Nine inning competition will feature hitters from each division of the Great Plains
Rochester, Minn. — The Northwoods League has announced the participants for the 2023 Northwoods League Great Plains All-Star Home Run Challenge which will take place the day before the Northwoods League Great Plains All-Star game on Monday, July 31 at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Nine participants from each division of the Great Plains have been chosen for the event which will feature a nine-inning competition.
| Home Run Challenge Participants | |||||
| Great Plains East | Great Plains West | ||||
| Michael Hallquist | Duluth Huskies | Ben Rosengard | Bismarck Larks | ||
| Ryan Nagelbach | Eau Claire Express | Kevin Fitzer | Willmar Stingers | ||
| Ben Zeigler-Namoa | La Crosse Loggers | Brendan Hord | Mankato MoonDogs | ||
| Kimo Fukofuka | Rochester Honkers | Jack Herring | Bismarck Larks | ||
| Brandon Compton | Duluth Huskies | Drey Dirksen | Willmar Stingers | ||
| Dylan O’Connell | Eau Claire Express | Drew Woodcox | Minot Hot Tots | ||
| Calyn Halvorson | Duluth Huskies | Sean Rimmer | Willmar Stingers | ||
| Reed Latimer | Eau Claire Express | Kip Fougerousse | Mankato MoonDogs | ||
| Dylan King | La Crosse Loggers | Jackson Hauge | St. Cloud Rox | ||
The format for the Home Run Challenge is below:
- There will be 9 innings with each player having one half inning.
- Away team (Great Plains East) player bats first in the top of the inning, and home team player next (Great Plains West) in the bottom half of the inning.
- Each player will receive 2 minutes to hit as many home runs as they can during their turn.
- Each player will be allowed one timeout that they can take at any time during their 2:00, should they choose. Timeouts will be thirty seconds in length.
- Should any contestant hit back-to-back home runs, they will be granted an additional :30 of time that will be added on after their original 2 minutes has completed. No timeouts will be granted during the bonus time session.
- The Team that hits the most Home Runs will be declared the NWL Great Plains HR Challenge Team Champions.
- The Individual who hits the most home runs will be declared the NWL Great Plains HR Challenge Individual Champion.
The 2023 Northwoods League Great Plains All-Star Game will take place in Bismarck, North Dakota, at Bismarck Municipal Ballpark, home of the Bismarck Larks on Tuesday, August 1 at 7:05 PM. The game will also air on ESPNU.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.