ST. CLOUD ROX vs. MINOT HOT TOTS

June 4 – June 7 

Corbett Field (Minot, North Dakota) 

 

Thursday, June 4 – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Brock Toney (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Blakeney (0-0, 3.60 ERA)

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

 

Friday, June 5 – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Tyler Phenow (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Reagan Smith (0-1, 11.25 ERA)

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

 

Saturday, June 6 – 6:35 p.m.  

Pitching: LHP Jacob Imoto (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Jaden Davis (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

 

Sunday, June 7 – 1:05 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Hunter Poe (1-0, 6.75 ERA) vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

 

Follow the Game  

• Follow along to every Northwoods League game on the NWL scoreboard, and get up to the minute information with the Play-by-Play feature.  

• All matchups, home and away, can be streamed on FloSports with a subscription.  

• Every game of the 2026 season can be heard on 93.9FM and 1390AM Granite City Sports Radio, and on the Granite City Sports website. Dylan Budd, Danny Berg, and Riley Klaus call every game from the Eide Chrysler St. Cloud Studios. 

 

St. Cloud vs. Minot 

• Thursday will mark the 33rd meeting between the Rox and the Hot Tots, one of the newest teams in the Northwoods League. 

• St. Cloud has won 28 of the 32 previous matchups, including posting 11-1 records each of the last two seasons. 

• The Rox have won 13 of 16 games in Minot in the series history. 

 

Recounting Willmar 

The Rox took on the Willmar Stingers for four games earlier this week and came out with their third series victory after winning three of the four games. 

Sunday’s contest was delayed by one hour and 41 minutes, and the conditions turned cold and rainy throughout the afternoon. The game was a low-scoring affair, and the Rox scored less than six runs for the first time this year. St. Cloud also secured their first shutout of the season, posting a 4-0 victory. Five Rox pitchers recorded a total of 11 strikeouts, and four of them threw hitless outings. Chris Tavarez got his first extra-base hit with the Rox, and Tanner Recchio picked up three stolen bases, his most stolen bases in a game since Opening Day last year against Minot. 

Monday saw the Stingers take an early 4-0 advantage on Rox starter Hunter Poe, but multiple errors and wild pitches let the Rox grab a 5-4 lead after five innings. Carter Heinsch, Cole Decker, and Tyler Holland each drove long solo home runs in the top of the sixth and Poe delivered a strong 6.1 innings of work. Ethan Felling held the Stingers at bay with some late offense, and Lucas Harrington slammed the door with little room to breathe in the bottom of the ninth, and St. Cloud hung on for a 9-6 win. 

Tuesday had zeroes on the board until the fourth inning where the Rox dropped six runs onto the line score, highlighted by a three-run single from Nolan Geislinger in the inning. Ethan Palumbo allowed four runs in the bottom of the frame but was strong prior to the inning, and the Rox bullpen held strong and allowed no runs and one hit in five innings of work. Caleb Matthews was the standout, delivering five strikeouts in two innings of work, giving the Rox their eighth win of the year en route to a 9-4 decision. 

The tide turned completely on Wednesday, as the Stingers rode a 9-run fourth inning to a 15-6 blowout loss for the Rox. Eli Lamb was a bright spot out of the bullpen, throwing 3.1 innings with five strikeouts and just one run allowed. St. Cloud managed four runs in the ninth inning with three bases-loaded walks in a last-ditch effort to close the gap. 

 

Toney Seeks to Stay Strong

After being a major contributor to posting 6.2 hitless innings against the Bismarck Larks for the home opener last week, right-hander Brock Toney will take the hill for his second outing of the season with a boatload of confidence. Toney started last Friday’s contest and went four innings, recording no hits and no runs, facing just one batter over the minimum with three strikeouts.

Toney comes from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, A.Z., making 12 appearances this past spring all out of the bullpen. He pitched to a 3.38 ERA with 14 strikeouts and a .255 opponents batting average. Toney had not made any starts with the Lopes but made seven of them at his previous stop, Central Missouri.

 

Phenow Makes First Start

Right-hander Tyler Phenow is anticipated to make his first start in college on Friday when he battles the Hot Tots. The sophomore from Texas Christian University has made one prior appearance for the Rox, throwing 1.2 innings in a scoreless outing against the Willmar Stingers on May 31. Phenow walked one and struck out two while allowing no hits in that appearance.

Phenow has made 14 total appearances for the Horned Frogs across two seasons, with all but one coming in 2026. He had an 11.70 ERA in 10 innings of work, allowing 20 hits, seven walks, and six strikeouts this spring.

 

Imoto Stays Scoreless

Entering his third outing for the Rox, Arkansas lefty Jacob Imoto has not allowed a run in his two starts this year thus far. He has walked five men and struck out three batters, but has yet to allow a hit or a run. Imoto started May 26 at Bismarck and May 31 at home against Willmar, and St. Cloud is 1-1 in his starts.

Imoto did not pitch for the Razorbacks this spring, but made 20 relief outings in 2025 with a 2.45 ERA and had a team-leading five saves in 44 innings pitched.

 

Poe Shows Longevity

In what was the longest start to date, right-hander Hunter Poe delivered 6.1 innings of quality baseball against the Willmar Stingers on June 1, picking up his first victory in the process. While he did get bumped around early in the game, Poe settled in and kept the Rox in the lead after taking a mid-game lead. Poe has an elevated ERA at 6.75, but has been a strong option out of pitching coach Chris Garcia’s stable.

Poe comes from McMurry University in Abilene, T.X., where he made 13 starts and pitched to a 3.48 ERA in 77.2 innings. Poe was the ace for the War Hawks in 2026 and pitched like it, striking out 77 hitters to walking just 16.

 

Studdard swoops in 

Field Manager Nick Studdard returns for year six with the Rox. He and hitting coach Beau Kirsch head to Minnesota after a National Championship run with the LSU-Eunice Bengals. This will be Kirsch’s first year at the Rockpile. 

 

Rox Pacing the Offensive Charts 

Through 10 games to start the Northwoods League season, St. Cloud is at or near the top of the leaderboard in a few offensive statistics. 

• 2nd in total runs scored (76) 

• 3rd in runs batted in (66) 

• 4th in walks (69) 

• 4th in on-base plus slugging (.769) 

• 4th in walk to strikeout ratio (.831) 

 

Check of the Standings 

Entering play Thursday morning, the Rox pace the Great Plains West with their 8-2 record, holding a two-game lead on the second-place Minot Hot Tots who have a 6-4 record. The Bismarck Larks and Mankato MoonDogs sit at 5-5, the Badlands Big Sticks are 3-5, and the Willmar Stingers sit at the bottom of the division at 3-7. 

Additionally, the Rox have a half-game lead on the Kalamazoo Growlers (8-3) entering play Thursday for the best record in the Northwoods League. The Wausau Woodchucks and La Crosse Loggers both sit at 7-2 and are a half-game back as well. 

 

Geislinger Swinging Strong 

Back for his second year with the St. Cloud Rox, outfielder Nolan Geislinger has been a catalyst in the middle of the order and has kept a hot bat to begin 2026. 

Geislinger is slashing .368/.520/.421 to open Northwoods League play, and is riding an eight-game hitting streak entering the Minot series. He has recorded three multi-hit games so far, including a 4-for-5 day on May 27 against the Badlands Big Sticks. Geislinger has 11 RBIs this year with just one extra-base hit, showing strong situational awareness with small shots. He is also walking more than he is striking out, sporting nine free passes to just seven strikeouts. 

 

Lamb in Long Relief 

Right-hander Eli Lamb has been emerging as a skillful long reliever out of Chris Garcia’s bullpen, with the expectation of six or more outs becoming the norm in each appearance. 

Lamb has thrown 7.1 innings thus far with just one run allowed and four hits, recording nine strikeouts in the process. Lamb has made quick work against each batter he has faced, attacking early and placing himself in the drivers seat.  

 

About Faber Field  

Joe Faber Field is located on the westside of St. Cloud in the city’s Municipal Athletic Complex.  The complex features two of the finest baseball fields in the state – Dick Putz Field and Joe Faber Field. Additionally, the complex features Veterans Public Golf Course and two ice arenas, Torrey Arena and Ritsche Arena. The park opened in 1998 and has a capacity of 2,000 people.   

  

Attend a Rox Game 

Fans can visit stcloudrox.com and hover over the drop-down “Tickets” menu on the homepage. Fans can also call 320-240-9798 for ticket information, or can visit the ticket office inside the Municipal Athletic Complex’s ice arena lobby during regular business hours. 

 

Up Next  

The Rox will continue their series with the Minot Hot Tots on Monday and Tuesday, but the set will shift to Joe Faber Field in Minnesota. Both games will begin at 6:35 p.m. Monday will have a gift card giveaway courtesy of Blue Line Sports Bar and Grill; Tuesday has a poster giveaway, plus the first Triple Play Tuesday of the season. 

Following an off-day on June 10, the Rox will travel to Thunder Bay for two games against the Border Cats on June 11 and 12 before playing the Willmar Stingers in a four-game series.