Expansion, division realignment and the 25th All-Star Game highlight the season
Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League released its complete schedule today for the 2019 season. The schedule now features 22 teams with the additions of the Kokomo Jackrabbits and Traverse City Baseball. Each team will continue to play 72 regular season games, along with a continuation of scheduled doubleheaders.
As part of the 2019 expansion and realignment, the League is adopting new divisional names: Great Plains and Great Lakes. The names serve as an homage to the growth the League has experienced over its 25-year history, as well as its vast geographic presence, stretching from the Great Plains at its western-most edge, throughout the Great Lakes region to the East.
The Division and Sub-Division breakout is as follows:
Great Plains West: Bismarck, Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud, Willmar
Great Plains East: Duluth, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Thunder Bay, Waterloo
Great Lakes West: Fond du Lac, Green Bay, Lakeshore, Madison, Wisconsin, Wisconsin Rapids
Great Lakes East: Battle Creek, Kalamazoo, Kenosha, Kokomo, Rockford, Traverse City
“The Northwoods League 2019 schedule is of particular note as it reflects not only the continuing expansion of the Northwoods League to 22 teams, but also the resulting Divisional realignment,” said President Gary Hoover. “In creating this new structure, we believe the fans, players, and our Affiliates will have an enhanced overall experience, and we look forward to making more refinements in the near future that are aimed at raising the bar even higher.”
The Northwoods League, the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, will begin summer collegiate baseball’s most extensive schedule on Tuesday, May 28. The entire league will be in action including the defending Northwoods League Summer Collegiate World Series Champion Fond du Lac Dock Spiders.
“It seems like it was just yesterday that our players were holding up the championship trophy capping off the 2018 season,” said Fond du Lac GM Ryan Moede. “I know our coaching staff, front office personnel, returning players, and the Fond du Lac community are looking forward to trying to defend our title in 2019!”
The League, which plays two halves to determine playoff participants, will end the first half of play on July 3 with the second half beginning the following day. The 2019 Northwoods League All-Star game will take place in Waterloo, IA on July 16. The 2019 All-Star game will be the 25th All-Star game in the League’s history.
“We’re honored to have the opportunity to show off Cost Cutters Field at Riverfront Stadium, Waterloo, and the entire Cedar Valley area to a regional audience as the host of the 2019 Northwoods League All-Star Game,” said Bucks GM Dan Corbin. “This is a perfect chance for Bucks fans to see the best of the best which will include some future Major Leaguers right here in our community.”
The innovative Major League Dreams Showcase will take place at Warner Park, in Madison, for its seventh year on August 6, 2019. Participating players are hand-selected by a panel of major league scouts, distinguishing this event from the more traditional All-Star Game format that features representatives from every team. Much like the All-Star Game, however, the Showcase is a “can’t-miss” for baseball fans looking to catch a glimpse of the country’s elite collegiate baseball talent. Proceeds from this marquee event support the NWL Foundation.
“The Mallards are excited to welcome back the top 100 Northwoods League prospects to Madison for another year of the Major League Dreams Showcase,” said Mallards GM Tyler Isham. “We love giving these young student athletes a shot to perform in front of Major League scouts, to better their chance at a career in Major League Baseball. Partnering with the Northwoods League on this event, to benefit the Northwoods League Foundation is one of the highlights of the summer for baseball across the Midwest and we are proud to host a great event at the Duck Pond.”
Full league schedules can be found by clicking view all dates at www.northwoodsleague.com/schedule/ or by going to www.northwoodsleague.com/2019-printable-schedule/ and downloading PDF versions of the Great Plains and Great Lakes Division schedules.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC), Brandon Crawford (SFG) and Chris Sale (BOS). As well as MLB All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIL). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.