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!
touch with baseball when his childhood heroes Robin Yount, Paul Molitor, and Jim Gantner retired but the Great Home Run Chase of 1998 reignited his passion. As a student at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Erik became involved with the campus chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With this group Erik traveled to Portland, OR and Baltimore, MD to work on construction projects and help the group raise $25,000 to partially sponsor a house in Milwaukee. Also at UWM, Erik met Peter Nagel. The two attended their first Brewers game together during Opening Weekend 2003. Despite their failure to ignite the coals at their first tailgate, the two had a blast and were soon making weekly trips to the ballpark. Erik has gone on to several colleges and changed careers several times, and has moved all the way out to New Hampshire, but has always stayed true to his baseball roots by holding part-time stadium usher jobs. To this day he looks back fondly on his incredible cross-country journey.
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