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2025 La Crosse Loggers Baseball There’ s No Place Like Copeland
Northwoods League History
1994 In 1994 a new baseball league was born, the Northwoods League, which began with franchises in Kenosha, Wausau and Manitowoc, Wisconsin; Dubuque, Iowa and Rochester, Minnesota. This League was made up of“ All-Star” teams of college players and competed in a 56 game schedule between June and August. Each franchise was to promote their games just like a professional franchise would. Fans could look forward to nightly giveaways, concessions, fireworks and many exciting game events. At the end of the first season approximately 70,000 fans attended Northwoods League games and the Rochester Honkers had claimed the first League title with a 31-15 overall record.
1995 In 1995 the league would grow to six franchises when Waterloo, Iowa added the Waterloo Bucks. 1995 also saw the League’ s first All-Star game. On Saturday, July, 22nd the Wausau Woodchucks hosted the first ever Northwoods League All-Star game. This All-Star game would feature the very best of the NWL. Along with the first All-Star game the NWL would have it’ s first Championship series. The teams with the best records of the first and second half of the season would meet in a Championship series. Eventually the Kenosha Kroakers would claim the 1995 title downing the Manitowoc Skunks two games to none and finishing with an overall record of 40-18.
1996 The 1996 season started on June 7th with the same six teams comprising the league. This season the second year franchise from Waterloo would host the 2nd Annual NWL All-Star game at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo, IA. The Waterloo Bucks had earned the right to host the event by setting a single season attendance record in 1995 when 28,745 fans went through the gates in Waterloo. By the end of the season and Championship series the 2nd year franchise, Waterloo Bucks had claimed their first NWL crown having defeated the Rochester Honkers 2 games to none.
1997 1997 brought change in the NWL. One of the founding franchises, the Dubuque Mud Puppies, would relocate to St. Cloud, MN and be called the St. Cloud River Bats. Besides the location change the league would expand it’ s schedule to play 64 games in 68 days. Since its inception the league now had 45 alumni playing or signed to play professional baseball. 1997 would be the first time in league history that a franchise would win a second NWL league title, when the Rochester Honkers would defeat the Waterloo Bucks 2 games to one. The Honkers would finish with a 41-21 record. The League would continue to draw more fans, drawing over 135,000 fans over the course of the two and half month season.
1998 In 1998 the league would celebrate it’ s five year anniversary and welcome three new teams into the league and move to a two division system. With three new teams entering the league one founding member would close it’ s doors, the Manitowoc Skunks. All three teams joining the NWL would be former members of the now defunct Prairie League, Austin, Brainerd, MN and Grand Forks, ND. The five year old league had now grown to eight teams covering four states( Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota) This season the NWL would introduce a divisional playoff scenario, having a first and second half winner meet in a playoff. The winners in each division series would meet in the NWL championship series. Another positive note for the league was that all of the eight teams would be playing in ballparks where former professional baseball had once been played. In 1998 the second year franchise, St. Cloud Rivers Bats would take the NWL crown when they defeated the Rochester Honkers 2 games to none.
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