Sport | Baseball |
---|---|
Founded | 1994 |
Divisions | Great Lakes Division, Great Plains Division |
No. of teams | 26 |
Countries | United States, Canada |
Continent | North America |
Most recent champion(s) | Green Bay Rockers (2023) |
Most titles | Rochester Honkers (5) |
Level on pyramid | Summer Collegiate |
Official website | northwoodsleague |
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility. Graduated senior pitchers are also eligible to play in the Northwoods League. Each team may have four of these players at a time.
Teams play 70 games scheduled from Memorial Day to the 2nd Saturday in August, while the playoffs take place the week after, starting on that Sunday and ending usually on Friday. The season itself is broken into two halves, with the winners of each half in each of the four sub-divisions playing against each other to determine a sub-divisional champion in a best-of-three series. The sub-divisional champions then meet in a winner-take-all game to determine a divisional champion. The divisional champions then meet in a winner-take-all game for the league championship.
In 2020, some teams cancelled their season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For those teams that did play, instead of playing within their usual divisions, they played in hub regions, with some creating "temporary teams".
In 2023, the Northwoods League announced plans to create a new softball league. The softball league will initially consist of four teams, based in Madison (Madison Night Mares) and La Crosse, Wisconsin (La Crosse Steam); Mankato, Minnesota (Mankato Habeneros); and Minot, North Dakota (Minot Honeybees). [1]
Established in 1994, the Northwoods League was the first for-profit summer collegiate baseball league. It has more teams and plays more games than any other summer collegiate baseball league. [2] The Northwoods League drew over 1.1 Million fans for the fourth consecutive year in 2017. The purpose of the league is to develop players while college baseball teams are not allowed to work out. Many of the teams in the league play in ballparks formerly occupied by professional clubs from the Midwest League, Prairie League, Northern League, and Frontier League. The wooden bat circuit allows communities deemed too small for professional ball to continue to enjoy high-quality, competitive baseball during the summer months. The Northwoods League was the first summer collegiate baseball league to broadcast on the ESPN network, and currently webcasts all of its games.
The teams are located in the Northwoods region of the Upper Midwestern United States and Northwestern Ontario, mostly in the U.S. states of Minnesota (five teams) and Wisconsin (nine teams); also with three teams in Michigan, two in North Dakota, and one team each in Iowa, Illinois, Indiana and Ontario.
Over 200 league alumni have gone on to play in Major League Baseball (MLB) with 91 alumni entering the MLB ranks from 2013 to 2017. Alumnus Max Scherzer, the 2017 National League Cy Young Award winner, and American League runner-up Chris Sale faced each other as the starting pitchers in the 2017 and 2018 Major League Baseball All-Star Games.
In small cities it may be hard to find the financial stability in a newly-founded baseball league. League leaders realized they needed to gain significant revenue from sponsors in order to succeed. According to league Chairman and co-founder Dick Radatz, Jr, two-thirds of the revenue comes from sponsors and the remainder from ticket sales, concessions, and team merchandise. Radatz also noted the importance of having the sponsor revenue before the beginning of the season. [3]
Season | Champion | Runner-up | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1994 | Rochester Honkers | --- | --- |
1995 | Kenosha Kroakers | Manitowoc Skunks | 2-0 |
1996 | Waterloo Bucks | Rochester Honkers | 2-0 |
1997 | Rochester Honkers (2) | Waterloo Bucks | 2-1 |
1998 | St. Cloud River Bats | Rochester Honkers | 2-0 |
1999 | Rochester Honkers (3) | St. Cloud River Bats | 2-1 |
2000 | St. Cloud River Bats (2) | Waterloo Bucks | 2-0 |
2001 | Wisconsin Woodchucks | St. Cloud River Bats | 2-1 |
2002 | Waterloo Bucks (2) | Brainerd Mighty Gulls | 2-0 |
2003 | Wisconsin Woodchucks (2) | St. Cloud River Bats | 2-1 |
2004 | Madison Mallards | Duluth Huskies | 2-0 |
2005 | Thunder Bay Border Cats | Madison Mallards | 2-1 |
2006 | Rochester Honkers (4) | Thunder Bay Border Cats | 2-0 |
2007 | St. Cloud River Bats (3) | Eau Claire Express | 2-0 |
2008 | Thunder Bay Border Cats (2) | Madison Mallards | 2-1 |
2009 | Rochester Honkers (5) [7] | La Crosse Loggers | 2-1 |
2010 | Eau Claire Express | Rochester Honkers | 2-1 |
2011 | Battle Creek Bombers | Mankato MoonDogs | 2-0 |
2012 | La Crosse Loggers | Mankato MoonDogs | 2-0 |
2013 | Madison Mallards (2) [8] | Duluth Huskies | 2-0 |
2014 | Lakeshore Chinooks [9] | Mankato MoonDogs | 2-0 |
2015 | Kenosha Kingfish [10] | St. Cloud Rox | 2-0 |
2016 | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Eau Claire Express | 2-0 |
2017 | St. Cloud Rox (4) | Battle Creek Bombers | 2-1 |
2018 | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | Duluth Huskies | 2-1 |
2019 | Traverse City Pit Spitters | Eau Claire Express | 3-2 |
2020 | No official league champion as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic | ||
2021 | Traverse City Pit Spitters (2) | St. Cloud Rox | 9-3 |
2022 | Kalamazoo Growlers | Duluth Huskies | 8-3 |
2023 | Green Bay Rockers | St. Cloud Rox | 4-3 |
From 1995-2018, the league championship series was a best-of-3 between the two division champions. When the league expanded in 2019, the championship became a one-game playoff.
Place | Team | Record | GB | RF | RA | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Great Plains West | ||||||||||
1 | Willmar Stingers | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
2 | St Cloud Rox | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
3 | Mankato Moondogs | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
4 | Bismarck Larks | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
5 | Badlands Big Stix | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
6 | Minot Hot Tots | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
Great Plains East | ||||||||||
1 | Eau Claire Express | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
2 | La Crosse Loggers | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
3 | Duluth Huskies | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
4 | Waterloo Bucks | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
5 | Rochester Honkers | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
6 | Thunder Bay Border Cats | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
7 | Minnesota Mud Puppies | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
Great Lakes West | ||||||||||
1 | Green Bay Rockers | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
2 | Madison Mallards | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
3 | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
4 | Wausau Woodchucks | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
5 | Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
6 | Lakeshore Chinooks | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
Great Lakes East | ||||||||||
1 | Kalamazoo Growlers | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
2 | Rockford Rivets | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
3 | Traverse City Pit Spitters | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
4 | Royal Oak Leprechauns | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
5 | Kenosha Kingfish | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
6 | Battle Creek Battle Jacks | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 | |||||
7 | Kokomo Jackrabbits | 0-0 | - | 0 | 0 |
X-First half champion Y-Second half champion Z-Best record in League W-First and 2nd half champion(If that happens) *-2nd seed in Sub-Division(In the event that the same team wins both halves)
Sub-Division Championship (Best of 3) | Division Championship (1 Game) | League Championship (1 Game) | ||||||||||||
1 | Great Plains West 1st Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | Great Plains West 2nd Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Great Plains East 1st Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | Great Plains East 2nd Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Great Lakes West 1st Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | Great Lakes West 2nd Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
1 | Great Lakes East 1st Half Champion | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | Great Lakes East 2nd Half Champion | 0 |
The Northwoods League, in addition to being a developmental league for players and coaches, is also a developmental league for umpires. The concentrated game schedule, travel, and Minor League-like game conditions give NWL umpires a pre-professional experience. Since the League's inaugural season in 1994, 44 of its former umpires have furthered their careers in affiliated professional baseball.
The League recruits its umpires from the two umpire schools whose curricula have been approved by the Professional Baseball Umpire Corps. (PBUC): The Minor League Umpire training Academy and Harry Wendelstedt School for Umpires. The umpires ultimately chosen are usually among the top school graduates who were then selected to the pre-season, PBUC sponsored Umpire Evaluation Course.
The NWL contracts with eleven three-man crews during the regular season, a six-man crew during the mid-season All-Star game, and six umpires for both the divisional playoffs and championship series.
Time | Matchup | Ballpark | Pitching matchup |
---|---|---|---|
1:05P CT | Green Bay Rockers at Wausau Woodchucks | Athletic Park | TBD vs. TBD |
1:05P CT | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters at Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | Herr-Baker Field | TBD vs. TBD |
3:35P CT | Willmar Stingers at Waterloo Bucks | Riverfront Stadium | TBD vs. TBD |
5:05P CT | Madison Mallards at Eau Claire Express | Carson Park | TBD vs. TBD |
6:05P ET | Lakeshore Chinooks at Kokomo Jackrabbits | Kokomo Municipal Stadium | TBD vs. TBD |
6:35P ET | Kenosha Kingfish at Royal Oak Leprechauns | Memorial Park | TBD vs. TBD |
6:35P ET | Traverse City Pit Spitters at Battle Creek Battle Jacks | MCCU Field | TBD vs. TBD |
6:35P ET | Rockford Rivets at Kalamazoo Growlers | Home Stryker Field | TBD vs. TBD |
6:35P CT | Thunder Bay Border Cats at Rochester Honkers | Mayo Field | TBD vs. TBD |
6:35P CT | La Crosse Loggers at Mankato Moondogs | ISG Field | TBD vs. TBD |
7:05P CT | St. Cloud Rox at Bismarck Larks | Bismarck Municipal Ballpark | TBD vs. TBD |
6:35P MT | Duluth Huskies at Badlands Big Stix | Dickinson Baseball Field | TBD vs. TBD |
The Wausau Woodchucks are an American baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. They play their home games at Athletic Park in Wausau, Wisconsin.
The Madison Mallards are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Madison, Wisconsin that plays in the Northwoods League. Warner Park on Madison's Northside is the team's home field.
The La Crosse Loggers are a La Crosse, Wisconsin based baseball team playing in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. Since the team's inaugural season in 2003, they have played at Copeland Park. The ballpark is nicknamed "the Lumberyard."
The Eau Claire Express is a collegiate summer baseball team playing in the Northwoods League. Their home games are played at Carson Park, in Eau Claire, Wisconsin.
The Alexandria Blue Anchors were a baseball team that played in the Northwoods League, an NCAA-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league. The team played at Knute Nelson Memorial Park in Alexandria, Minnesota. The team was renamed in March 2013 in conjunction with the sale of the team to a new local ownership group.
Copeland Park, also referred to as "The Lumber Yard", is a stadium in La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA. It is primarily used for baseball and is the home field of the La Crosse Loggers baseball team. The current stadium was built in 2003, although a substantially smaller baseball diamond existed at the site before the construction of the new ballpark. At the time of its construction, the stadium held approximately 2,000 people. However, the success of the Loggers prompted expansions to the grandstand, bringing the capacity to its current 3,550 people. The field dimensions are 325 ft. to left field, 365 ft. to center, and 315 ft. to right.
Athletic Park is a baseball stadium located in Wausau, Wisconsin. It is the home field of the Wausau Woodchucks baseball team of the summer collegiate Northwoods League. It hosted Wausau Minor League teams during 36 seasons between 1936-1990.
State Trunk Highway 52 is a state highway in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It runs east–west in central and northeastern Wisconsin from Wabeno to Wausau. It is one of four state highways that also serve Antigo.
The Northern League was a name used by several minor league baseball organizations that operated off and on between 1902 and 1971 in the upper midwestern United States and Manitoba, Canada. The name was later used by the independent Northern League from 1993 to 2010.
The Battle Creek Battle Jacks are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. All players on the team must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. Their home games are played at the C.O. Brown Stadium in Battle Creek, Michigan. Their name refers variously to a previous Battle Creek baseball team, the Michigan Battle Cats, to Apple Jacks manufactured by Battle Creek-based Kellogg's, and to a "Jack of All Trades" as someone with multiple skills. Also, a "jack" is another term for a home run, and Cracker Jacks are often eaten by baseball fans during the game.
Town Team Baseball is a variety of amateur baseball played in the United States. In Town Team baseball, sometimes also called townball, the teams represent either a given city or town, or a commercial enterprise which sponsors the team. Usually a statewide governing body sets uniform rules for two or more classes, including proximity and other eligibility rules, pay or stipends for players and coaches, boundaries, and rules to prevent players from switching teams without reason. Such governing bodies may also coordinate annual statewide playoffs, facilitate communication between teams and leagues, and help to arrange for training and placement of umpires.
The Wisconsin State League was a class D level baseball league that began in 1905, changing its name to the Wisconsin–Illinois League in 1908 and operating through 1914. The league re–organized under that name in 1926. Another Wisconsin State League began in 1940, shut down during World War II from 1943 through 1945, then operated from 1946 through 1953.
The Wausau Timbers were a minor league baseball team, located in Wausau, Wisconsin. The Timbers were members of the Class A Midwest League from 1975 to 1990. The franchise was sold in 1991 and moved to Geneva, Illinois, where it became the Kane County Cougars.
The Minnesota–Wisconsin League, known as the "Minny" League, was a professional minor baseball league that existed from 1909 to 1912. It was a Class D league in 1909, 1910 and 1912 and a Class C league in 1911. As its name suggests, it featured teams based in the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a baseball team based in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States and a member of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Chinooks play their home games at Kapco Park on the campus of Concordia University Wisconsin.
The Wausau Lumberjacks were a minor league baseball team based in Wausau, Wisconsin that existed on-and-off from 1905 to 1957. The Wausau franchise then became the Wausau Timbers before relocating to become today's Kane County Cougars. The Lumberjacks played in the Wisconsin State League, Wisconsin–Illinois League, Minnesota–Wisconsin League (1909–1911) and Northern League.
The Kenosha Kingfish are a baseball team that plays in the collegiate summer Northwoods League. Based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, the Kingfish play their home games at Simmons Field.
The La Crosse Pinks were a minor league baseball team based in La Crosse, Wisconsin.
The Rockford Rivets are a baseball team in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league's only team based in Illinois, their home games are played at Rivets Stadium in Loves Park.
The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League. Based in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the Dock Spiders play their home games at Herr-Baker Field on the campus of Marian University. The Dock Spiders won the 2018 Northwoods League Championship and 2020 Northwoods League Wisconsin-Illinois Pod Championship.