IL St. Paul Saints

He's One of Us: St. Paul Native, Pitcher Louie Varland Transferred from Double-A Wichita to Saints

Published on August 8, 2022 under International League (IL)
St. Paul Saints News Release


ST. PAUL, MN - Family, friends, former teammates, opponents, and anyone that has ever crossed paths with Louie Varland will now get to see him pitch in his hometown. The St. Paul North and Concordia St. Paul product was transferred from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul.

The 24-year-old Varland is having an incredible year with the Wind Surge going 7-4 with a 3.34 ERA in 20 games (19 starts). In 105.0 innings he has walked 39 and struck out 119 while opponents are hitting .251 against him. He is among the league leaders in several different categories in the Texas League. Varland is second in ERA and strikeouts, third in win percentage (.636), innings pitched, and lowest opponents batting average against, slugging (.387), and OPS (.705), fifth in on base percentage (.318), tied for fifth in wins and games started, and seventh in WHIP (1.34).

In his final start for Wichita he hurled 6.0 shutout innings against the San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres). He has gone at least 5.0 innings in 17 of 19 starts and at least 6.0 innings five times. Varland has allowed two runs or less in 11 of 19 starts and allowed five hits or less in 13 of 19 starts. He has punched out at least six in 11 of 19 starts including nine twice and 10 on April 14 at Northwest Arkansas. He has been named the Minnesota Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Week on two occasions: June 12 and July 3.

Varland was a 15th round pick by the Twins out of Concordia University, St. Paul in 2019. He pitched in just three games that season at the rookie level with Elizabethton going 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in three games (one start). In 8.2 innings he walked four and struck out 10 while opponents hit .257 against him.

Last season, Varland started the season at Low-A Fort Myers before being promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids on July 13. Between the two stops he went 10-4 with a 2.10 ERA in 20 games (18 starts). In 103.0 innings pitched he walked 30 and struck out 142 while opponents hit .214 against him. He led all Twins Minor Leaguers in ERA, strikeouts, and WHIP (1.09). His stellar season earned him numerous accolades including MiLB.com Organizational All-Star and the Jim Rantz Award winner as the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

At Concordia, St. Paul, Varland earned ABCA All-Central Region Second Team, NCBWA All-Central Region Honorable Mention, and All-NSIC Second Team as a sophomore in 2018. His 1.41 ERA as a sophomore was second best in school history and fourth best in the nation for a DII pitcher.

Going into his junior season, Varland was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-American Third Team and ABCA Preseason All-American Team.

Varland was a three-sport athlete at North St. Paul High School, earning letters for baseball, wrestling, and football. He was an All-Metro East Conference performer in all three sports. He was a two-time MSHSL State Tournament wrestler, two-time MVP, Most Improved, Rookie of the Year, two-time section runner up and four-time captain of the wrestling team. In football, Varland helped the Polars to a section championship and MSHSL State Tournament appearance.

The Saints roster stands at 32, one shy of the league maximum, with 19 pitchers and 13 position players.

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International League Stories from August 8, 2022


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