Minot, ND – As the Minot Hot Tots prepare for their third Northwoods League season, the team has announced the hiring of Brian Lewis as the franchise’s new field manager. Lewis, the Hot Tots’ second field manager in team history, brings over a decade of collegiate baseball coaching experience, including multiple successful stints in the Northwoods League.    

Lewis is no stranger to the Northwoods League, making him an ideal choice to lead the Hot Tots in 2025. With eleven seasons of Northwoods League experience, he has made stops with both the La Crosse Loggers and the St. Cloud Rox. Lewis first joined the La Crosse Loggers as an assistant coach and was promoted to head coach in 2016, where he led the team for six seasons. Under his leadership, the Loggers posted a 198-206 record and made a notable run to the Wisconsin/Illinois Region Championship game in 2020.

In 2022, Lewis took over as head coach of the St. Cloud Rox, where he had an immediate impact. That season, the Rox secured a playoff spot by finishing with the best first-half record in the Great Plains West division at 25-8. Lewis’ first year saw the Rox achieve an impressive 50-win season, a significant milestone in Northwoods League history.

The following year, the success continued. The Rox finished the 2023 regular season with a 43-25 record, placing second in both halves of the season behind the Willmar Stingers. In the playoffs, however, St. Cloud swept Willmar to win the Great Plains West pennant. They carried their momentum into the Great Plains Championship, where they walked off Lewis’ former team, the La Crosse Loggers, advancing to the NWL Summer Collegiate World Series. Although they fell short in the final against the Green Bay Rockers, Lewis’ tenure in St. Cloud was marked by consistent success and postseason achievements.

Heading into the 2025 season, Lewis ranks fourth in Northwoods League history with a managerial win percentage of .539. His familiarity with Corbett Field, where he posted a 3-1 record coaching the Rox in 2023, gives the Hot Tots confidence that his winning ways will continue in Minot.

In the offseason, Lewis is currently serving as the hitting coach at the University of South Carolina-Beaufort, where he is entering his second season with the Sand Sharks. Prior to his time on the Atlantic coast, Lewis was the head coach at Viterbo University in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

With their new field manager in place, the Minot Hot Tots will now begin assembling their 2025 roster. Stay connected with the Hot Tots throughout the offseason for early introductions to the players who will take the field at Corbett Field next summer.

For more information visit: https://northwoodsleague.com/minot-hot-tots/community/stem/.