MANKATO MN – Unstoppable. It’s a term only used when conversing with some of the greatest teams ever assembled. In the MoonDogs 22-year history there has been plenty of electricity. Lots of triumphs. Three finals appearances. Could this be the year Mankato finally hoists the championship trophy?
Ten individuals have coached the grey and orange. Hundreds of players have called ISG Field home for the summer. But this summer, there’s simply something in the air, even three months out from opening day.
Mankato Field Manager Danny Kneeland has been busy at work all offseason assembling a roster that simply passes the eye test from top to bottom. Look at Brock Slaton for instance. The junior from Baton Rouge is spending his first season with the Green Wave of Tulane and has wasted no time getting his bat going in his 2024 campaign. After finishing fifth in the JUCO World Series a season ago, Slaton has picked up right where he left off, currently hitting for a .333 batting average while getting on base at an elite .467 clip. The son of a former New York Yankee possesses some serious skills and brings winning genetics to the outfield of ISG this summer, with tenacious talent to back the vision.
Another instance of stardom heading to Mankato’s outfield this summer is Kansas State’s Cadyn Karl. The 6’3” 195 Edmond Oklahoma product was graded as the second-best outfielder in the state of Oklahoma in the class of 2022 and has backed the hype with a solid summer collegiate profile. In the summer of 2022, Karl played in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League, where in 36 games he finished with seven triples, 19 RBI, and seven stolen bases. He then followed that performance with more prowess this past summer, finishing his season in the Cal Ripken Summer Collegiate Baseball League strong, as he mashed for a batting average of .351 this past July. Karl is no stranger to the bright lights and looks to rise to the occasion in a summer where plenty of winning is on the agenda.
Players come from far and wide to join Kneeland’s squad the summer, and this addition from Albuquerque New Mexico is an exciting one. Regan Hall is an explosive left-handed arm, whose talent has spoken for itself at the University of Illinois, as the true freshman has seemingly already worked his way into the rotation, and for good reason. Hall’s lone outing in the young 2024 collegiate season came on Sunday, February 18, where he started and didn’t look back, pitching a complete six inning while only allowing one earned run enroute to a Fighting Illini victory. Another former number two player at his position (LHP) in his home state, Hall is a player who leaves batters looking, as he still possesses Volcano Vista High School’s strikeout record.
And finally, an arm who can bring some serious longevity, is Brynden Rodriguez, a junior from Lenoir-Rhyne University. The 6’1” right-handed pitcher comes all the way from Apple Valley California, where from the get-go his stamina was a major asset to any team, he took the diamond with. As a freshman at Chaffey College, Rodriguez finished his campaign with 10 starts, 41.1 innings pitched, and a complete game to add to the mix. Now, at Lenoir-Rhyne University, Rodriguez looks to extend upon his successes from said season, where he averaged over 9.5 strikeouts a contest.
To fire on all cylinders, it takes a little bit from everyone. To be unstoppable, it takes firing on all cylinders, with the play to back it up. The MoonDogs hunt for a championship trophy may not start until late May, but in the eyes of the front office and players, the hunt has been underway for months. With a special roster steadily being locked in, and a returning staff hungry for more, it feels an unstoppable season just may be in store this summer.
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The Mankato MoonDogs are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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 (TEX), 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. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. For more information, visit www.mankatomoondogs.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the MoonDogs as your favorite team.
