FOND DU LAC, WI – After a 21-2 win on Sunday, the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (32-27, 13-12) take on the Battle Creek Battle Jacks (28-31, 10-13) at Herr-Baker Field in Fond du Lac. Today is Season Ticket Holder and Host Family Appreciation Night, as the Dock Spiders will say “Thank You” for their support throughout the season. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m., with coverage starting at 6:30 on ESPN+.

TODAY’S STORYLINES

A RECORD-SETTING AFTERNOON: Sunday’s 21-2 win for the Dock Spiders over the Wausau Woodchucks marked the most runs in a single game in franchise history. They tallied a season-high 22 hits and 12 extra-base hits, including three home runs. OF Kemp Alderman became the ninth player in franchise history to tally a multi-home run game, joining his Ole Miss teammate INF Tim Elko as the only two Rebels to reach the mark in a Dock Spiders uniform. C Cole Messina drove in two to pass the 40 RBI mark, the first time in franchise history (since 2017) that two players have reached the mark in the same season. OF Andrew Sojka also clobbered his fifth home of the year to join INF Branden Comia and C Cole Messina for the team lead, the first time three players have hit five-plus homers in a year since 2017.

GOLDEN STATS: OF Andrew Sojka comes into today as one of the hottest hitters in the Northwoods League. Since joining the Dock Spiders for the second half, Sojka has hit .419/.511/.757 with five home runs, 13 extra-base hits, and eight stolen bases over 20 games. He has also tallied a hit in 18 of his 20 appearances, including multiple hits in nine games. If the season ended today, Sojka would hold the franchise record for the highest single-season average, on-base percentage, and on-base plus slugging (OPS).

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: On Sunday afternoon, the Dock Spiders set a new franchise record for the most runs in a season (435), breaking the previous record in 2017 with 426 runs. Next up is the Northwoods League runs record, set at 475 by the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters in 2017, and matched by the Bismarck Larks in 2019. The Dock Spiders are 40 runs away from the mark and would need to average 3.4 runs per game over the final 12 to break the record. OF Nick Mitchell tied INF Andrew Bullock for the second-most RBI in a single season with 44. INF Jackson Loftin holds the franchise record at 52, set in 2021. Mitchell is also three hits away from breaking the franchise record for hits in a season, set in 2021 by INF Chandler Simpson (77), and three triples away from the Northwoods League record of 10, set in 2012 by OF James Ramsay.

PATH TO THE PLAYOFFS: If the season ended today, the Dock Spiders would make the playoffs. The Dock Spiders enter today with the second-best overall record in the Great Lakes West Division. They are two games ahead of the Lakeshore Chinooks and three games ahead of the Wausau Woodchucks. If the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters win the second-half division title, then the final playoff spot in the division will go to the next-best overall record in the division. The Dock Spiders can make the playoffs by either winning the second-half division title or the Rafters winning the division while the Dock Spiders finish with the second-best overall record.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHING MATCH-UP

RHP JAKE KAMPF (FDL) is set to make his first career start in a Dock Spiders uniform after he made seven appearances with the Joliet Dirtbags in the Chicago Suburban Baseball League. Kampf led the Dirtbags with 29 strikeouts.

LHP GAVIN KNUST (BC) makes his second appearance against the Dock Spiders, and makes his first start of the year. This season, he has made 19 appearances out of the bullpen, and has gone more than two innings once, on June 27 against Traverse City.