Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks have announced their schedule for the 2016 season.  The 22^nd year of Bucks baseball will consist of a 72-game schedule featuring 36 home games.  2016 Waterloo Schedule

Waterloo will open the season at home on Tuesday, May 31 versus the St. Cloud Rox at 7:05 pm.  The Bucks will start the season with a four-game homestand.  Waterloo will close out the regular season at home versus St. Cloud on Sunday, August 14 at 3:35 pm.

Like the previous two years, this season’s schedule will see a pair of split-doubleheaders, this time with the La Crosse Loggers who move from the South Division to the North Division of the Northwoods League.  On June 29, Waterloo will face the Loggers at home for an 11:05 am start.  Later that day, the teams will travel to La Crosse for a 7:05 pm first pitch.  Monday, August 1 will be the date of the second split-doubleheader, as the Loggers will host the Bucks at Copeland Park at 11:05 am.  After the game, both teams will travel to Waterloo to play each other at 7:05 pm.

The Bucks begin their longest homestand of the season, a five-game homestand, on June 27, facing La Crosse for three games and the Mankato MoonDogs for two.  As for the longest road trip, Waterloo will have a six-game swing starting on June 21 and ending on June 26.  During that trip, the Bucks will travel to St. Cloud to face the Rox for two games, then to Willmar to play the Stingers for a pair of games, and finish with two games in Duluth to face the Huskies.

The final day of the first-half of Northwoods League action will be July 5 when Waterloo travels to Rochester to face the Honkers in one of eight SCHEELS Highway 63 Cup Series contests.  The Bucks start the second half in Duluth to face the Huskies on Wednesday, July 6.

NWL inter-divisional play returns as Waterloo faces the reigning NWL Champion Kenosha Kingfish and the Lakeshore Chinooks in 2016.  The Bucks host Lakeshore on June 2 and 3 then travel to Kenosha on June 4 and 5.  On June 10 and 11, Waterloo travels to Mequon, Wisconsin to face the Chinooks, then returns home to host the Kingfish on June 12 and 13.

This season’s NWL Playoffs will begin on Monday, August 15 with the Divisional Playoffs.  For the second consecutive year the playoff format will consist of back-to-back single-elimination games in each Division.  Both the First and Second Half Divisional Champions will have home field advantage on the first day of the one-game elimination Divisional Playoffs.  Opponents will be determined by the two Divisional teams remaining with the best overall records.  The First or Second Half Divisional winner with the best overall record will host the remaining team with the second best overall record on day one.  The First or Second Half Divisional winner with the second best overall record will host the remaining team with the best overall record on day one.  Home field advantage on day two will go to the team with the best overall record.  Day two winners will play in the Summer Collegiate World Series starting August 18 in a best-of-three format.

Breaking the home schedule down by days of the week, Riverfront Stadium will be the site of six Sunday games, seven Monday games, four Tuesday games, four Wednesday games, six Thursday games, five Friday games, and four Saturday games.  The Bucks will be home for Flag Day (Tuesday, June 14 versus Rochester), their traditional Father’s Day game (Sunday, June 19 versus the Thunder Bay Border Cats), and Independence Day (Monday, July 4 versus the Honkers).

The Bucks will play one game at home in the month of May, 15 games at home in the month of June, 13 games at home during the month of July, and seven games at home during the month of August.  Waterloo will be the home team for 18 games in the first half of the season and 18 games in the second half.

 

Home game times for the 2016 season are as follows:

Monday – Saturday games:  7:05 pm CT

Sunday games:  3:35 pm CT

Wednesday, June 29:  11:05 am CT
 

The Bucks play at Riverfront Stadium where the team will welcome a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested more than $70,000 in improvements since the end of the 2014 season including painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, group outing areas, and concessions equipment.  Season tickets are currently on sale by calling the Bucks’ Ticket Line at 319/232-5633.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch during the off-season with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Waterloo Bucks app.

 

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23^rd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016, the Northwoods League is the largest organized 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 (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (KC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website.  For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com.