For the second consecutive night Allen Craig delivered a pinch-hit, go-ahead RBI single in the late innings for the St. Louis Cardinals against the Texas Rangers in the 2011 World Series. The 27-year-old Craig, who spent two summers in the Northwoods League with the Alexandria Beetles, is in his second season with the Cardinals.
The Rochester Honkers Baseball Club announced the hiring of Zach Etheredge, Volunteer Assistant from the University of California at Santa Barbara as their new field manager for the 2012 season. Etheredge, a former farmhand with the Chicago White Sox, becomes the Honkers 11th Field Manager since their inaugural season of 1994. He brings with him JR Voyles, who spent time with the NY Mets organization.
Seventeen Northwoods League alumni are spending the next several weeks in the Arizona Fall League, often one of the stepping stones to a career in Major League Baseball. The list of 17 includes one current Major Leaguer, one former first-round draft choice and two umpires.
The Northwoods League is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2011 Rawlings “Big Stick” Award. This award is given to the player at each position who had the best batting average during the 2011 regular season.
The Waterloo Bucks, a member of the Northwoods League, have announced that field manager Jason Nell has stepped aside from the position and that Travis Kiewiet has been named Waterloo's skipper for the 2012 season. Kiewiet (pronounced KEE-wit) becomes the ninth manager in Bucks history.
The Northwoods League has announced the recipients of the 2011 Rawlings “Finest in the Field” Award. The annual award recognizes the top fielders at each position.
The Thunder Bay Border Cats announced that Andy Judkins has been hired as the team's new field manager for the 2012 Northwoods League season. The 26-year-old native of Lakeville, MN has spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach with the Rochester Honkers where he helped guide the Honkers to the 2010 North Division title and a berth in the NWL Championship series against the Eau Claire Express. Judkins becomes the ninth manager in Border Cats history and replaces Mike Steed who stepped down as manager on September 15th for family reasons.
The Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League announced that Matt Hollod will return for his third season as the Field Manager for the 2012 season. Hollod managed the Stingers to a 39 – 31 record in both his previous seasons with the Stingers. The Stingers finished second and third overall respectively during his two seasons at the helm. The Stingers record was the fifth-best of sixteen teams in the Northwoods League during the 2011 season.
The St. Cloud River Bats announced Monday that Augie Rodriguez will return for a second season as the team’s pitching coach. Rodriguez is entering his third season as the pitching coach at Augusta State University in Georgia.
The Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League and local businesses teamed up this summer to raise $10,219.00 for charitable organizations during the 2011 season. Unique summer promotions with the Stingers have raised dollars for three non-profit organizations that serve the Willmar Lakes Area community.
