August 13, 2014
It was a season of great excitement on and off the field. In all, 55,592 fans came out to the Rock Pile (Joe Faber Field) to watch the Rox play this summer, bringing the average to 1,635 fans per game, the largest average attendance in Rox history. The Northwoods League also had a successful 2014 as they became the first collegiate summer baseball league to reach over one million fans in a season, as they ended with a total attendance of 1,096,433 fans.
The season welcomed the Rox new mascot Chisel to the Rox family. Chisel was born March 20th in front of a capacity crowd at Brothers Bar & Grill in downtown St. Cloud. Chisel has been a huge hit at Rox games and at other community events throughout the season.
The Rox made history on the field this season as they brought in more wins than any other season in their three-year history, finishing the regular season with an overall record of 37-35. The Rox showed no shortage of power, leading the entire Northwoods League with 52 round trippers, led by Chris Paul’s eight homeruns. CP3 as many called him because of his three years in a Rox uniform, picked up his second consecutive Team MVP honor at the end of the season, finishing the year with a team-high .321 (75-for-234) batting average as he also hit 16 doubles while knocking in 38 runs. Paul was also named a 2014 Northwoods League Postseason All-Star for his efforts as he played in 60 of St. Cloud’s 72 games.
The other member of the Rox on the Postseason All-Star Team was pitcher Reese Gregory, who led the Northwoods League in ERA (1.70) and strikeouts (71) while leading the Rox in innings pitched (69), games started (11) and wins (7) as he finished the season with a 7-2 record on the mound. Gregory and Paul were also two members of the North Division at the 2014 All-Star Game as they joined Kevin Burgee to give the Rox three players total to the All-Star list.
The season also saw Field Manager Augie Rodriguez collect his 100th win as the skipper of the Rox. Rodriguez now has 102 wins during his three years as the Field Manager of the Rox.
Many fans packed the stands for a few key promotional events, such as NFL star Eric Decker Bobble Head Giveaway presented by CapitalOne 360 in early July, which was even featured on NFL Network. On-field events such as Quarter Drop Night presented by Great River Federal Credit Union were also a big hit as over 300 kids took to the field to pick up 1,500 quarters and the Diamond Dig, where one lucky fan left with a $3,000 diamond ring.
The fans enjoyed seeing Mountain Man from A&E’s hit reality TV show ‘Duck Dynasty’ come to the park in mid-July, where he signed autographs, sang the seventh-inning stretch and judged a best beard contest on the field. They also got to see six firework displays on Friday nights throughout the season, with the largest coming after the home finale at the end of the year as the Rox defeated Thunder Bay 10-1.
The Rox will release their 2015 schedule later this fall. For season ticket information, or to get an early start on booking your group outing for next season, please call (320) 240-9798, email us at info@stcloudrox.com, or visit the Rox ticket office located at the Municipal Athletic Complex from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 21st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest summer collegiate baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 120 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (DET) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League YouTube channel. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com.
