Nine inning competition will feature hitters from both the Lakes and the Plains
Rochester, Minn. — The Northwoods League has announced the participants for the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Home Run Challenge which will take place the day before the Northwoods League All-Star game on Tuesday, July 7 at the new ballpark at the Field of Dreams Movie Site in Dyersville, Iowa.
Nine participants from each of the Great Lakes and the Great Plains divisions will face off in this nine-inning competition.
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Home Run Challenge Participants |
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Great Lakes |
Great Plains |
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| Luke Kosko | Royal Oak Leprechauns | Cameron Sewell | Rochester Honkers | |
| Oliver Service | Royal Oak Leprechauns | Jalen Smith | Duluth Huskies | |
| Brendan Thompson | Battle Creek Battle Jacks | Sam Harry | Rochester Honkers | |
| Ryan Chase | Wausau Woodchucks | Eli Small | La Crosse Loggers | |
| Dylan Frank | Wisconsin Rapids Rafters | Colin Coonradt | Waterloo Bucks | |
| Eli Selga | Green Bay Rockers | Kyle Panganiban | Willmar Stingers | |
| Prince DeBoskie | Richmond Flying Mummies | Hollon Brock | Eau Claire Express | |
| Josh Campbell | Kalamazoo Growlers | Owen Bond | Minnesota Mud Puppies | |
| Dawson Downs | Kenosha Kingfish | Tyler Arnold | Minot Hot Tots | |
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 two 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 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game will take place in Dyersville, Iowa, at the new Ballpark at the Field of Dreams Movie Site, home of a 2027 Northwoods League Expansion team on Wednesday, July 8 at 7:05 PM. The game will also air on FloCollege at FloSports.tv.
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 33rd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 425 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion and Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (BAL) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (NYM). League games are viewable live on FloSports.tv.