Northwoods League

Northwoods League

Northwoods League logo
Sport	Baseball
Founded	1994
No. of teams	17
Country(ies)	United States  Canada
Most recent champion(s)	Eau Claire Express
Most titles	Rochester Honkers (5)
Official website	www.northwoodsleague.com

The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising 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. Teams play 70 games scheduled over a 76-day season running from early June to mid-August. The season itself is broken into two halves, with the winners of each half in each of the two divisions meeting first in a playoff to determine a divisional champion; the divisional champions then meet in a playoff for the league championship.

The Northwoods League has more teams, draws more fans and plays more games than any other Summer Collegiate Baseball League.^[1] Many of the teams in the league play in ballparks formerly occupied by professional clubs from the Midwest League, Prairie 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. The League has had 277 of its alumni taken in the last two Major League Baseball Amateur Drafts including three first round selections in 2009 and the fourth selection overall.

The teams are located in the Northwoods region of the Upper Midwestern United States and Southern Canada, mostly in the U.S. states of Minnesota (with 7 teams) and Wisconsin (with 7 teams), also with one team each in Iowa, Michigan and Ontario.

Teams for the 2011 season

North Division
Team	Venue	Location
Alexandria Beetles	Knute Nelson Memorial Park	Alexandria, Minnesota
Brainerd Lakes Area Lunkers	Mills Field	Brainerd, Minnesota
Duluth Huskies	Wade Stadium	Duluth, Minnesota
Mankato MoonDogs	Franklin Rogers Park	Mankato, Minnesota
Rochester Honkers	Mayo Field	Rochester, Minnesota
St. Cloud River Bats	Joe Faber Field	St. Cloud, Minnesota
Thunder Bay Border Cats	Port Arthur Stadium	Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada
Willmar Stingers	Bill Taunton Stadium	Willmar, Minnesota
South Division
Team	Venue	Location
Battle Creek Bombers	C.O. Brown Stadium	Battle Creek, Michigan
Eau Claire Express	Carson Park	Eau Claire, Wisconsin
Green Bay Bullfrogs	Joannes Stadium	Green Bay, Wisconsin
La Crosse Loggers	Copeland Park	La Crosse, Wisconsin
Lakeshore Chinooks	Kapco Park	Mequon, Wisconsin
Madison Mallards	Warner Park	Madison, Wisconsin
Waterloo Bucks	Riverfront Stadium	Waterloo, Iowa
Wisconsin Woodchucks	Athletic Park	Wausau, Wisconsin
Wisconsin Rapids Rafters	Witter Field	Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin

(note that Lakeshore is an expansion team for the 2012 season)

League champions

• 2011: Battle Creek Bombers
• 2010: Eau Claire Express
• 2009: Rochester Honkers^[2]
• 2008: Thunder Bay Border Cats
• 2007: St. Cloud River Bats
• 2006: Rochester Honkers
• 2005: Thunder Bay Border Cats
• 2004: Madison Mallards
• 2003: Wisconsin Woodchucks
• 2002: Waterloo Bucks
• 2001: Wisconsin Woodchucks
• 2000: St. Cloud River Bats
• 1999: Rochester Honkers
• 1998: St. Cloud Rivers Bats
• 1997: Rochester Honkers
• 1996: Waterloo Bucks
• 1995: Kenosha Kroakers
• 1994: Rochester Honkers

Notable Northwoods League alumni

Major leaguers

Ian Kinsler

Max Scherzer

• Jeremy Accardo, Alexandria Beetles, 2001
• Clint Barmes, Kenosha Kroakers, 1998, Waterloo Bucks, 1999
• Joe Bisenius, Duluth Huskies, 2003
• T.J. Bohn, Brainerd Mighty Gulls, 2001
• Lance Broadway, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2004
• Mike Burns, Brainerd Mighty Gulls, 1998–1999
• Matt Cepicky, Waterloo Bucks, 1997
• Jermaine Clark, Kenosha Kroakers, 1995
• Willie Collazo, Waterloo Bucks, 1999
• Allen Craig, Alexandria Beetles, 2003, 2005
• Chris Demaria, St. Cloud River Bats, 2000–2001
• Thomas Diamond, St. Cloud River Bats, 2002–2003
• Andy Dominique, Kenosha Kroakers, 1995
• Jeff Duncan, Waterloo Bucks, 1998
• Lucas Duda, Alexandria Beetles, 2006
• 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
• Daniel Ray Herrera, La Crosse Loggers, 2005
• 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
• Dan Lyons, Rochester Honkers, 2004–2006
• Jay Marshall, Rochester Honkers, 2002
• Doug Mathis, Duluth Huskies, 2003
• Paul McAnulty, Mankato Mashers, 2001
• Carlos Muniz, Alexandria Beetles, 2002
• Pat Neshek, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2000
• Josh Newman, Alexandria Beetles, 2001
• Wes Obermueller, Wausau Woodchucks, 1995, Waterloo Bucks, 1996–1997
• Val Pascucci, Rochester Honkers, 1998
• Juan Pierre, Manitowoc Skunks, 1996
• Robb Quinlan, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1996, St. Cloud River Bats, 1998
• Erasmo Ramirez, Kenosha Kroakers, 1995
• Mike Rouse, Brainerd Mighty Gulls, 1999
• Max Scherzer, La Crosse Loggers, 2004
• Shawn Sedlacek, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1996
• George Sherrill, Kenosha Kroakers, 1997
• Ryan Spilborghs, Madison Mallards, 2001
• Eric Thames, La Crosse Loggers, 2007
• Curtis Thigpen, Waterloo Bucks, 2002
• Jeff Weaver, Dubuque Mud Puppies, 1995
• Josh Willingham, Austin Southern Minny Stars, 1998–1999
• Danny Worth, Alexandria Beetles, 2006
• Ben Zobrist, Wisconsin Woodchucks, 2003
• Jordan Zimmermann, Eau Claire Express 2006

Umpiring

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): Jim Evans' Academy of Professional Baseball Umpiring 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 employs seven two-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. Umpires are salaried and are provided hotel accommodations, meals and travel.

References

1. ^ Willmar, MN Joins Northwoods League at northwoodsleague.com, URL accessed October 18, 2009. Archived 10/18/09
2. ^ Kitzman, Shane (August 17, 2009). "Honkers beat La Crosse for fifth championship". Rochester Post-Bulletin. http://www.postbulletin.com/newsmanager/templates/localnews_story.asp?z=22&a=412197. Retrieved August 18, 2009. 

External links

• Official website