The Northwoods League announced on Feb. 1 that pitch clocks will be installed at every NWL ballpark for the upcoming season.

Each stadium will have two Daktronic time keepers – one in the outfield and one behind home plate. In the minor leagues in the 2022 season, the addition of pitch clocks reduced the time of games by 25 minutes, on average. The hope is that this move makes for a more enjoyable product for fans across the league.

“The Northwoods League has decided to implement field clocks for the upcoming season,” said Northwoods League President, Ryan Voz. “It appears this is the future for baseball in the collegiate and professional levels and this will be just another tool to help provide the best experience for NWL players.”

The NWL is the first summer collegiate league that has committed to adding pitch clocks for the upcoming summer season. The amount of time on the clock is yet to be determined, but will be released when a decision is made.

Additionally, the NWL will be using strictly maple bats this summer. Continuing their partnership with Rawlings, the league will provide maple bats to every player.

“Each year the Northwoods League raises the bar for player experience across the country and a longstanding relationship with Rawlings now has all players swinging the finest maple bats,” said Voz.

The Rochester Honkers open up their 30th summer of Fun on May 29 on the road in Waterloo. Their home debut is on May 31 vs. the Thunder Bay Border Cats, with first pitch at 6:35 p.m.