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2025 La Crosse Loggers Baseball There’ s No Place Like Copeland
Division Championship. In the South Division, the Battle Creek Bombers knocked off the Rockford Rivets, while Wisconsin Rapids defeated Lakeshore in a repeat of the previous season’ s first round. Battle Creek, then defeated defending Northwoods League Champion Wisconsin Rapids 6-1, as Tom Stoffel( Virginia Tech), hit two home-runs and pitched two innings in relief to close the game. St. Cloud beat Battle Creek two games to one in an exciting Northwoods League Championship, taking the crown for the North Division for the first-time since Thunder Bay won the title in 2008. Some remarkable feats took place on the field during 2017, as Owen Miller( Illinois St.) of the Lakeshore Chinooks, unbelievably hit for the cycle twice in three days, on July 3 and July 5. Freshman Zach Zubia( Texas) of the Rochester Honkers, set the Northwoods League record for Home Runs in a season by clubbing 22 during the 2017 summer and capped it off by winning the Northwoods League Home-Run Derby on his way to being named Northwoods League MVP. Hometown Wisconsin Woodchuck, Stevie Mangrum( Virginia Tech) had two hits and two RBI and was named the Northwoods League All-Star Game MVP, as the South defeated the North Division 6-2. The League showcased the second phase of the multi-million dollar renovation made to Athletic Park by Woodchucks’ owner Mark Macdonald. Former MLB alumni continued to enter the coaching ranks in the Northwoods League as former Major League All-Star, Chris Sabo, came aboard to Manage the Green Bay Bullfrogs. First year affiliate, Bismarck, ND won the Northwoods League’ s Organization of the Year as the Capitol of North Dakota welcomed Northwoods League baseball, selling out 27 of their 36 home dates. The Northwoods League introduced its own custom beer( Five Tool Ale) to rave reviews in its Wisconsin teams and Rockford, IL for the 2017 summer. Finally, prior to years end, the Northwoods League welcomed its 21st Affiliate for play in 2019 in the form of the St. Croix River Hounds who will play at the, newly renovated, former site of the St. Croix Downs Race Track in Hudson, WI. Incredibly, coming full circle, part of the ownership group of the new Affiliate is former University of Minnesota star, MLB player and former Northwoods League MVP( 1998), Robb Quinlan.
2018 The Northwoods League celebrated its 25th-Anniversary Season with 718 games played and a new attendance record, as 1,177,903 fans passed through the turnstiles of its twenty Affiliated Teams. Second-year team, Fond du Lac, the South Division Champions, captured the Summer Collegiate World Series title with a winner take all, 4-3 victory over the Duluth Huskies. The Dock Spiders, sharing ownership with the MLB Affiliated Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, defeated the Madison Mallards, who had won the 1st-Half Championship of the South Division and had the League’ s best overall record, before knocking off the Kalamazoo Growlers in the Division Championship. Duluth, Managed by Tyger Pederson, brother of LA Dodgers Star, Joc Pederson, and the North Division’ s 2nd-Half Champion, knocked off the 1st-Half Champion Bismarck Larks, prior to defeating the Wilmar Stingers to take the Division Title. The League saw 19 Alumni make their debut into Major League Baseball, for a total of 207 Northwoods League Alumni to reach the“ Show” since the League’ s inception. Eighty-four of those players making their debut in the last four seasons, as the talent in the League continues to trend upward. For the second consecutive season, the MLB All-Star game featured the same Northwoods League Alums as the starting pitchers for the American and National Leagues( Scherzer and Sale). The 24th Northwoods League All-Star Game was hosted by the Kalamazoo Growlers and featured former Duluth Huskies and last year’ s New York Mets Manager, Terry Collins, who gave a wonderful speech at a banquet the previous night, which was followed up by a comedic performance by nationally known artist, Orny Adams. The Home-Run Derby was won by hometown hero, Zach Daniels( Tennessee) of the Growlers, and the“ Star of Stars” trophy went to the Lakeshore Chinook’ s shortstop Jack Dunn( Northwestern), who hit his first HR of the year, in the eighth inning, to give the South Division a 2-1 victory before the 3,211 fans that packed into Homer-Stryker Stadium. Duluth Huskies’ outfielder Augie Isaacson( Friends University) won the Northwoods League MVP award, leading the League in hitting(. 364), and stolen bases( 39), for the North Division Champions. Eau Claire’ s Justin Slaten( New Mexico), won the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year honors by throwing 57 innings, giving up 41 hits, striking out 70 batters and posting a 7-1 won-loss record for a team that was 28-43 overall. Former Major League Player and long-time Minor League Manager, Donnie Scott, won the Manager of the Year award by posting the League’ s best overall record, 49-23, for the Madison Mallards. The Northwoods League’ s Major League Dreams Showcase, which annually features the League’ s top 100 players as chosen by MLB Scouts, in a double-header, featured 16 pitchers throwing 93 MPH or more, led by Kalamazoo’ s Joe
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