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2024 La Crosse Loggers Baseball There ’ s No Place Like Copeland
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four years the Thunder Bay Border Cats overcame one of the more difficult travel schedules in the League to take home the Northwoods League Championship . Playing the finale at home at Port Arthur Stadium , Thunder Bay defeated Madison two games to one in thrilling come-from-behind fashion . Wisconsin and Mankato were the other playoff participants with the MoonDogs being led by NWL MVP Carlos Ramirez ( Chandler-Gilbert CC ) and Manager of the Year Jason Nell ( Iowa Lakes CC ).
2009 In 2009 , it was former Northwoods League players making the headlines early in the summer . Another great Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in June saw 136 NWL alums selected including four in the first round . Catcher Tony Sanchez ( Battle Creek , 2007 ) went fourth overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates to become the highest drafted alumni in the history of the Northwoods League . Outfielders Brett Jackson ( La Crosse , 2007 ) and Tim Wheeler ( St . Cloud , 2007 ) were selected later in the first round by the Cubs and Rockies , respectively , while pitcher Victor Black ( La Crosse , 2007 ) joined Sanchez with the Pirates after being picked in the compensation portion of round one . Later in the summer Curtis Granderson ( Mankato , 2001 ) of the Tigers and Ben Zobrist ( Wisconsin , 2003 ) of the Rays were teammates for a day with the American League All-Star team , becoming the first duo of NWL alums to accomplish that feat . Another ten former NWLers debuted in the big leagues in 2009 to bring the alltime list to 60 . The Northwoods League All-Star Game stretched beyond the U . S . borders for the first time in 2009 with Thunder Bay , Ontario , Canada serving as the host . Fans and players alike were treated by the presence of the National Hockey League ’ s Stanley Cup as Thunder Bay native Jordan Staal of the champion Pittsburgh Penguins - and baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins - spread some Canadian pride . With 50 of the best NWL players on one field , it was the South Division that earned the 4-2 victory . Madison Mallard outfielder Kurtis Muller ( Iowa ) was awarded the Star-of-Stars game MVP award with his three-hit , two stolen-base performance in front of 2,256 fans . For the fifth time in 16 years the Rochester Honkers proved to be the best team by winning the NWL Championship . At home at Mayo Field , the Honkers took down the La Crosse Loggers with a 7-4 game-three victory . The Honkers and Loggers both won their divisional playoff series in two games over the Mankato MoonDogs and Eau Claire Express , respectively . The Honkers were led by NWL MVP Corey Jones ( Cal State Fullerton ) whose . 315 average , 13 home runs , and 43 RBI show that he was an offensive force throughout the season . Field Manager Rusty McNamara ( UC Riverside ) and Assistant Coach Joe Cotton ( Bowling Green State ) earned Manager and Coach of the Year Awards , respectively , in leading the Honkers to a 42-26 regular season record . In the months following the 2009 season it was announced that the Northwoods League would be expanding to 16 teams in 2010 . The Willmar ( MN ) Stingers were unveiled in December and will join the North Division while the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters became the newest member of the South Division in January .
2010 In 2010 , the Northwoods League celebrated its 17th season by welcoming two new organizations , introducing intradivisional scheduling , and saw the most NWL alumni ever drafted . The Northwoods League also expanded the NWL brand with a four-camera webcast of all NWL games , the introduction of the first virtual media guide and the inaugural season of NWL Fantasy Baseball . The Northwoods League added two teams to the league in 2010 with the Willmar Stingers joining the North Division and the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters becoming the eighth team in the South . The addition of the two teams created a new intra-divisional format which consisted of two eight-team divisions . The intra-divisional format allowed for teams to play within the division only and drastically reduced travel for NWL teams . In early June the Northwoods League experienced another record-setting Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft as 157 players were selected . The 157 players are 21 more draftees than 2009 and 15 players were taken in the first five rounds . Chris Sale ( La Crosse ‘ 08 ) was the highest pick of the NWL in 2010 as the Chicago White Sox selected him 13th overall . This marked the seventh consecutive draft that a Northwoods League alumnus has been selected in either the first round or the compensation round that followed . Past NWL Most Valuable Player award winners Corey Jones ( Rochester ‘ 09 ) and Kole Calhoun ( Eau Claire ‘ 07 ) were drafted in the 7th and 8th rounds , respectively . The nations ’ premier summer collegiate league continued marketing the NWL brand with new and innovative ways . The NWL added a four-camera video system in all 16 ballparks across