ST. CLOUD ROX vs. BISMARCK LARKS

July 2 & 3 

Joe Faber Field (St. Cloud, Minnesota) 

 

Thursday, July 2 – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: LHP Ethan Felling (2-0, 1.85 ERA) vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Pint Glass Giveaway Night, 1st 500 fans 21 years or older 

Promotion: Thirsty Thursday: 2 for 1 Miller Lite Cans (pregame only). 

 

Friday, July 3 – 7:05 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Tyler Phenow (2-2, 2.89 ERA) vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Friday Night Fireworks 

Promotion: Launch-A-Ball. (Baseball’s version of Chuck-a-Puck) Fans will have an opportunity to purchase balls to toss on the field after the game for a chance to win $200 in Scheels gift cards. Proceeds benefit Sauk Rapids Youth Baseball. 

 

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 

• Thursday’s game will be the 11th meeting between the two teams this year. 

• All-time, the two have met a total of 91 times, with the Rox winning 68 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 seven of the ten previous meetings this year, including going 4-0 at home. 

• Following the completion of the series, the Rox and Larks will not meet again for the rest of the regular season. 

 

Recounting Badlands 

The Rox opened the second half as they did in the first, beginning in North Dakota. This time it was a trip to Dickinson, where they split the series with the Big Sticks. 

Tuesday‘s game saw the bats get rolling early, posting five runs in the first three innings off of two sac flies, a bases-loaded walk, a wild pitch, and an Alex Dupuy RBI single. The floodgates opened for the Rox after that, putting up four runs in the fifth, and seven runs between the sixth and ninth innings. Aidan Mouton finished with three RBIs on a 4-for-6 day, Austin Haley and Brandon Pelechowicz both hit long home runs, and Carter Jorissen slapped two RBI singles the opposite way to beat the shift both times. The highlight of the day came from Emerson McKnight, who delivered the 16th complete game in Rox history, and pitched a shutout on top of that. McKnight delivered a Maddux (a complete game under 100 pitches), striking out 10 and allowing just three baserunners. McKnight’s dazzling day and the hot Rox bats allowed the team to cruise to a 16-0 win. 

Wednesday was a complete 180° turn, with the final score going the way of the Big Sticks 2-0. Hunter Poe set a new season high in strikeouts, sending eight Badlands hitters back to the dugout. Poe fired 6.2 innings of 2-run baseball, allowing just two walks. Myles Hanson got out of a tough jam in the seventh to hold the score and didn’t allow any damage out of the bullpen. Kaden Amundson threw out two runners trying to steal, and five Rox hitters finished the day with a hit. 

 

Felling Looks for 40 

Despite not yet qualifying for the Northwoods League leaderboard, lefty Ethan Felling has been one of the toughest pitchers to avoid striking out against. He has 34 strikeouts through his first nine outings, and his numbers have only risen since entering the rotation. If he had enough innings to qualify, he would be tied for fourth in the NWL in punchouts. 

Felling’s last time out saw him set a season high in K’s, sending down eight against Mankato on June 27, tossing four innings on two runs and two hits. He has only allowed four runs as a starter and will be making his sixth start Thursday. 

On the year, Felling has a 1.85 ERA in nine appearances, allowing just five earned runs in 24.1 innings of work. 

 

Phenow Looks for Continuity 

Two outings ago, righty Tyler Phenow didn’t finish with the best line, but he was able to keep the Rox in for a win. His last start against Bismarck on June 28 was a dazzler, tossing 5.2 scoreless and setting a season high in strikeouts with seven. He only walked two and allowed just one hit in his outing, finishing with 99 pitches. 

Overall, Phenow has been a consistent presence out of the Rox rotation to deliver solid innings. He sports a 2.83 ERA with a 2-2 record, striking out 23 on just eight walks. Phenow recently announced his commitment to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, joining Rox teammates Tanner Recchio and Ethan Felling. 

 

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. The La Crosse Loggers (Plains East), Madison Mallards (Lakes East), and Kenosha Kingfish (Lakes West) secured the other first half titles. 

After cruising to a divisional championship, the Rox secured the top spot in the Great Plains on the final day of the first half. St. Cloud entered June 29 down 10 winning percentage points to La Crosse, and after a Rox 9-4 win over Bismarck and a 17-5 Loggers loss to Eau Claire, the Rox earned the top slot. 

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. 

 

McKnight Earns Pitcher of the Night 

After spinning his masterful Maddux complete game shutout on Tuesday, left-hander Emerson McKnight earned the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night honors from the league. McKnight allowed just two hits and one walk on ten strikeouts, throwing 97 pitches and faced just one batter over the minimum. 

This is the second instance of a Rox pitcher earning the distinction this year. Reliever Adam Trevino got the nod on June 18 after throwing 3.1 perfect innings at Bismarck, highlighted by five strikeouts. 

 

All-Star Rox 

St. Cloud will be sending seven members of its player corp and on-field staff to Dyersville, IA, for the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game. 

Outfielder Nolan Geislinger and pitchers Brady Ferguson, Brandon Jaenke, and Ethan Felling were selected by an AI-Based statistical model built by Northwoods League Chief Information and Experience Officer Scott Witwer with input from a small panel of MLB scouts. 

The entire Rox coaching staff, consisting of field manager Nick Studdard and assistant coaches Chris Garcia & Beau Kirsch, will get to staff the festivities for the Great Plains. Studdard is managing his second straight All-Star game, as the Plains team beat the Lakes team last season 3-2. 

 

Recchio’s Records 

Utility man Tanner Recchio is known for his speed, and his speed has killed opponents in their game planning. He looks to continue to make his mark on the Rox record books. 

After setting the new Rox single-season stolen base record at 34 last season, Recchio has gotten within one swipe of matching that number in 2026. He needed 44 games to steal 34 bases in 2025, and so far in 2026, has needed just 34 games to take 33. 

Additionally, one of the fastest men the Northwoods League has seen in its history, Recchio has officially rewritten the league record book. 

He 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. 

 

SportsCenter Appearance 

Tanner Recchio made an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter Top 10 on July 1 for a flashy double play to help the Rox get out of the bottom of the 6th on June 30.  

Recchio’s play made it to fifth on the daily list. 

 

Rox against the Northwoods League 

As the second half gets underway, the Rox continue to pace the NWL in a bevy of offensive categories: 

• 1st in stolen bases (154) 

• 1st in sacrifice flies (26) 

• 2nd in hits (336) 

• 2nd in walks (272) 

• 2nd in sacrifice hits (14) 

• 3rd in runs scored (285) 

• 3rd in runs batted in (240) 

• 3rd in hit by pitches (64) 

• 3rd in on base percentage (.415) 

• 4th in batting average (.267) 

 

The Rox are also beginning to climb the leaderboards in pitching and defensive categories, getting near the top. 

• 3rd in runs allowed (186) 

• 3rd in strikeouts (362) 

• 3rd in team ERA (4.53) 

• 3rd in home runs allowed (12) 

• 4th in batting average against (.239) 

• 5th in fielding percentage (.968) 

 Overall on the season, the Rox have the most wins of any team in the Northwoods League (25) entering Thursday’s games. St. Cloud has the third best overall record via winning percentage of all 26 teams, just behind Wausau (.688) and Madison (.667)

 

Who’s Hot? 

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

• Carter Jorissen is 8-for-19 (.421) in six games played, scoring eight times and driving in five. 

• Aidan Mouton has gone 17-for-35 as a constant presence from the 2-hole, scoring nine times and driving in 12 runs. 

• Tanner Recchio has turned up the heat, going 10-for-30 and scoring 16 times, driving home seven runs in the process.  

 

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 finish up their schedule before the All-Star Game with two games in Mankato against the MoonDogs after a July 4 off-day. Sunday’s game begins at 5:05 p.m., and Monday has a 6:35 p.m. first pitch. The All-Star break runs from July 7 to July 9 for the Rox, and then begin a two-game set with the Willmar Stingers on July 10. 

St. Cloud will next play at home on July 12 against the Minnesota Mud Puppies and July 13 vs. Mankato.