Battle Jacks Battle Back, Fall Short of First Half Playoff Spot
Battle Creek finishes the first half of the 2025 Northwoods League season 20-15.
BATTLE CREEK, Mich. – The Battle Jacks first half was somewhat of a roller coaster from start to finish, with highs and lows along the way. The boys in blue began the season on the right foot, with three straight wins, highlighted by a sweep of the Lakeshore Chinooks.
Battle Creek then went on an interesting stretch, with five straight series splits to follow off the fantastic start to the year. The Battle Jacks were swept by the eventual Great Lakes East first half champions, the Traverse City Pit Spitters, on the road to move to 7-7 on the year.
The Battle Jacks run of series splits did not stop after Traverse City, with another five consecutive series where the boys in blue couldn’t capitalize on taking a series all for their own, but also were able to avoid dropping a series altogether.
With a record of 12-12, Battle Creek was back at the 0.500 mark, and at the crossroads of being contenders or pretenders. For an organization that has not made the playoffs since 2017, Battle Creek was in a position to make a run in the late part of the first half, and they did exactly that.
In just a week’s span, Battle Creek went 8-1 in that time, with a stretch of six straight wins over Rockford, Traverse City and Kalamazoo. The Battle Jacks also swept the Kenosha Kingfish, putting the boys in blue atop the Great Lakes East division with a record of 20-13 and just two games to play in the first half.
All the Jacks needed was to win one game of two against the Traverse City Pit Spitters on the road, a chance for redemption after getting swept earlier in the year. Game one of the series was a back and forth battle, with Traverse City taking the contest 11-9, and setting up for a do or die, make or break final game of the first half.
But the Battle Jacks couldn’t come through, dropping the first half finale 5-3, coming in 2nd place of the Great Lakes East division and finishing the first half 20-15, one of the best in recent memory for the Creek. In his 2nd year leading the team, Battle Jacks manager Ben Harley knows there is more in store for the boys in blue.
“First half was a lot of fun,” Harley said. “Our offense was able to keep us in every game and give us a chance every night to compete. Our hitters did a great job playing team baseball and stacking quality at bats together every night. We had a high quality bullpen that we could turn to in any situation.”
Battle Creek’s offense put up 240 runs in the first half, on pace to shatter last season’s team total of 380. The Battle Jacks are hitting well over 0.250 as a team, another improvement from just a year ago.
Although the first half may not have finished the way the boys in blue would have wanted, the Battle Creek fanbase and community has been stronger than ever. Battle Jacks general manager Brody Conaty has seen the growth from both players and fans alike.
“Even though we fell just short of winning the first half, this has been our strongest half in Battle Jacks history,” Conaty said. “The team has been competitive and fun to watch and off the field, we’ve seen great growth in community engagement and fan experience. We are excited to carry the momentum into the second half!”
Battle Creek has not posted an overall record over the 0.500 mark since 2017, and will try to accomplish that feat in 2025. With a ton of roster changes after the first half, the Battle Jacks will now look to make a push and take the second half spot and try to return to the promised land.
