Northwoods League Adds Two More Teams for 2027

A couple of small Midwestern towns announced this year that they will be awarded 2027 expansion franchises in the Northwoods League - Dyersville, Iowa and New Buffalo, Michigan.  The population of Dyersville and New Buffalo combined equals about 6,000 people, which is still smaller than the next smallest city on the circuit, Traverse City, Michigan.  The Northwoods League has proven time and again that they can make their product work even in the most remote and smallest of markets, but these two experiments will certainly put that to the test.

Pardon the reference, but Dyersville is truly employing the "if you build it they will come" approach.  The Dyersville Dreamers are going all-in on a permanent ballpark at the Field of Dreams site, piggybacking on the popular MLB and MiLB games that have been held there, and banking on the fact that a small farming town in the middle of Iowa can lure enough fans to make it profitable.  The Field of Dreams has been the #1 tourist destination in the state since the movie was released almost 40 years ago, so likely the ownership is relying on a lot of revenue through tourism as well - which has historically been a dangerous recipe for success.  The nearest place resembling a city is Dubuque about 30 minutes east.  New Buffalo is nestled on the Lake Michigan shore in the southwestern corner of the state, and is even smaller than Dyersville with about 1,700 year-round residents - so small in fact that they're playing at a local high school field.  The Dyersville team makes some sense to me since they built the ballpark for the Field of Dreams Game anyways so why not use it, but I can't fathom the New Buffalo team being that big of a draw.  The place moniker they've chosen in "Dune Coast" implies they're hoping for a regional outreach, but again this area is primarily known for tourism which isn't usually a reliable formula.  Not to mention the area population has been steadily declining over the past few decades.  The location does make sense within the footprint of the league, but beyond that I'm at a loss.  It was revealed a few weeks ago that they will be known as the Dune Coast Quillbacks, in reference to the porcupines that were once native to the area.

Even though the league is adding two more teams, this is technically not an expansion, as the league total should remain at 26 for at least the 2027 season.  The Rochester Honkers announced that, after over 30 years in the league, they would be going on an indefinite hiatus due to deteriorating conditions at Mayo Field.  I attended a Honkers game in 2009 and even back then it was one of the worst maintained stadiums I've ever been to, so I can't imagine how bad things must have gotten over the last 17 years to finally say enough is enough.  The Rox and the Wausau Woodchucks are now the lone remaining of the original 5 franchises.  With the removal of the Honkers and the addition of the Dreamers and Quillbacks, that makes for a total of 27, so I can only assume the traveling Minnesota Mud Puppies team will cease operations for 2027 as well, which gets us back to the 26 teams.  This league continues to grow faster than I can visit its ballparks, but I'm excited for a future visit to the Field of Dreams with my family.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/24/26:

Brewers 81-50, +6.0; 3 @ Mets, 3 v. Rangers, 4 @ Cubs, 3 @ Reds, 3 v. Cubs, 3 v. Reds

Twins 63-68, - 5.5, -2.0 WC; 3 @ Athletics, 3 v. White Sox, 3 v. Tigers, 3 @ White Sox, 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Guardians

2026 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 25

Tour Molly 2026: Port Arthur Stadium

All photos of drive to Canada, Thunder Bay, and Port Arthur Stadium available on Flickr.

We hit the road around 7am Saturday for our busy day north of the border.  Not only was this Molly's first time out of the country, but it was also our first trip staying in multiple cities, and we had a 3:45 drive ahead of us plus a time change.  It was a gorgeous voyage up Hwy 61 along the lakeshore that culminated with a 15-minute line to get into Canada.  We had a very pleasant exchange with the border patrol about our travels, and Molly even made the customs agent a note that said "Thank you for letting us into Canada!"  It was super cute and the agent even laughed and said "you've gotta wait until I let you in before you give me this."  He promised Molly he would keep the note and we got through unscathed.  When you drive to Canada, it's almost immediately apparent you're in another country.  Signs start appearing in both English and French.  The speed limit changes to km/h.  And it's also hard not to notice the superior road quality.  We passed through 3 separate bridge projects in just the 45-minute remaining drive to Thunder Bay, and it was kind of sad to see more infrastructure repair work on a remote 2-lane highway in Canada than you see on many major roads in the US.

And when I say "remote" highway, that's not an exaggeration.  Thunder Bay is one of the most remote 100,000+ population cities you'll find anywhere.  Duluth is the closest major city to it, and it's about 8 hours to the nearest Canadian cities of Winnipeg and Sault Ste. Marie.  No major highways serve the area - it is all 2-lane provincial highways - and it's incredibly expensive to fly there.  Thunder Bay also lies within the Canadian Shield and the Empty Belt, which basically means it's surrounded for thousands of kilometers by sparsely populated unbuildable land with little to no paved roads.  The reason the city even exists at all (as we would learn later on a tour) is that early 19th century European settlers and indigenous natives needed a rendezvous point between the major economic capital of Montreal and the vast wilderness to the west to meet for trading, so Fort William was built on the Kaministiquia River off of Lake Superior, which eventually urbanized and became modern-day Thunder Bay in 1970.  It is still a major freighter and rail hub today and is a very industrial blue-collar city, and is nothing like the other more cosmopolitan cities I've been to in Canada.  The fact that it is also a relatively new incorporated city gives it a very unique feel with distinct neighborhoods.  We spent most of our time in the Port Arthur section of the city, which is the more picturesque central business district area, as opposed to the original Fort William that is more industrial in nature.  Our first stop of the day was at Wacky's for lunch, which was kind of like a Buffalo Wild Wings with a giant arcade.  Molly loved it, especially the candy toilet she got as a prize.  From there, we toured Fort William Historical Park, which is actually a historically accurate recreation of the original fort I mentioned earlier.  We learned so many cool facts here and it was really interesting to see what life was like 200 years ago.  Molly had tons of questions and the actors were all super knowledgeable, and I would highly recommend this tour for any visitors.  After a brief check-in at the hotel, our last stop before the ballgame was at the Canada Games Complex, which conveniently shared a parking lot with Port Arthur Stadium across the street.  This facility opened in 1981 to host all the aquatic events of the Canada Summer Games, which is kind of like a Canada-only Olympics held every 4 years.  It still operates today as a giant public pool complete with water slides, diving boards, and lane swimming, and we spent close to two hours there but I'm sure Molly will tell you she could have spent the whole day there.  I managed to drag her away and we walked across the street to the ballpark for another 6:35pm first pitch.

Port Arthur Stadium has a lot of similarities to Wade Stadium in Duluth and it was fun comparing the two.  They both have a similar age - Port Arthur is 10 years younger - and both have the same "bunker style" setup where you enter into a masonry cavern below the grandstand.  The difference in Thunder Bay is that it is far more disjointed, with sort of "pockets" of space below the grandstand that are accessed by individual openings, rather than a continuous concourse, sort of like in Wausau or Alexandria.  Between that and the very beat up concrete walkways and ramps, it made it a difficult stadium to navigate, especially for a first-time goer.  Even though the main entrance was behind home plate, we had to go out to the left field corner to buy tickets and then walk back.  Port Arthur Stadium had tiered pricing based on your age, which is something you rarely see at a ballpark and I thought was a revolutionary concept.  Sometimes you will see discounted rates for college students or military, but this stadium had child and senior pricing like you might see at an amusement park, and children under 2 I believe even got in for free.  It just makes a lot of sense that Molly should not have to pay the same as an adult when she is only there for playing and food.  It was $20 CAD for me and $7 CAD for her which comes out to under $20 USD, very reasonable.  The other major difference between the Thunder Bay and Duluth ballparks that you notice on the exterior is obviously the color.  Port Arthur Stadium is primarily a concrete shell painted in Canadian white and red, and a little color goes a long way in dressing up an otherwise drab windowless exterior.  Both stadiums have the same covered grandstand with a press box on the roof and apertures at the top of the seating bowl, but in Thunder Bay every single seat is a bucket seat with a back, which looked to be if not original to the stadium then very close to it.  We sat at the top row and it was a pretty clear day, so we could just barely see Lake Superior on the horizon.  Definitely sit in the top row or a party deck if you ever visit this stadium as the breeze and views are much better the higher up you go.  The party decks here are on top of two concessions out-buildings, one by the left field pole and one behind the 1st base dugout.  We got another "fan upgrade" of sorts at this park as they announced during the game that those decks were not sold out so they were open to all fans to enjoy.  Molly and I took advantage of this and made our way to the 1st base one in the 4th inning.  We sat in a little covered shanty that clearly would have been the bar setup had this section sold any tickets and it was a really unique experience.  This deck is also adjacent to one of the saddest excuses for a kids area I've seen at a park, which was basically just a lawn area behind the bleachers with a small netted enclosure that looks like at one time it might have hosted a speed pitch but now is just sad and empty.  Molly still made the most of it by tossing around a ball we got at the team store and climbing the trees.  Overall I would say this park was in a lot rougher shape than Wade Stadium, but it's hard not to enjoy baseball in an old ballpark in another country.  Historically, the Border Cats are about middle of the pack in Northwoods League attendance rankings despite having the 2nd largest market size, so when you couple that with the city's remoteness and their 3-year COVID hiatus, it's hard to understand how this team has lasted 23+ years, but I think its importance to the league as a team servicing Canadian collegiate ballplayers probably has a lot to do with that.

There were about 800 in attendance on Saturday to witness the Border Cats defeat the Rochester Honkers by a score of 6 to 4.  Thunder Bay doesn't seem to have the same rich baseball history that a lot of cities with older ballparks do, but it was a very active lively crowd for the time we were there.  Starting pitcher Luke Bryant was from Ohio University, but about half of the roster was comprised of native Canadians.  Bryant gave up 4 runs over 5 with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts, which was a very similar line to his counterpart Payne Lochridge who lasted only 1/3 inning longer.  CF Sam Harry was the offensive star of the day, going 3-4 with 2 bombs out of the leadoff spot for Honky.  After another long day of travel, we left in the 7th inning with the B-Cats up 5-4 and they would hold on for the victory.

Molly and I had an absolute blast and she thoroughly enjoyed her first trip to Canada.  It was a long 6-hour drive home, but also very scenic and well worth it.  As opposed to our relatively long line getting into Canada, nobody was eager to visit the United States as we were the only ones at the station.  I was fully expecting to enjoy Thunder Bay more just knowing how much I love Canada, but I came away from the trip with a greater appreciation for Duluth and wanting to return as soon as possible to explore more.  Both cities were great and it was so nice to get a taste of cooler temps before the wretchedly hot and humid summer rolls into central Minnesota.  My wife and son are starting to get more and more jealous of these trips - and quite frankly we miss them - so I think this may have been the last year of just Molly & I doing this.  That in and of itself will always make this particular adventure extra special as potentially our last daddy-daughter version.

park stats and rankings:

aesthetics - 5
views from park - 8 (on a clear day you can see Lake Superior and Sleeping Giant Mountain from the top row, but also net and pole obstructions)
view to field - 4
surrounding area - 6 (Canada Games Complex across the street, on major arterial...feels like Kenosha)
food variety - 6 (bonus point for poutine)
nachos - 5
beer - 8 (bonus points for Molson and cost but low craft variety)
vendor price - 8
ticket price - 9 (bonus points for tiered pricing by age)
atmosphere - 7
walk to park - 5
parking price/proximity - 10 (across the street for free)
concourses - 1
team shop - 3 (points deducted for no team logo baseballs!)
kids area - 1 (just a lawn I wouldn't even call it a kids area)

best food - I didn't try it but I'm going to say the poutine
most unique stadium feature - covered grandstand with individual plastic seats
best jumbotron feature - music video of TCB featuring Thunder Bay's own Paul Shaffer
best between-inning feature - school dance troupes

field dimensions - 320/385/320
starters - Payne Lochridge (ROC) v. Luke Bryant (TB) 
opponent - Rochester Honkers
time of game - 2:39
attendance - 805
score - 6-4 W
Brewers score that day - 7-1 W

Tour Molly 2026: Wade Stadium

All photos of Duluth and Wade Stadium available on Flickr.

Baseball Roadtrip Season officially kicked off this past weekend with my daughter Molly!  After journeying west the last two years to a couple of states I'd never been to, we ventured north this year to the Lake Superior area.  Our first stop was the beautiful city of Duluth, which is about 2.5 hours northeast of us at the mouth of the lake.  It's been a long time since I've been to Duluth, but the descent down I-35 towards the city and the entanglement of bridges over the freeway was exactly as I remembered.  We exited onto one of these bridges and of course started our trip with lunch at a brewery - Ursa Minor, in the Craft District of Duluth.  Yes, the name "Craft District" is an obvious reference to the craft breweries in the neighborhood, but also all of the industrial and artisanal goods makers as well.  It's got a NE Minneapolis vibe to it and was a pretty cool area to walk around in for a bit, and not to mention the brewery was delicious and very kid friendly.  We were then shot down from going to the Children's Museum as it was closed due to a power outage, so we pivoted and went to the Great Lakes Aquarium instead, which was arguably the better choice to begin with so we were kind of fortunate the museum was closed.  It's an expansive 2-story space right on the harbor that had lots of windows and balconies overlooking the lift bridge and the docks.  This aquarium was not just a repository of fish found in the Great Lakes, but also a museum dedicated to global lake basin ecosystems in general.  I learned that Lake Superior is the 2nd largest lake in the world behind the Caspian Sea, but only the 40th deepest at just over 1,300 feet, and there were some staggering exhibits about how much some lakes have dried up due to climate change, industrialization, and the growing demands of man-made irrigation.  We got to touch a sturgeon and watch a giant turtle get fed and it was really cool.  From there, we continued the water theme of the day by checking into the hotel and swimming and then walking down to the famous lift bridge.  On the way to the bridge, we stopped at the Lake Superior Maritime Visitor Center and got to see a lot of cool displays and artifacts about the history of freight shipping in the area, including the tragic sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  We of course also walked across the lift bridge and down the pier and were lucky enough to get to witness the bridge in action.  Even though we were sad that the water slide was closed at the hotel pool, we didn't let that put a damper on any of our pre-game activities, and I loved witnessing Molly's thirst for knowledge at each stop we made.

From the lift bridge, we made our way back southwest to Wade Stadium for a 6:35pm game versus the Eau Claire Express.  We parked on the east side and entered from behind home plate just like I did 16 years ago on my last visit, and aside from a repainted sign, not a thing has changed on the exterior.  Wade Stadium is a WPA gem that opened in 1941 in a residential area of Duluth, and has pretty much been suspended in time ever since.  There have been some repairs and upgrades on the inside - new field turf playing surface, new enclosed bullpens, and a new scoreboard to name a few - but pretty much if you went to a Duluth-Superior Dukes game 60 years ago and a Huskies game today, you wouldn't be able to tell much of a difference to the ballpark structure.  The concourse of the stadium is of the masonry bunker variety, which was typical for this era, as is the fine masonry craftsmanship on the exterior.  Being the architecture nerd that I am, I probably commented on my last visit on how the brick exterior, although imposing, is so meticulously crafted that it gives the stadium a scale and beauty that will never exist again in a modern ballpark.  However, what I didn't know then that I learned now is that all the bricks used to build the stadium were repurposed from Grand Avenue in downtown Duluth, which completely explains the rugged nature of the brick.  There are even still some palettes of extra loose bricks just sitting inside the stadium and I was tempted to steal one.  It's hard to explain what that intangible quality is in old ballparks that makes most of them charming, but Wade Stadium is definitely a feast for the eyes and immediately transports you back to a bygone era.

Another thing that transported me to the past were the concession prices, all of which were very fair.  The concessions stands are all under the grandstand bunker and are actually fairly easy to access, which is not always the case in old ballparks.  The seating area was exactly how I remember it, and looking through old photos confirms my memory.  Even the mascot Harley looks exactly the same in the same uniform, that for some reason says "06" even though the team was founded in 2003.  Besides the player amenities, the one major change I did notice was in the left field corner where we spent about half of the game.  This was formerly a private party deck called the "Kennel Klub" and is now just an open expanse of concrete open to all ticketed fans with kids games, picnic tables, and the visiting bullpens.  You know that I'm always all for giving private areas back to the plebeians so I loved this gesture, but I will say that it is also so big that it probably could have been both.  There was plenty of room here to have both a private party deck AND a kids/standing room area, rather than having it just feel like a leftover space like it is now.  Nevertheless, Molly and I had a great time out there, all while Dad was able to still easily see the field.  Our ticketed seats were actually in the covered grandstand, and in the bottom of the 1st we were selected as the seat upgrade fans of the game!  This got us access to a VIP area right below the press box at the top of the grandstand, and by "VIP area" I mean a couple of La-Z-Boys on a plywood platform.  While it was nothing fancy, we enjoyed it immensely, and it was a very relaxing vantage point to watch for a few innings before Molly got too hopped up on cotton candy and lemonade and needed to run around.  The selection process for the Seat Upgrade was also quite interesting.  There was a completely empty box in a quiet corner of the concourse with a sign advertising 2 free luxury seats for the winning entry.  The sign very much made it seem like you'd be winning tickets for a future game, and I kind of just threw my name in as a joke since it was empty, even though we obviously don't live in Duluth, and it ended up being for the seat upgrade.  So a tip for anybody visiting Wade Stadium or any other stadium for that matter - always sign up to win free shit at non-MLB games.

The game itself was very slow moving and by 9pm it was only the 6th inning so we called it a little early, but when we left it was tied at 3.  The Express would go on to win 8-3 due in large part to a 4-run 8th.  Neither starting pitcher was very good, but the visiting Express pitcher Mason Kinchen in particular really struggled, surrendering 6 walks in 1.2 innings of work.  The score was actually 2-0 Duluth on no hits when he left the game, and the Huskies didn't end up getting a hit until the 5th inning.  There were a total of 20 walks and 3 errors in the game which greatly contributed to the long game time.  Turns out you don't need to hit much when you draw that many walks, but DH Hollon Brock did go 4-5 for Eau Claire and was batting .441 on the young season as of Friday.  Brock goes to a very small college in Alabama and the fun fact in his player profile is "my favorite Gatorade flavor is blue," so hopefully he keeps raking because baseball is clearly all he will ever know how to do.  The weather was perfect in the 70s, and our perfect evening ended with Molly participating in an All Kids Race the Mascot event on the field after the 6th inning.  She didn't win, but at least this time she didn't get trampled by a giant fat kid like she did in Kalamazoo a few years ago.

This was a long overdue return to Duluth for me.  I hadn't been there since 2010 and had almost forgotten how breathtaking a city it is.  It just has such a cool vibe and topography, and I'll stack it up against just about any other US city to visit in the summertime.  The drive east from our hotel early morning on Saturday descending the steep hillside towards the lake is one of my most vivid memories of the trip, and it was a perfect encapsulation of Duluth.  We continued that drive east and north to our next stop - Thunder Bay, Canada!

park stats and rankings

(see original post from 7/28/10):

aesthetics - 7
views from park - 4
view to field - improves to 5 (the netting has improved but still far from field with pole obstructions)
surrounding area - 3
food variety - decreases to 5
nachos - 6
beer - 9
vendor price - 9
ticket price - decreases to 8 ($14 grandstand)
atmosphere - 8
walk to park - 5
parking price/proximity - 9
concourses - 3
team shop - 5
kids area - 6 (added category - points for openness, proximity/visibility to field, and catering towards older kids)

best food - cheeseburger
most unique stadium feature - exterior walls
best jumbotron feature - n/a
best between-inning feature - kids race Harley on field featuring Molly

field dimensions - 340/380/340
starters - Mason Kinchen (EC) v. Cale Haugen (DUL)
opponent - Eau Claire Express
time of game - 3:31
attendance - 812
score - 8-3 L
Brewers score that day - 9-7 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/8/26:

Brewers 40-23, +5.0; 3 @ Athletics (Las Vegas), 3 v. Phillies

Twins 30-37, - 7.0, -3.0 WC; 3 @ Tigers, 3 v. Cardinals

2026 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 3

Peter - 10

Northwoods League Opening Week 2026

All photos of Willmar Stingers 2026 Home Opener available on Flickr.

Megan and I attended our first Northwoods League Opening Day in the state of Minnesota this past Wednesday!  After the luster of MLB Opening Day wears off, it's generally still cold and dreary and frankly a little quiet until NCAA Regionals and summer collegiate leagues start.  So when you couple that with the fact that the Northwoods League historically opens their season in a holiday week when school is ending, this is always a really exciting time of year for me.  We opted for Willmar over St. Cloud just due to how the schedules worked out and it was only about a 15-minute extra drive.  We arrived at what we thought was right before first pitch, but it turned out that the home opener was pushed back to a 7:05pm start, so we had some time to walk around, and by walk around I mean more beer time.  

The other reason we opted for Willmar over St. Cloud is it was getting increasingly more intolerable to sit in the horrendously uncomfortable seats at Joe Faber Field, so much so that we cancelled our 7-packs for this year.  At Bill Taunton Stadium, we enjoyed spacious box seats in the 3rd row right behind home plate, and it was the most relaxing experience I've had at a Northwoods game in quite some time.  The first batter of the game ended up being named the Miller Lite Beer Batter and he promptly struck out, so we were already two deep at 5 minutes into the game and we knew it was going to be a fun night.  Later in the evening, a fan succeeded at a between innings game that for some reason won the entire stadium free beer, so between the 2 of us, we had 6 tall boys for a total of about $20.  We always find it amusing when my parents go to a ballgame, and if we ask how it was, the answer inevitably starts with how little they paid for drinks, so we had a good time laughing at ourselves for doing the same thing.  Other than getting up to go to the beer line and concessions area, we really didn't explore much else of the park.  The stadium is set up kind of odd where the concessions and bathrooms are all up on grandstand level behind the 3rd base dugout, so once you get to your seat there is really no reason to go down the ramp to the rest of the park, which makes it a ballpark that is not super conducive to exploring or circumnavigating.  I don't necessarily have any complaints about that, it's just unusual, and I kind of like the compactness and choppiness.  It makes the grandstand very active with people moving around and it keeps everyone in the seating bowl area, which only helps the atmosphere.  There were a few new lackluster fried food items on the menu, but otherwise nothing stood out as new or updated from our last visit three years ago.  We thoroughly enjoy Willmar more than St. Cloud and are always willing to make the longer drive out there, much like we enjoyed Kenosha over Mequon when we lived in Milwaukee.  It's a covered grandstand with comfortable seats and cheap beer that is very close to the seating bowl, which is all you really need on a hot summer day.  To be fair, the one big check mark I will give St. Cloud over Willmar is that they have an all-you-can-eat section with $3 beers that sells individual tickets, sort of like the Duck Blind in Madison.  Willmar's social areas are entirely reserved for groups only and are not accessible to the "regular" fan, which is a sad reality that should be remedied because they do have some very unique sections including a couple of on-field suites.  We'll be going to a game in St. Cloud in August in this section and it is pretty much the only place I will sit there from now on.

The Stingers defeated the Minot Hot Tots by a 1-0 score in just a shade over 2 hours.  The box score might imply that it was a game dominated by pitching, but the Stingers definitely could have piled it on the Tots' starter a little more, as they had multiple baserunners in just about every inning during his 4 2/3 of work.  On the other hand, Willmar's starter was in fact dominant.  Gannon Reidinger of Minnesota State was masterful, giving up just 1 hit with no walks and striking out 7 in 7 innings of work.  He did not throw especially hard or seem to have elite movement on his pitches, but he knew what he was doing on the mound.  Parker Barraza closed the door and completed the shutout with 4 Ks over the final 2.

Happy Northwoods League Opening Day, and stay tuned next week for posts from my 6th Annual Tour Molly trip to a couple more Northwoods League ballparks!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/1/26:

Brewers 35-21, +4.5; 4 v. Giants, 3 @ Rockies

Twins 26-28, - 6.5, -2.0 WC; 3 v. White Sox, 4 v. Royals

2026 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 2

Peter - 8

Another Disappointing Playoff Exit for the Rox

All photos of Northwoods League Great Plains West Playoffs available on Flickr.

The St. Cloud Rox squandered another phenomenal regular season with a heartbreaking first round playoff loss at the hands of the Mankato Moondoogs this past week.  The key to winning in baseball - more than just about any sport due to the number of games - is less about your overall season record and more about how well you're playing going into the postseason, so the Rox second-best record of 47-22 was almost meaningless when you consider that they ended the season losing two consecutive games to their first round opponent, the Moondogs.  They would also go on to lose Game 1 of the 3-game set in Mankato, and things were looking grim as the first round is almost always a sweep in this league.  However, they did at least manage to win one game before their eventual downfall, which was the game I happened to go to.  Their 4-0 victory was a game completely dictated by starting pitching, as most playoff games tend to be.  The Rox starter Hunter Day pitched one of the best games of his life, tossing 7 innings of shutout ball with 7 strikeouts and over 100 pitches.  The Moondogs starter Braden Grimm basically singlehandedly lost the game more so than the Rox earned the win.  After getting the first out of the 2nd on a fly out, he went on to walk 4 consecutive batters to hand the Rox their first run, then give up a run-scoring sac fly, and then the Rox managed to steal one more run quite literally on a nifty double-steal play they've been running all season.  The inning would end with St. Cloud leading 3-0 on no hits, and for a long time it was looking like they would win this game while also getting no hit.  However, as soon as Wild Thing came out of the game in the 6th, the Rox would immediately notch their first hit to avoid this odd feat.  The Rox did everything they could to lose this game, as their shortstop almost had more errors (3) than the team had hits (4).  Ben Smith picked a great time for his first save of the season with 2 lockdown innings to close the game.  As I eluded to, this valiant effort was sadly all for naught, as St. Cloud would go on to get smoked 10-4 in Game 3.

This has been a really fun team to watch the last couple of years and it was disappointing to see them lose again, but this is one of the best supported teams in all the Northwoods League, and it was awesome to be a part of it in a playoff atmosphere this year.  The Green Bay Rockers would go on to win their 2nd Summer Collegiate World Series in 3 years (they still call it this even though it is now only one game), and in doing so maintained a streak of all Great Lakes Division teams winning the league since the realignment in 2019.  Megan and I are considering changing up our ticket package next year as we are just not huge fans of Joe Faber Field, but we'll still for sure be out to see this exciting team at some point in 2026.

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/18/25:

Brewers 78-45, +8.0, -- WC; 5 @ Cubs, 3 v. Giants, 4 v. Diamondbacks, 3 @ Blue Jays

Twins 58-66, -14.0, -9.0 WC; 3 v. Athletics, 3 @ White Sox, 3 @ Blue Jays, 3 v. Padres

Athletics 56-70, -14.0, -12.0 WC; 3 @ Twins, 3 @ Mariners, 3 v. Tigers, 3 v. Rangers

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 8
Peter - 28

ISG Field Renovation

All photos of Mankato and ISG Field available on Flickr.

With summer already winding down, we took a quick 24-hour family vacation to Mankato this past weekend.  For purposes of this blog, the highlight was finally getting to see the extensive $4M renovation to the now-named ISG Field, but we had lots of fun things planned before the 6:30 first pitch.  The trip began with a rainy 2-hour drive south down MN-15 and arriving at the Wow Zone around noon.  This was a kind of like a Dave & Busters type of place with an arcade, bowling alley, laser tag, bar & restaurant, and a small glow-in-the-dark mini-golf course.  We spent a few hours there and then, or course, did some swimming at the hotel pool.  Our kids would have had zero interest in this vacation if it did not involve swimming, so that was a must-do.  We had a little time to kill before heading to the ballpark, so we stopped at the lone brewery in town - Locale - and Megan and I tossed back a flight and played Uno with the kids until game time.  We didn't get to spend much time outdoors during our short vacation, but from what I could tell, Mankato seemed to have a decent downtown and riverfront that might be worth exploring further someday.

ISG Field was directly in between downtown and our hotel, and we parked in a free lot beyond the 1st base dugout, just barely out of reach of any errant foul balls.  This was the same lot I remember parking in with Erik on our trip there 15 years ago, but beyond that, almost everything else has changed dramatically.  To call what ISG Field underwent in the 2017-18 offseason a "renovation" is almost not a strong enough term, as the grandstand behind home plate is just about the only remaining feature from the original 1961 ballpark.  Looking back through my 2010 photos, the park is almost unrecognizable beyond that grandstand.  One of my most vivid memories from my last visit is that the players had to change clothes on the field after the game because they didn't have proper locker rooms, so that was an immediate need that was addressed first and foremost in this renovation, along with additional restrooms and new dugouts.  The players also received a 100% new field turf playing surface, which just makes sense in this climate and at this level of baseball.  On the fan side of things, the concourses have received a jolt with a slew of new concessions, including a neat little right field area featuring a couple of snack sheds and a platform stage for pregame musical acts.  The right field corner is also the general admission grass berm which is where we sat, and although the music drowned out the PA speakers until the game started, it was a very chill and casual atmosphere here that was ideal for families and those folks who aren't super into the game itself.  Several new seating areas were added around the ballpark as well that have a wide range of inclusivity.  The third baseline now has the "Dog Pound," which is akin to the Duck Blind in Madison - an all-you-can-eat-and-drink section with picnic tables that sells individual tickets.  There is also a similar area called the Diamond Lounge which is atop the Moondogs' 1st base dugout.  Same concept, but you can only reserve tables in this area with a half season or full season ticket package, so it's a bit more exclusive and upscale, which I thought was a neat idea - sort of like a rewards member lounge at an airport.  Going even more exclusive, two new group areas were added as well.  The Community Bank Ledger Lounge is right next to the Diamond Lounge and is basically the same except it is for groups only.  I thought that the Dog House Suites were the coolest new addition to the ballpark.  They are constructed with hollowed-out shipping containers stacked on top of each other, just beyond the right field wall.  Each "container" holds a group of 20, and a shared private rooftop holds another 80 people.  This area features special catering available nowhere else, and it is also the only place in the entire ballpark where you can catch a homerun!  Lastly, a large new jumbotron was added adjacent to the right field pole, probably one of the bigger ones in the league aside from Madison and Green Bay.  

The renovation was extensive, cohesive, much-needed, and well-deserved for the city and the team.  It was a great example of how a partnership (city paid $3M and team $1M) can benefit not just the immediate fanbase, but the entire city, as this park is used throughout the year for high school and college sports, and other events as well.  I do still have a few gripes with the park following the remodel.  First and foremost, I'm not sure how you spend seven figures on a remodel and don't throw in another 5 grand for a bounce house.  The fact that a ballpark in this league does not even have a feeble attempt at a kids area is very shortsighted and beyond my comprehension.  As a parent of small children and as somebody who's grown accustomed to wandering the park during the game, it's a pretty glaring omission.  It would not be hard to fit something like this in an outfield corner and it could have paid for itself 10X over by now.  Secondly, the sound system is nearly inaudible, at least where we were sitting.  I would argue that the GA family section needs a better sound quality than anywhere else so that they can at least hear what they can't see.  Again, not sure how you spend all that money to upgrade the scoreboard but keep the old shitty speakers.  My last complaint would be about the severely underutilized area behind the grandstand.  When you enter the ballpark, the fruits of the renovation are right in front of you, but they're all mostly compacted together right by the entry, and it's kind of a pinch point.  The team could have easily spread out some of the new concessions in the cavernous area behind the grandstand that is just this weird lonely expanse of concrete.  I'm not normally an advocate of active concourses that can't see the field, but in the case of how this park is laid out, it makes sense and it could be a pretty cool Madison or Everett plaza space if done right, and it would alleviate the congestion of the front entrance, especially for sellouts like Saturday night was.  Overall though, I think my complaints are really just me looking for things to point out, and most people who are not avid ballpark enthusiasts would not even notice or care.  This was a very thoughtful renovation, and it pulls ISG Field up from the bottom of the league to at least the middle if not near the top.

We only made it about 5 innings after our long adventurous day, and the Moondogs already had a commanding lead over our hometown Rox by then, in a game that was essentially meaningless as both teams had already clinched the playoffs.  This game would be the 2nd of 3 victories in consecutive days by Mankato over St. Cloud, as they also won Game 1 of the first round of the playoffs last night against each other.  My daughter did defect to becoming a Moondog fan during the game after one of their players threw her a shirt and his cap during warmups, and I can't say that I blame her.  Mankato ended up winning by a final score of 10-1 in front of over 2,000 fans in the final game of the regular season.  Arizona Freshman Tony Lira went 2-4 with 4 RBI and Iowa Senior Caleb Wulf went 4-5 out of the 3-hole, finishing the season with a .322 average.  Team MVP Tyson Leblanc notched another 2 hits for the visitors and finished the year with a .345 average in 41 games.  Both of these teams have a reputation for stellar pitching, and Moondog starter Daniel Quintero delivered another fine performance with 7 strong innings of 1-run ball.  

The end of the Northwoods League season always signals the unofficial end to summer for me, so this was no doubt a bittersweet trip, but very fun nonetheless.  It's looking like it might be another year where the Rox squander a phenomenal regular season, but hopefully they can avoid elimination and prove me wrong in Game 2 of the playoffs tonight - more on that next week.

park stats and rankings
(see original post from 8/4/10):
aesthetics - improves to 6
views from park - 3
view to field - 5
surrounding area - 3
food variety - improves to 7 (bonus points for free pulled pork on Fan Appreciation Night)
nachos - 5
beer - improves to 8 ($3 domestics before first pitch)
vendor price - 8
ticket price - 9 ($10 GA)
atmosphere - 7
walk to park - 4
parking proximity - 10
concourses - improves to 6
team shop - decreases to 4 (just a shed)
kids area - n/a

best food - pulled pork
most unique stadium feature - Dog House Suites in RF
best jumbotron feature - Moondog logo graphic, just to show off that they know how to work the new jumbotron
best between-inning feature - Dress Like a Moondog race

updated field dimensions - 315/390/320

starters - Piercen McElyea (STC) v. Daniel Quintero (MAN)
opponent - St. Cloud Rox
time of game - 2:28
attendance - 2068
score - 10-1 W
Brewers score that day - 7-4 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/11/25:

Brewers 73-44, +6.0, -- WC; 3 v. Pirates, 3 @ Reds

Twins 56-61, -11.0, -5.5 WC; 3 @ Yankees, 4 v. Tigers

Athletics 53-67, -14.0, -10.0 WC; 3 v. Rays, 3 v. Angels

2025 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 8
Peter - 27

Rox Win Great Plains West, Lose in Division Championship

(photo courtesy of Rox website)

The St. Cloud Rox had a phenomenal season in our first as partial season ticket holders, coming on strong late in the season to win the second half of the Great Plains West division, with an overall record of 43-26.  They made it out of the first round of the 8-team playoff field with a victory in the best-of-3 series against nearby rival Willmar, and in doing so, became the first team in Northwoods League history to come back to win a 3-game playoff series after dropping the first game at home.  The magic would end in the second round, losing a winner-take-all game to the LaCrosse Loggers by a score of 8-1 in the Great Plains Championship.  This season was a continuation of a particularly prolific period in franchise history.  Since 2015 (ironically the year of my first St. Cloud game), the Rox have earned playoff births in 8 of the 9 non-COVID seasons, 4 division championships, the best overall league record in 2021, and one Northwoods League Championship back in 2017.  Ben Higdon, a Junior from Southern Miss, led the team in batting average, RBI, walks, and games played, was second in homeruns with 11, and was also named a mid-season All-Star.  Among pitchers with at least 1 start, Dallin Harrison (San Diego) led the team in ERA and wins, Piercen McElyea (Tarleton State) led the team with 52 strikeouts, and Kaden Pfeffer (SCSU) led the team with 52 innings pitched.

The Rox went 5-2 in the seven games of our ticket package and 26-9 overall at home this season, including a remarkable 18-3 home record in the second half.  They were such a fun team to watch, particularly offensively, and I cannot wait to return to Joe Faber Field next year!

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 8/23/24:

Brewers 73-54, +10.0; 3 @ Athletics, 3 v. Giants, 4 @ Reds, 3 v. Cardinals

Twins 71-56, -2.0, -- WC; 3 v. Cardinals, 3 v. Braves, 3 v. Blue Jays, 4 @ Rays

Orioles 74-55, -1.5, +2.0 WC; 4 v. Astros, 3 @ Dodgers, 3 @ Rockies, 3 v. White Sox

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 7

Peter - 29

Return to St. Cloud

All photos of Joe Faber Field available on Flickr.

The title of this post is a little misleading as I now live 20 minutes from St. Cloud, but nonetheless, Megan and I attended our first St. Cloud Rox game in nearly 9 years this past Friday.  This was the first game of our first 7-pack as residents, and I am elated to be a Northwoods League ticket package holder once again.  We started our day with an 8-hour drive back from a week in Milwaukee and literally planned our arrival just so we could attend this game.  So, after dragging all of our luggage inside and getting the kids fed, we tagged in Grandma and Grandpa and headed to the yard for a 7:05 first pitch.

Our last ticket package was a couple years with the Kenosha Kingfish in 2016-17, and the setup in St. Cloud for season seat holders was pretty similar.  There is a ballpark foods buffet included with our tickets that starts when the gates open until an hour after first pitch, featuring standard fare such as dogs, burgers, chips, and soda (or "pop" as Minnesotans say).  The buffet was set up near the kids area behind the 3rd base dugout, which was an area that was unnecessary for us to visit way back in 2015.  We also get 10% off at the team store for the entire year which I stupidly forgot to use when I purchased probably my one team store item of the season.  Lastly, we got a "free" t-shirt for our efforts.  It was fun when we got to our 4th row seats and got to sit amongst the sea of other ticket package holders wearing the same shirt.  It felt like we were part of a fraternity and it was a cool feeling to be just another step further entrenched in this community.  Beyond the experience of now being a season seat holder, I'm comparing pictures from our last visit and honestly the most notable change is Chisel's mascot costume becoming way worse.  He's supposed to look like a human miner, but a lady sitting in front of us put it best when she noted that he looks like some sort of demented Lorax type creature now.  Kids love fuzzy soft things to hug I guess, I don't know.  No physical aspect of the stadium has been altered however.  Sponsors change and signs get moved or added as always, but the same party decks and overall setup remain the same.  It is a pretty unique entry in that you enter the stadium into an enclosed room that almost feels like you're entering an arena.  I believe it may connect with the neighboring hockey which may be part of the reasoning, but it is an odd sensation for entering a baseball stadium.  It has a drop ceiling with the lone concession stand and team store directly in front of you when you walk in, and then there are enclosed cinder block tunnels on either side that ramp up to the concourse.  It's certainly the most memorable part of the ballpark as I even remembered that from 9 years ago.  This setup pushes the main concourse within the seating bowl and pulls all of the seats up higher so that the entry can fit below them, and when that is all coupled with the large expanse of foul ground, you're about as far away from the field of play here as you can be for a park this size.  The Rox attempt to make up for this with inherently less protective netting, but it's still not the most pleasant park to watch a game in the league by any stretch.  The seats are also 100% bleachers which are quite narrow and difficult to sit in for 3 hours.  Joe Faber Field is certainly near the bottom for me in the Northwoods League along with Mayo Field in Rochester - which is the main reason I had not come back until I became a local - but much like Erik and I did with the old Metrodome, in time I think I will grow a soft spot for all of its idiosyncrasies and deficiencies.  This is the closest ballpark in my favorite league, and I have to make the best out of what I have.

As you can probably imagine, we were completely exhausted before the game even started due to our long day of travel.  We powered through 6 innings and a frosty Premium, but unfortunately we did not get to see the majority of the bloodbath.  It was a meager 1-1 score when we left, but both teams decided to wake up the minute we stepped into the parking lot, and St. Cloud ended up winning by a score of 13-3.  I've said it many times and I'll say it again - you always miss something when you leave a game early, so it's hard to be upset about breaking my own rule.  The visiting Minot Hot Tots grabbed the lead immediately after we left in the 7th, but the Rox took it right back in the bottom half as part an onslaught of 12 unanswered runs to close out the game.  Both starters were outstanding, both going 5 innings.  The Rox pitcher Brigden Parker must have had a nasty slider or cutter in his repertoire, because Tots hitters were bailing out of the box all night only to have the pitch move back over the plate for a called strike.  The chalk outline of the batters box was just completely obliterated by the 3rd inning as well, so that just allowed the batters to crowd the plate even more than they already were.  Sawyer Smith was the most impressive position player on the field for me.  He went 3-4 with 2 RBI out of the 2-hole for the Rox and played a more than adequate shortstop.  He is a Junior at the University of Kansas and this is his 3rd year in the league, and he is also listed as a two-way player.  If it's his 3rd year that means he got to play with Charlie Condon in 2022, which I'm sad I missed.  He is the general consensus #1 overall draft prospect this year out of Georgia, and he made a splash in one season with the Rox before raising his game to new heights in college.

We've got another 6 games this year in our ticket package within the short 12-week window of the Northwoods League, and I'm super excited to be establishing the Rox as my home team.

updated park rankings and statistics
(see original post from 6/29/15): 
aesthetics - 3
views from park – 6
view to field - decreases to 3 (not sure why I ever had it that high - seats very far away)
surrounding area – 3
food variety - 2
nachos - 2
beer - 4
vendor price - decreases to 9
ticket price - 5
atmosphere - 6
walk to park – 5
parking price/proximity - 8
concourses - 1
team shop - 5
kids area - 3 (new category)

best food – kosher hot dog
most unique stadium feature – entry sequence
best jumbotron feature – Roto Rooter memory game
best between-inning feature – Corburn's Chip to Win

field dimensions – 315/401/325

starters – Hudson Yarbrough (MOT) v. Brigden Parker (STC)
opponent – Minot Hot Tots
time of game – 3:22
attendance – 1721
score – 13-3 W
Brewers score that day – 10-0 W

STANDINGS AND UPCOMING SERIES AS OF 6/10/24:

Brewers 38-27, +6.5; 3 v. Blue Jays, 3 v. Reds

Twins 34-31, -8.5; 3 v. Rockies, 4 v. Athletics

Orioles 42-22, -2.5; 3 v. Braves, 3 v. Phillies

2024 GAMES ATTENDED:

Erik - 2

Peter - 13