67 days stand between the present moment and Mankato’s home opener.
While the front office, interns, and fans alike anxiously await a one-of-a-kind experience returning to ISG Field, the highly talented roster is just kicking into gear with their universities, as conference play opens nationwide.
Two pitchers can start to check off outings enroute to this summer hand in hand. Joe Ruzicka and Jake Timbes aren’t your typical backyard “package deal.” Both stand comfortably over the 6-foot threshold and use their wide frames to generate plenty of velocity when slinging the seams from their right-hand. Ruzicka and Timbes are two sophomores at Belmont, born exactly one month apart, who have striking similarities in their games respectively that flash plenty of promise. Take Ruzicka for instance. The former top-50 player in his graduating class in the state of Missouri made an instant impact in his debut season a calendar year ago, where the workhorse compiled 48.1 innings pitched. This spring the son of two Fontbonne University basketball players has continued to show off his longevity, racking up 25.1 IP across five appearances. His counterpart, Timbes, is also no stranger to eating innings. Timbes appeared in 16 games out of the bullpen last season, averaging just under a strikeout an inning, relying on his put away stuff to propel his past MVC opponents. The sophomore is used to winning, as he remains a hometown legend, where he led his high school squad to a conference championship in 2019. Ultimately, these signings were so nice we couldn’t help but do it twice, and if double dipping was always this great, well, that container of ranch dressing would need to look out.
The Belmont pipeline is plenty promising, permitting a duo that should have opposing hitters shuddering through the spring, and well into this upcoming summer. Both Ruzicka and Timbes bring electricity to the bump at ISG this summer and provide all-the-more reason to eagerly check off the days to opening day.
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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.