girlfriend, teammates and everyone else in my life who is cheering for me means everything. Hopefully it sets an example for athletes at the Division III level, especially in the baseball world, that you don’t need to be from the SEC to go and play at the next level.”

 

The Montreal Expos, the predecessor to the Nationals, selected 2017 UW-Oshkosh Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Jeff Carl, in the second round of the 1981 amateur draft as the 29th overall selection.