Mankato, Minn.- The Mankato MoonDogs, a member of the Northwoods League, are proud to announce that four MoonDogs have been selected to the Northwoods League All-Star Game. Shaun Cooper (Utah), Blake Schwartz (Minnesota St.), Matt Mazzoni (Fresno Pacific) and Nick Judkins (Creighton) have all been selected to represent the MoonDogs at the 2011 All-Star Game on July 17th at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin.
Shaun Cooper has led the MoonDogs and the Northwoods League in many offensive categories all season. Cooper leads the league in home runs (11) and RBIs (33) in 31 games. Nick Judkins (Creighton) has also been a regular in the MoonDogs lineup all season. Along with his versatility on defense, Judkins has hit .309 this season with an on-base percentage of .414.
Blake Schwartz leads the MoonDogs and the Northwoods League in pitching this season. Schwartz is tied for the league lead in wins (5), leads the league in strikeouts (55) and is seventh in ERA (1.77). Matt Mazzoni has also been dominant for the ‘Dogs from the mound this season. Mazzoni is 3-0 and has a 1.78 ERA on the season.
The MoonDogs won the first-half North Division title with a league best record 23-9, and subsequently MoonDogs Field Manager Mike Orchard and his coaching staff, Jason Ramos, Tony Ramos and Matt McCartney, with be accompanying the players and coaching the North team at the 2011 All-Star Game. Orchard is in his third season as Field Manager of the MoonDogs, and this will be his second time coaching the North team at the All-Star Game, his first coming in 2009.
The 2011 Northwoods League All-Star Game will be played on Monday, July 18th at 7:05pm at Witter Field in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. The All-Star festivities will begin on Sunday, July 17th and will feature a Northwoods League Home Run Derby starting at 4:30 and also a Field of Dreams Ghost Player exhibition game at 6:05. On Monday, Hall of Famer Paul Molitor will be the keynote speaker at the All-Star Luncheon and make a special appearance at the All-Star Game.
