Local standout players share in the professional league’s growing success
Tim Troutner faced his most difficult decision in more than 20 years of playing lacrosse: saying “no” to the Chesapeake Bayhawks, who aggressively recruited him, of the once-popular Major League Lacrosse professional level league.
The Bayhawks were in his heart. The 27-year-old Troutner, a longtime Annapolis resident and St. Mary’s high school graduate, had Bayhawks’ season tickets and practiced with the team on occasion. Chesapeake played its home games at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. The franchise made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft.
Things changed, however, when Troutner received a call from Severna Park resident Kyle Harrison, who played professional lacrosse for 17 years and is now the Premier Lacrosse League’s (PLL) Director of Player Relations and Diversity Inclusion. Harrison changed Troutner’s decision to play for the Bayhawks, saying the financial outlook of playing in the new rival PLL league was rosier.
Besides the respectable salaries, Harrison pointed out that players get five shares of stock per game played within the league and because the PLL is very well-founded, it should be viable long-term. “He is one of the game’s all-time greats and played at Johns Hopkins,” Troutner says of Harrison. “He said, ‘I wouldn’t be calling you if it wasn’t the right thing to do.’ That really changed my outlook. I know I made the right decision.”
The PLL season starts in late-May and runs through mid-September, touring the U.S. with weekends full of league games at each host city. Games are often televised on ABC and ESPN. The exposure and salaries that the PLL offers have been attractive to players. The PLL pays significantly more than the now-defunct MLL, with the average pay for league players ranging from $42,000 to $55,000, according to salary.com.
Troutner is one of four county players currently competing in the PLL. The others include Broadneck High graduate Ryan Kennedy (longtime Arnold resident), Severn School graduate Dylan Gergar (of Annapolis), and DeMatha graduate Garrett Degnon (Harwood).
Troutner, a goalie who played lacrosse at High Point University in North Carolina and now lives in Houston, Texas, has played in the league for six years—one season for the New York Atlas and five for the California Redwoods. He was named Rookie of the Year and earned All-Star status three times. “I was right out of college,” Troutner says of seven years ago. “The league told me we are going to pay you to travel to all these cities around the country. I played all over California. Even in Japan. Can you beat that? It’s such a great experience. I was playing with all the best players in the world that I looked up to as a kid. I am very fortunate.”
Troutner, who also coaches varsity boys’ lacrosse at a high school in Austin, Texas, thrives as a player because of his athleticism, quickness, communication skills, and high lacrosse IQ. “He has such confidence,” Kennedy says of his former California Redwood teammate. “He is so good at anticipating the play before it happens. He is one of the best teammates out there. His attitude makes games and practices better.”
Kennedy thought he, himself, was a long shot to play on a PLL team, coming from a Division III lacrosse program in York College in Pennsylvania. There are only a few players from that level in the league among some 200 players. But the 5-foot-10, 210-pound Kennedy, made the Redwoods and has been on their team for the past three years.
“Being from Division III, I never expected to make the league or attempt to try out,” says the 27-year-old Kennedy, who plays long-stick midfield. “Being from Arnold and playing on a big stage and in some major cities is pretty special. It shows if you put in the work, you can make it to the big leagues.”
At York College, Kennedy earned Division III National Defensive Player of the Year honors and was named a two-time First Team All-American. He’s stayed on at the school as a full-time assistant men’s lacrosse coach, running the defense. It has helped elevate his play in the PLL. “Being a coach helps me with my own game,” Kennedy says. “I am looking at every little aspect of teams we play when I am coaching at York. So, I can anticipate better, and it has opened my eyes to what offenses want to do in the PLL. I know what offensives want to do as it is happening.”
Gergar, meanwhile, also put together a great collegiate career while at the University of Pennsylvania. He, too, joined the PLL right after college. While Troutner and Kennedy are PLL veterans, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound Gergar thinks his career is just getting started. Gergar had some big moments as an attackman the past two years for the Denver Outlaws, but he has plenty of room for growth. “I am still trying to find my footing on the team,” says Gergar, an attackman who now lives in Manhattan. “With injuries, I was stepping in to fill gaps wherever the team needed me.” He expects to have a bigger role on the Outlaws in 2025. His game has improved since the 2024 year ended nearly a year ago. “I see myself as a glue guy,” Gergar says. “I just want to find my role with these great players. I have some standout teammates and if they get me the ball more this year, it would be great. I like to shoot the ball a lot.”
Degnon, a 6-foot-4, 215-pound midfielder, played at Johns Hopkins University (scored 41 goals as a senior) before joining the league. The 25-year-old will suit up for his second season with the California Redwoods this summer. “He is one of the better shooters in the league,” Troutner says.
Premier Lacrosse League Comes to Maryland
The Premier Lacrosse League visits the area this month with our local team, the Maryland Whipsnakes, hosting the 2nd Annual Homecoming Weekend at Homewood Field at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore on June 21st and 22nd. This year promises even more excitement with two days of action-packed doubleheaders, including a Whipsnakes home game each day. The New York Atlas, Philadelphia Waterdogs, Carolina Chaos, Denver Outlaws, Utah Archers, and Boston Cannons will also play through the weekend. Catch our local lacrosse products and get your tickets at premierlacrosseleague.com.
