Mankato’s Ross is Most Valuable Player, Willmar’s Habeck is Top Pitcher
Rochester, Minn. – The Northwoods League announced the 2022 Postseason All-Star Team and award winners on Friday, August 12. Mankato outfielder Sean Ross was named the League’s Most Valuable Player and Willmar’s Jack Habeck was named Pitcher of the Year as voted by the League’s coaches and members of the media. Kirk Shrider from Wisconsin Rapids was named the Manager of the Year and John Halama from Wisconsin Rapids won the Coach of the Year Award.
Ross was a 2022 mid-season All-Star and also played in the 2022 Major League Dreams Showcase. For the season he hit .376 with eight home runs, 14 doubles, three triples and 51 runs scored. He drove in 53 and stole 21 bases. Ross is a native of San Diego, California.
Jack Habeck, a left-handed pitcher from the Willmar Stingers, was named the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Year. Habeck has appeared in 11 games and is 8-0 with a 2.77 ERA in 68.1 innings. He was also a mid-season All-Star.
Wisconsin Rapids first baseman Brendan Bobo was also selected for the Postseason All-Star Team and is currently leading the league in home runs with 17.
Ross, Habeck and Bobo are among the 32 players selected to the NWL’s Postseason All-Star team.
The St. Cloud Rox and Willmar Stingers led all teams with five selections each while the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders and the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters each had three players selected.
In his second season in Wisconsin Rapids as Field Manager, Kirk Shrider of the Rafters is the 2022 Manager of the Year. The Rafters currently have the best overall record in the league at 56-14 and are the First and Second Half Champions in the Great Lakes West Division.
Former MLB pitcher John Halama earned the award for 2022 Coach of the Year in the Northwoods League. Halama is in his third season with the Rafters, and this is the second time he has been named Coach of the Year.
2022 NWL Postseason All Star Team can be found here: 2022 NWL Postseason All-Stars
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29th season, the Northwoods 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 300 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.