ST. CLOUD ROX vs. BISMARCK LARKS

June 28 & 29 

Joe Faber Field (St. Cloud, Minnesota) 

 

Sunday, June 28 – 4:05 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Tyler Phenow (1-2, 3.63 ERA) vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Coborn’s Kids Day. Kids Have the Opportunity to Run Around the Bases After the Game and Get Autographs on the Field. 

 

Monday, June 29 – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Manning West (1-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Pickleball Paddle Giveaway Night (1st 400 Fans) 

 

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. Bismarck 

• Sunday’s game will be the ninth meeting between the two teams this year. 

• All-time, the two have met a total of 89 times, with the Rox winning 66 of those contests. 

• Last season, St. Cloud won 10 of the 12 meetings against Bismarck, including winning the final five meetings of the year, and five of the six games at Joe Faber Field. 

• The Rox have won five of the eight previous meetings this year, including going 2-0 at home. 

• Following the series at Joe Faber Field on July 2-3, the Rox and Larks will not meet again for the rest of the regular season. 

 

Recounting Mankato 

The Rox finished a two-game set against the Mankato MoonDogs earlier this weekend, splitting the two games in a thrilling series. 

Friday‘s game saw the Rox go down early, giving up a three-spot in the first inning. A long home run from Owen Estabrook and an RBI triple from Tanner Recchio helped even the scoreboard in the second, and zeroes were pitched until the fifth. Eli Lamb provided reliable long relief early in the game, but the MoonDogs managed to scratch two across in the fifth inning and the score held until the final out, as the Rox lost 5-3. Jacob Imoto pitched his best outing for St. Cloud in the game, working out of a seventh-inning jam and tossed two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and striking out four. 

Saturday was an absolute barnburner that showcased the roller-coaster ride of a baseball game. After a four-run first that saw all but one Rox run score unearned, Nolan Geislinger pushed two across in the top of the fourth. That’s when it got strange. From the fourth to the eighth innings, the Rox put 11 runs across. Dylan Westbrook got an RBI single, three runs scored on sac flies, two runs scored on wild pitches or passed balls, and the Rox used some quality baserunning to steal a run thanks to Carter Jorissen and Jackson Legg. With their backs against the wall, St. Cloud turned to Brandon Jaenke in the eighth inning to record a six-out save, which he did while striking out four. Jaenke solidified a 15-12 Rox win. 

 

Phenow Looks to Rebound 

After a tough appearance in his last go-around, righty Tyler Phenow seeks to bounce back returning as a starting pitcher. Phenow’s last outing got pushed back a day due to Northwoods League rules, and he was the first man out of the bullpen against the Badlands Big Sticks with extended length. 

Phenow went three innings and gave up five runs on six hits, walking one and didn’t strike out a batter. It was only Phenow’s second outing this season out of the bullpen. That outing was his first with the Rox, going 1.2 scoreless innings against Willmar in late May. 

Phenow’s most recent start was dazzling, pitching into the eighth inning and allowing just one run in a 1-0 Rox defeat, dishing out five strikeouts. 

 

West Makes First Start 

Previously a reliable reliever out of the Rox bullpen, right-hander Manning West gets his first opportunity to start a game for St. Cloud this summer. West has made three appearances for the Rox so far, with his last outing being his best. He went for two innings and allowed just one hit and three strikeouts against the Big Sticks on June 24.  

Now two years under his belt with the Kansas Jayhawks, West was exclusively a reliever this past spring and sported an ERA under four in 26 appearances. He was a starter during non-conference play in 2025, with his first seven appearances being started. West averaged just over four innings in an outing, giving up less than two runs and just over two hits. His best outing came on March 1, 2025, against Omaha, hurling 5.2 scoreless innings and striking out five on 96 pitches. 

 

Postseason Bound 

On June 24, the Rox officially clinched the Great Plains West first half championship following an 8-3 victory over the Badlands Big Sticks. The win moved St. Cloud to 21-10 at the time and was the first team in the Northwoods League to secure a playoff spot. On Saturday evening, the La Crosse Loggers earned the Great Plains East title to become the second team with a berth. 

2026 will mark the eighth straight summer that the Rox will be playing beyond the regular season. St. Cloud has gone 9-8 in playoff games since 2021. 

 

Recchio’s Record 

One of the fastest men the Northwoods League has seen in its history, Tanner Recchio has officially rewritten the record book. 

The Rox utility man broke the NWL stolen base mark on June 21, swiping his 91st career bag against the Minot Hot Tots. Recchio stole 34 bases apiece in 2023 with the Minnesota Mud Puppies and in 2025 with St. Cloud. 

The record was held for 18 years by Joey Bonadonna, who stole 90 bases for the Duluth Huskies and the Madison Mallards from 2005-2008. Bonadonna played three seasons in Minor League Baseball, getting 600 at-bats and took 42 bases. Larry Edwards also holds 90 in his league career, the fastest to do so, getting the accolade in 116 games. Recchio eclipsed the mark in 111 games. 

Recchio has become the third St. Cloud player to be in the Northwoods League record book. Chris DeMara recorded four shutouts in 2001, and Britt Carmicheal pitched 80 games from 1997 to 1999. 

 

Decker Makes History 

The on-base percentage of outfielder Cole Decker continues to rise, and he did it on June 19 in a dramatic way without recording an at-bat. 

Against the Bismarck Larks on June 19, Decker recorded five walks against Lark pitchers. He took three walks against the starter A.J. Minyard and two against the final Bismarck pitcher, Seth Dreeszen. Before this game, the most walks Decker had in a Northwoods League game was three on Opening Day at Bismarck, and in his final game this spring with Indiana, drew three walks against Illinois on May 16. 

The record was previously four in a game, most recently reached by Francisco Barbieri on July 10, 2024, ironically enough, against the Bismarck Larks. 

On the season, Decker has an on-base percentage of .427 and 19 walks to go along with his 15 hits and 3 three hit by pitches. He has the third-highest OBP of players on the Rox (min. 30 ABs), and the second most walks on the squad trailing only Nolan Geislinger (23). 

“I’ve always been more of a patient hitter,” Decker told Nathan Arbaugh of the Northwoods League postgame. “I want to be disciplined, get on base, and use my speed.” 

In addition to his record-breaking day, Decker picked up three stolen bases (single-game high) to improve to 11 swipes on the season, good for third place on the team. 

 

Rox against the Northwoods League 

Deep into the season, the Rox continue to pace the NWL in a bevy of offensive categories: 

• 1st in sacrifice flies (24) 

• 2nd in walks (238) 

• 2nd in sacrifice hits (13) 

• 3rd in stolen bases (130) 

• 3rd in runs scored (248) 

• 4th in on base percentage (.408) 

• 4th in hits (292) 

• 4th in runs batted in (208) 

In terms of pitching, the Rox are third in the NWL in team strikeouts (325), fourth in home runs (12), and fifth in saves (8) and doubles (35). 

Entering Sunday’s games, the Rox have the third-best winning percentage in the Northwoods League and have the most wins (22) of any NWL team. The Wausau Woodchucks and Madison Mallards are tied at the top for the top mark, and the La Crosse Loggers are nine percentage points ahead of St. Cloud. 

 

Individuals Making Waves 

Along with the team doing well against the field, multiple Rox players have been high on the charts in individual Northwoods League stats. 

• Runs scored: Tanner Recchio (2nd, 34); Nolan Geislinger (9th, 31) 

• RBIs: Nolan Geislinger (7th, 28) 

• Walks: Nolan Geislinger (3rd, 36); Tanner Recchio (7th, 27) 

• Sacrifice Flies: Carter Jorissen & Tanner Recchio (4th, 4) 

• Stolen Bases: Tanner Recchio (2nd, 27); Nolan Geislinger (10th, 21) 

• On base percentage: Nolan Geislinger (3rd, .518) 

 

Who’s Hot? 

In the last ten games, multiple Rox players have gone on heaters to help contribute to the recent winning ways. 

• Colton Rother is 11-for-29 (.379) in nine games played, driving in eight runs with multiple clutch hits. 

• Brett White has gone 7-for-27 (.259) scoring seven times and driving in six. 

• Aidan Mouton is tearing the cover off the ball, going 9-for-23 (.391), scoring four times and bringing eight runners home. 

 

Defensive Adjustments 

The Rox have had their versatility tested in the past week, moving players around into new positions that they have seldom got time to help cover innings in the infield while shorthanded. 

• Eli Campbell made his first three starts at second base in the Badlands series and earned a start at shortstop in the opener against Mankato. 

• Tanner Recchio has put his outfielder glove in his locker, making four starts at shortstop and a showing at second since last Tuesday. 

• Carter Jorissen earned a starting assignment at third base in the second Mankato game, and Aidan Mouton found his way to second base in that contest as well. 

 

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 open up the second half of the season on the road, taking a long voyage to North Dakota just like they did the first half. St. Cloud will visit Dickinson to take on the Badlands Big Sticks beginning Tuesday for a two-game set, with both Tuesday and Wednesday’s games beginning at 7:35 p.m. (CT) 

After that, the Rox return home to finish off the season series against Bismarck, with two games on July 2 and 3. An off day on July 4 leads into two more games in Mankato on July 5 and 6 before the All-Star Break.