The 2018 season is finally here!

The St. Cloud Rox will kick off the season on Tuesday night against the Willmar Stingers in Willmar.

St. Cloud will begin its 2017 Northwoods League Championship defense at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday night at Bill Taunton Stadium.

Let’s preview and take a look at the first series of the season for the Rox:

Last Matchup 

The series between St. Cloud and Willmar will be the first of the season between the two in-state rivals.

In 2017, the Rox won the season series over the Stingers 5-3 to take home the Highway 23 Series trophy, which is awarded to the team who wins the season series.

This series, which begins Tuesday and wraps up Wednesday in Willmar, will be the final time these two teams meet throughout the regular season until June 30 at the Rock Pile.

What to Watch For

It’s the first few games of the season, so one thing to watch for in the two-game span is how quickly players will be able to get acclimated with their teams for the summer.

St. Cloud will have a handful of returners coming back from the championship team a season ago. One of those players, Carlo Graffeo (Minnesota State University, Mankato) will be starting the game on the mound for the Rox to kick off the season.

Series Breakdown 

Tuesday, May 29

Game time: 7:05 p.m.
Game location: Bill Taunton Stadium, Willmar
Where to Listen: 1390 Granite City Sports
Where to Watch: Northwoods League portal

Wednesday, May 30

Game time: 7:05 p.m.
Game location: Bill Taunton Stadium, Willmar
Where to Listen: 1390 Granite City Sports
Where to Watch: Northwoods League portal

The Rox will play their 7th season of Northwoods League Baseball in 2018. The home opener at Joe Faber Field is scheduled for Friday, June 1 at 7:05 p.m. against the Mankato MoonDogs. The home opener, presented by Coborn’s, will feature post-game fireworks. Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2018 season are currently on sale. For more information regarding this release or to purchase tickets, please contact the Rox front office at (320) 240-9798 or visit www.stcloudrox.com.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Entering its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rox as your favorite team.