With a managerial change just two weeks before the season, not many people knew what to expect from the Stingers in 2014.

Three months, 47 wins and a playoff berth later, first-year field manager Drew Saberhagen and the Stingers had silenced any of those preseason doubts on the way to the best record in franchise history.

 

First Half

A shorthanded roster in the first series of the season didn’t stop the Stingers as they swept the Huskies in Duluth, just the start of what was a magical season. After dropping its first two games of the season in back-to-back losses to rival St. Cloud, Willmar went on a tear with wins in 12 of its next 14 games, including a season-high seven straight wins from June 7 to June 13. The hot start put the Stingers in first place for good in the first half of the season, and they went on to clinch the North Division title on June 28 against the Rochester Honkers.

The Stingers pitching staff dominated the first half of the campaign and was a big reason both for the early success and the continued winning ways throughout the season. Following a year off due to injury, Florida Gulf Coast product Brady Anderson returned to the Stingers in superb form, winning three starts in a row after receiving a no-decision in his first start of the year in the home opener. One of his finest performances of the season came against St. Cloud when he threw a complete game shutout, allowing just six hits while striking out five in the 6-0 triumph June 18.

But the Stingers had multiple arms in the rotation that contributed to their dominance, including the lone junior college arm on the team, Andrew Towns. Towns came on as one of the biggest surprises of the year, throwing a team-high 68 innings with four wins during the season, the second-most on the pitching staff. His 55 season strikeouts were also fifth-most in the entire Northwoods League.

The Stingers’ bullpen also featured several dynamic arms that helped close out games, including Minnesota State-Mankato southpaw Matt Geislinger. Geislinger appeared in the second most games with 15, and had six wins, which was tied for fourth in the league, against no losses. The win mark was just one off from the second-most in Stingers franchise history for a single season, as the lefty finished with the fourth-best team ERA of 2.38.

The pitching staff and hitters teamed for the focal point of the first half on June 28 when the Stingers knocked off Rochester 10-9 to secure their first-ever first half championship. Despite falling in an 8-7 hole after the top of the sixth, the Stingers displayed their resilience, one of just many occasions throughout the summer. After the Honkers scored five in the top of the sixth to take the lead, Willmar answered with a two-out dinger from Max Ayoub to take the lead for good. Then in the top of the ninth with runners on second and third, Josh Matheson struck out the final two batters to send the Beehive into a frenzy.  

 

Second Half

Due to a rough stretch of weather in the first half that postponed six games, the Stingers had an intimidating 42 games to play in the second half of the season, but that hardly slowed them down.

Although pitching continued to impress during the second half, the trademark of the final 42 games was the hitting attack led by another Florida Gulf Coast player in Nick Rivera. It took Rivera nine games to hit his first home run of the year, but the big slugger from FGCU began to catch fire as the season progressed. In three separate stretches, Rivera had home runs in consecutive games, including three home runs in two days June 22 and June 23 in Rochester. His final three home runs of the season came in three straight games July 26-28 to move him up to second for home runs in a single season with his 14. Besides leading the team in home runs, Rivera also had the most walks (37), runs (41), RBIs (54), total bases (124), games play (63) and at-bats (233) in one of the finest seasons in franchise history.

But Rivera wasn’t the only threat offensively with multiple weapons in the lineup every night. After beginning the season ranked near the middle of the league in most offensive categories, the Stingers jumped up to the top by season’s end, with the third best team batting average and hit mark and the second-most home runs with 50. On the base paths, the Stingers led the league with their 140 swipes, another franchise record.

The offensive weapons included the likes of Jack Ross, Casey Hughston, Reagan Fowler, Brett Barbier and Sean Beesley. Despite hitting under .200 with Pepperdine in the spring season, Ross took Willmar by storm and had the highest batting average on the team, while managing to score the second-most runs on the team with his 39. Casey Hughston began the season slow but came on late and hit .286 with 14 doubles, driving in 31 RBIs in the process. Scouts recognized the Alabama Crimson Tide outfielder’s potential, nominating him to play in the Big Dreams Showcase in early August. Meanwhile, Fowler was arguable one of the most consistent players in the league night in and night out. The longest he went without a hit all season was two-straight games, which happened just three times, as he tallied hitting streaks of 11 and 13 games along the way. Barbier, a catcher from Cal Poly, impressed from the get-go with an inside the park homerun in his first game, finishing with a .292 average and 20 RBIs on the season to go along with solid defensive play behind the dish. As for Beesley, he stole the second most bases in Stingers’ history with 25 swipes and hit .305 for the season.

After winning 24 games in the second half of the season, the Stingers took to the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. Although Willmar eventually fell in three games to Mankato, the Stingers battled back from a 1-0 series deficit with a 3-2 home win and almost won the decisive third game with a late rally. The 46 total wins, excluding the postseason, easily topped the total of 41 from both 2012 and 2013, as Saberhagen instilled an exciting brand of baseball at Beehive.

 

Player Accolades

Most Valuable Player: Nick Rivera — Following in a long line of successful Eagles turned Stingers, Rivera lived up to the expectations set by other players in the Florida Gulf Coast program with one of the best all-around seasons in the franchise's history. Rivera led the Stingers in many offensive categories including home runs and RBIs, hitting the second-most dingers in a single season. He was also a regular fixture in the lineup, starting the most games of anyone on the roster.

 

Pitcher of the Year: Brady Anderson — Andersen had the most saves in a single season two years ago in 2012, and he translated his bullpen success to the starting role in 2014, winning three games with an outstanding start to the season. Although he was hampered slightly with an injury in the second half of the season, Andersen contributed from the bullpen as well with saves in five games. 

 

Unsung Stinger: Sean Beesley — Whether doing it with his bat, speed or his glove, Beesley found ways to consistently help the Stingers to wins. The microcosm of his season came against Mankato in the final game of the season when he daringly stole home to spark a five-run rally over two innings. Beesley hit over .300, stole 25 bases, drove in 24 runs, and played in all but 10 games while hitting a pair of home run. 

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