THE NORTHWOODS LEAGUE
The league draws some of the top up-and-coming coaching talent from across the country who are looking to develop themselves, just like the players, into the future stars of the college and professional coaching ranks.
The Northwoods League has become a hotbed for excellent coaching.
Many of the league’s coaches were once MLB and Minor League Baseball players and coaches including Twins star Al Newman, Donnie Scott, Duffy Dyer and former skipper for the New York Mets, Terry Collins.
MARK WEIDEMAIER
FIELD MANAGER & DIRECTOR OF PLAYER OPERATIONS
Mark Weidemaier brings over 40 years of coaching and scouting experience to the Larks as the new Field Manager and Director of Player Operations in 2024.
In MLB, Weidemaier most recently served as an advance scout for the Cincinnati Reds in 2018. From 2013-2015, he was the Major League Defensive Coordinator, Advance Scout, and at one time acting Bench Coach with the Washington Nationals, helping lead the team to 96 wins and a National League East Division Title in 2014. He also spent 15 seasons as a special assistant and advance scout for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians. During Mark’s tenure, these teams won numerous division titles including a 1995 American League Championship with the Indians. Some of the MLB managers he’s worked for include Joe Torre, Kirk Gibson, and Matt Williams.
In addition to his Major League experience, Weidemaier has also coached at the international and collegiate level. He served as a field manager in Mexico, a MLB development coach in the Dominican Republic and Bahamas, and an international scout and bench coach in South Korea. He was also coach for the United States 18U National Team in 2016 and in his early career coached at the Ohio State University and in the Valley summer collegiate league where his team, the Waynesboro Generals, won the pennant. Mark resides full time in Liberty, North Carolina with his wife Tracy, a Marine Corp veteran, and their four dogs. Mark speaks fluent Spanish and is an avid fisherman.
Weidemaier plans to incorporate his past experience developing players and scouting opponents at the MLB and professional levels to the Bismarck Larks program. Mark has also already begun the process of recruiting players for the 2024 season and beyond.
For player placement questions and requests, please fill out the online form here: https://northwoodsleague.com/bismarck-larks/player-submission-form/
Jack Gonzales
Jack Gonzales is a former pitcher at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, California (2021-2022). The 2022 team was National Runner-Ups where he was named a CoSIDA Academic All-American, 2nd Team All PacWest, a National Pitcher of the Week and the owner of a 15-strikeout no-hitter to cap off his 7-1 season. Gonzales was a four-year student athlete at Dixie State University (2017-2021) where he was named 2021 All WAC Honorable Mention where he broke school records in career and season strikeouts per nine innings. He is third place all-time in career appearances and strikeouts at Dixie State University. The 3.94 GPA Graduate School student and 5x Dean’s List recipient formerly played in the Northwoods League with the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in 2020 and 2021 where he appeared in 18 total games.
Sam Tetrault
Samuel Tetrault is an alumnus of the University of Arizona where he was a member of the 2021 PAC-12 Champion team. He served under Head Coach Jay Johnson for four seasons and under Assistant Head Coach Nate Yeskie for two seasons. He currently is the Assistant Coach at Iowa Western Community College. He led the team’s 2023 outfield group including All-American award winner Brandon Rogers and All-Region CF, Tye Wood, and freshman Josh Wakefield earning All-Region honors. Four of Tetrault’s outfielders have moved on to play Division 1 baseball (Brandon Rogers, Tye Wood, Terrick Thompson-Allen, C.J. Richmond). He formerly served as an assistant for the Orange County Riptide in the California Collegiate League. The left-handed fungo hitter and right-handed batting practice thrower is making his debut in the Northwoods League in 2024 with the Larks.
