Published On: August 12th, 2022

FOND DU LAC, WI – The Fond du Lac Dock Spiders (35-34, 16-19) travel to Witter Field to take on the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters (56-14, 27-8) in their final road game of the regular season. The Dock Spiders need to win each of their final two games of the year, and the Wausau Woodchucks need to lose each of their last two for the Dock Spiders to make the Northwoods League playoffs.

TODAY’S STORYLINES

PATH TO THE PLAYOFFS: If the season ended today, the Dock Spiders would miss the playoffs… They sit two games behind the Wausau Woodchucks with two games remaining… For the Dock Spiders to make the playoffs, they need to win each of their final two games and the Woodchucks need to lose both against the Madison Mallards… If the Dock Spiders make the playoffs, Fond du Lac will host game one at 4:05 p.m. on Sunday, Wisconsin Rapids would host game two on Monday at 6:35 p.m., and if necessary game three at 6:35 p.m. on Tuesday… The Dock Spiders have made the playoffs four times in franchise history (since 2017), including back-to-back appearances in 2020 and 2021.

HEY NOW, YOU’RE A (POST-SEASON) ALL-STAR: The Northwoods League announced on Friday morning that OF Kemp Alderman, OF Nick Mitchell, and C/INF Parker Noland were named to the 2022 Post-Season All-Star team… The three selections mark the most in a year for the Dock Spiders since five were selected after the 2020 season.

  • OF Kemp Alderman has played in 28 of 35 games since joining the Dock Spiders in the second half… Alderman was one of six Dock Spiders selected for the 2022 Major League Dreams Showcase in La Cross, Wisconsin… During the Showcase, Alderman was one of two Dock Spiders to hit a home run.
  • OF Nick Mitchell set new franchise records in hits (89), triples (8), runs (76), and at-bats (286) this season… He’s second in single-season franchise history for RBI (49), tied for fifth in SB (16), and fourth in OBP (.471)… Mitchell’s eight triples are tied for the second-most in a single season in Northwoods League history.
  • C/INF Parker Noland was named to his second NWL Post-Season All-Star team after he was part of five Dock Spiders selected to the 2020 team… Noland is currently fourth in AVG (.318) among all Dock Spiders hitters with at least 100 plate appearances.

SOJKA’S SMASH: OF Andrew Sojka hit his third home run in the past four games on Thursday night against the Lakeshore Chinooks… In just 30 games, Sojka is tied for 10th among all NWL hitters with eight home runs… Against the Rafters this season, Sojka has put up video-game numbers, with five home runs in seven games and a .435/.563/1.130 slash line.

REWRITING THE RECORD BOOKS: With two games remaining in the regular season, OF Andrew Sojka (.389) is 11 points clear of OF John Rhodes (.378, 2020) for the highest single-season batting average in franchise history (since 2017)… He is also on pace to set the record for single-season OPS (1.210)… Sojka is one home run away from tying OF Brandon Wulff (9, 2017) and OF Eric Gilgenbach (9, 2017) for the single-season franchise record.

TODAY’S STARTING PITCHING MATCH-UP

RHP IAN DELLEMAN (FDL) makes his first start of the summer for the Dock Spiders after he threw 12 pitches in a relief outing on Wednesday against Lakeshore… Delleman made six starts with the Johnson Creek Mapaches in the Dairyland Collegiate League prior to joining the Dock Spiders.

RHP COOPER ROBINSON (WIR) makes his sixth start and ninth appearance of the season… In his last appearance, on August 7 against Green Bay, he allowed five runs over three innings.

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