Northwoods League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Northwoods League | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1994 |
| No. of teams | 14 |
| Country |  United States Canada |
| Current champions | Rochester Honkers |
| Official website | www.northwoodsleague.com |
The Northwoods League is an SCBA sanctioned summer baseball league comprised of teams of the top college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. Players are not paid so as to maintain their college eligibility.
Teams are run similar to a professional minor league team, providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions using wooden bats and minor league specification baseballs. The Northwoods League draws more fans to its games than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League.
Several of the teams in the league play in ballparks formerly occupied by professional clubs from the Midwest League and the Northern League. The wooden bat circuit allows communities deemed too small for pro ball to continue to enjoy high quality, competitive baseball during the summer months.
Contents |
[edit] Teams for the 2007 season
[edit] North Division
- Alexandria Beetles, play at Knute Nelson Memorial Park in Alexandria, Minnesota
- Brainerd Blue Thunder, play at Mills Field in Brainerd, Minnesota
- Duluth Huskies, play at Wade Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota
- Mankato MoonDogs, play at Franklin Rogers Park in Mankato, Minnesota
- Rochester Honkers, play at Mayo Field in Rochester, Minnesota
- St. Cloud River Bats, play at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud, Minnesota
- Thunder Bay Border Cats, play at Port Arthur Stadium in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
[edit] South Division
- Battle Creek Bombers play at C.O. Brown Stadium, in Battle Creek, Michigan
- Eau Claire Express, play at Carson Park in Eau Claire, Wisconsin
- Green Bay Bullfrogs, play at Joannes Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin
- La Crosse Loggers, play at Copeland Park in La Crosse, Wisconsin
- Madison Mallards, play at Warner Park in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Waterloo Bucks, play at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo, Iowa
- Wisconsin Woodchucks, play at Athletic Park in Wausau, Wisconsin
[edit] Potential expansion
[edit] Notable Northwoods League Alumni
[edit] Major Leaguers
- Jeremy Accardo, Alexandria Beetles, 2001
- Clint Barmes, Kenosha Kroakers, 1998, Waterloo Bucks, 1999
- T.J. Bohn - Brainerd Mighty Gulls, 2001
- Mike Burns, Brainerd Mighty Gulls, 1998-1999
- Matt Cepicky, Waterloo Bucks, 1997
- Jermaine Clark, Kenosha Kroakers, 1995
- Chris Demaria, St. Cloud River Bats, 2000-2001
- Andy Dominique, Kenosha Kroakers, 1995
- Jeff Duncan, Waterloo Bucks, 1998
- Andre Ethier, Rochester Honkers, 2002
- Dave Gassner, Wausau Woodchucks, 1998
- Jay Gibbons, Manitowoc Skunks, 1996-1997
- Tom Gorzelanny, St. Cloud River Bats, 2001
- Tim Gradoville, Waterloo Bucks, 2001
- Curtis Granderson, Mankato Mashers, 2001
- Jack Hannahan, Mankato Mashers, 1999
- Justin Huisman, St. Cloud River Bats, 1998
- Casey Janssen, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2001
- Jimmy Journell, Waterloo Bucks, 1997, 1999
- Bobby Kielty, Kenosha Kroakers, 1996
- Ian Kinsler, Madison Mallards, 2002
- Mark Lowe, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2002-2003
- Paul McAnulty, Mankato Mashers, 2001
- Pat Neshek, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2000
- Wes Obermueller, Wausau Woodchucks, 1995, Waterloo Bucks, 1996-1997
- Valentino Pascucci, Rochester Honkers, 1998
- Juan Pierre, Manitowoc Skunks, 1996
- Erasmo Ramirez, Kenosha Kroakers, 1995
- Mike Rouse, Brainerd Mighty Gulls, 1999
- Shawn Sedlacek, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1996
- George Sherrill, Kenosha Kroakers, 1997
- Ryan Spilborghs, Madison Mallards, 2001
- Jeff Weaver, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1995
- Josh Willingham, Austin Southern Minny Stars, 1998-1999
- Robb Quinlan, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1996, St. Cloud River Bats, 1998
- Ben Zobrist, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2003
[edit] Others
- Michael Brenly, La Crosse Loggers, 2006-2007, son of Bob Brenly
- Toby Gardenhire, Rochester Honkers, 2004, son of Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire
- Joe Gaetti, St. Cloud River Bats, 2002, son of Gary Gaetti
- Oney Guillen, Thunder Bay Border Cats, 2006, son of Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen
- Erik Morris, St. Cloud River Bats, 2003-2004, son of former World Series MVP (1991) Jack Morris
- Tim Nettles, Waterloo Bucks, 1997, son of New York Yankees third baseman Graig Nettles
- Drew Saberhagen, Alexandria Beetles, 2005-2007, son of former World Series MVP (1985) and two-time Cy Young Award winner (1985 & 1989) Bret Saberhagen
- John Shelby Jr., Waterloo Bucks, 2004, son of John Shelby
- Frank Viola III, Alexandria Beetles, 2004, son of Frank Viola
- Shawn Williams, Thunder Bay Border Cats, 2005, son of Philadelphia Phillies bench coach Jimy Williams
- Ned Yost Jr., Wausau Woodchucks, 2003, son of Milwaukee Brewers manager Ned Yost
