Nine inning competition will feature hitters from both baseball and Northwoods League Softball
Rochester, Minn. — The Northwoods League has announced the participants for the 2024 Northwoods League All-Star Home Run Challenge which will take place the day before the Northwoods League All-Star game on Monday, July 22 at ISG Field in Mankato, Minnesota.
Seven participants from each of the Great Lakes and the Great Plains divisions will be joined by four players from the inaugural season of Northwoods League Softball. The event, which will feature a nine-inning competition, will follow the completion of the Northwoods League Softball game between the
La Crosse Steam and the Mankato Habaneros which will start at 5:05 pm.
| Home Run Challenge Participants | |||||
| Great Lakes | Great Plains | ||||
| Max Galvin | Wausau Woodchucks | Andrew Sojka | Willmar Stingers | ||
| Parker Knoll | Fond du Lac Dock Spiders | Max Buettenback | Willmar Stingers | ||
| Jack Mathey | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Brigs Richartz | Eau Claire Express | ||
| Blake Guerin | Madison Mallards | Jackson Cooke | Thunder Bay Border Cats | ||
| Maddox Mihalakis | Rockford Rivets | Ben Higdon | St. Cloud Rox | ||
| Max McGwire | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Larry Edwards Jr. | Waterloo Bucks | ||
| Michael Lareau | Royal Oak Leprechauns | Kaden Carpenter | Badlands Big Sticks | ||
| Carly Oliver | Madison Night Mares | Sailor Hall | Mankato Habaneros | ||
| Calli Janik | La Crosse Steam | Paige Zender | Mankato Habaneros | ||
The format for the Home Run Challenge is below:
- There will be 9 innings with each player having one half inning.
- Away team (Great Lakes) player bats first in the top of the inning, and home team player next (Great Plains) 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 HR Challenge Team Champions.
- The Individual who hits the most home runs will be declared the NWL HR Challenge Individual Champion.
The 2024 Northwoods League All-Star Game will take place in Mankato, Minnesota, at ISG Field, home of the Mankato MoonDogs on Tuesday, July 23 at 7:05 PM. The game will also air on ESPN+.
###
The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 355 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.