Coach Danny Kneeland not only mentioned the University of San Diego when talking about pipelines, but he also mentioned the University of Evansville. The University of Evansville has granted the MoonDogs a lot of talent over the years with many fielders, and some pitchers. Honorable mentions over the years are Brendan Hord, Ty Rumsey, Kip Fougerousse, Jakob Meyer, Donavan Schultz, and upcomer Jake Mcghee. 

Brendan Hord- Brendan Hord has been exceptional for the MoonDogs over the past several years. On the field, Hord played in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, he played in 41 games and had 155 at-bats, 31 runs, 49 hits, 28 RBIs, and 3 home runs. Hord would end his 2022 season with a batting average of .316, then return for another year. In 2023, he would have an even better year as he would play in 54 games and had 199 at-bats, 41 runs, 57 hits, 56 RBIs, and 10 home runs! He would end his playing career with the MoonDogs with a .286 batting average and be granted into the All-Star Game for 2023! 2024 looked a little different for Hord as he would not return to play, he would return to coach. 

Ty Rumsey- Ty Rumsey would not only make his mark in Evansville but did for the MoonDogs as well as he played in 2023 and 2024. In 2023, Rumsey played in 44 games and had 145 at-bats, 43 runs, 45 hits, 21 RBIs, and 4 home runs! He would end his 2023 season with a batting average of .310. He would return later into his 2024 season but ended up playing in 32 games and had 103 at-bats, 21 runs, 22 hits, 25 RBIs, and 3 home runs. Even with coming in later he made his 2024 season memorable again and ended with a .214 batting average.

Kip Fougerousse—Kip Fougerousse only played one season with the MoonDogs (2023) but made it a good one by playing first base and having a batting average of .314. Fougerousse played in 50 games and had 210 at-bats, 49 runs, 66 hits, 37 RBIs, and 8 home runs. Ending his season, he also made the All-Star Game roster with Brendan Hord, where he would see 2 at-bats in the game. 

Jakob Meyer- Jakob Meyer tallied one season with the MoonDogs as a closer in 2022, where he would play in 11 games, and 13.2 innings pitched, 19 strikeouts, 3 wins, and 1 save. Meyer would end the season with a 5.27 ERA. 

Donovan Schultz- Donovan Schultz would have one season in 2022 with the MoonDogs and fellow Evansville players Jake Meyer and Brendan Hord. Schultz would play in 8 games, 45.2 innings pitched, 51 strikeouts, 4 wins, and 2 losses. Schultz ended his season with a 1.77 ERA, and nearly pitched 6 innings per game he appeared in. 

Jake Mcghee- Jake Mcghee was a late addition to the 2024 MoonDogs roster but was a playmaker when he stepped onto the field. Mcghee would play in 6 games and had 22 at-bats, 4 runs, 8 hits, 5 RBIs, and a batting average of .364. He played in the outfield for the MoonDogs and stood strong out there playing 42 innings. Mcghee came to the MoonDogs as a high school senior, and we cannot wait to see him make his mark in Evansville.

With talent like this from Evansville, we cannot wait to welcome more to Mankato this summer and see them work with Coach Kneeland and the rest of the MoonDogs squad.

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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 two-time World Series Champion Max Scherzer (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove and Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network.  Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play