ST. CLOUD ROX vs. MINNESOTA MUD PUPPIES & MANKATO MOONDOGS 

July 13 | July 14-15 

Joe Faber Field (St. Cloud, Minnesota) | ISG Field (Mankato, Minnesota) 

 

Monday, July 13 – 6:35 p.m. | Joe Faber Field 

Pitching: RHP Tyler Phenow (2-2, 2.76 ERA) vs. LHP Alex Menth (0-1, 5.73 ERA)

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: $1 Hot Dog Night. (While supplies last) 

Promotion: Former Rox Star Jordan Barth Will Have His Number (#1) Retired.  

Promotion: Special Edition Jordan Barth Poster Giveaway. (1st 500 fans) 

 

Tuesday, July 14 – 6:35 p.m. | Joe Faber Field 

Pitching: RHP Manning West (2-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Rox Cap Giveaway (First 250 Fans) 

Promotion: Triple play Tuesday: game ticket, hot dog & soda for $13 If the Rox turn a Triple Play one lucky fan wins $3k. Click here to purchase package. 

 

Wednesday, July 15 – 6:35 p.m. | ISG Field 

Pitching: LHP Emerson McKnight (2-0, 2.08 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. Minnesota 

• This is the first meeting of the year between the Mud Puppies and the Rox. 

• The Rox and Mud Puppies played two games in 2024, with St. Cloud winning both. 

• The Rox have the all-time series lead at 10-4 against the Mud Puppies. 

• The two will play again in a single game on July 28. 

 

About the Mud Puppies 

• The Mud Puppies were added as a travel-only team in the Northwoods League beginning in 2021, as the Thunder Bay Border Cats were unable to travel out of Canada due to a closed border. 

• The idea of the Mud Puppies came about to try and replace the Border Cats on the home schedules of Great Plains teams. 

• The team is based out of the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, with all players living or staying locally with family. 

• The Mud Puppies did not field a team in 2025. 

 

St. Cloud vs. Mankato 

• This will be the fifth and sixth meetings of the season between St. Cloud and Mankato. The two split a two-game set in late June, and the Rox swept a two-game series in early July. 

• All games to this point in this series have been played at ISG Field. 

• Since 2020, the Rox are 32-29 against the MoonDogs in the regular season. 

• The teams have met twice in the postseason in that stretch. The MoonDogs won a best-of-three series last year over the Rox, and St. Cloud swept Mankato in 2021 in a best-of-three.  

• The Rox are seeking their first winning season against the MoonDogs since 2022. 

• The Rox next play the MoonDogs on July 26 and 27 at Joe Faber Field. 

 

Recounting Willmar 

The Rox completed a two-game series in Willmar against the Stingers last week before an off-day on Sunday. 

Friday‘s contest started well with Tanner Recchio scoring on a wild pitch, but the day quickly turned and the Stinger bats took advantage of the hot weather, taking the game 14-4. Recchio was the only Rox player to finish with multiple hits, and he and Jackson Legg had the only two RBIs on the day. Anthony St. Vincent came in to the 8th inning and delivered the lone scoreless outing of the day, recording three strikeouts on one hit. 

Saturday was a complete 180-degree turn, with the Rox stomping the Stingers into the ground 19-3, highlighted by a four-run first inning and a seven-run sixth. St. Cloud scored in each of the first seven frames of the game and took advantage of five Willmar errors. Austin Haley finished 4-for-7 on the day, scoring three times and driving in five runs. Brett Griffiths got his first RBIs with the Rox, recording two and got two hits and three runs. Aidan Mouton did not record a hit but wound up with three RBIs and two runs scored. Jackson Legg had a 3-for-4 showing, scoring twice and walking twice. Colin Fike made his Rox debut in the game and went 3.2 hitless innings, allowing just one run and striking out six.  

 

Phenow Gets New Opponent 

Right-hander Tyler Phenow has made his last three starts against the Bismarck Larks, with the opponent learning more about him each time out. He will now make a start against someone new, toeing the slab against the Mud Puppies on Monday. 

Phenow fell one out short of earning the win in his last start on July 3, going 4.2 innings against the Larks, allowing just one run and five hits in a blowout victory. His start before that, also against Bismarck, saw him roll for 5.2 scoreless innings and pick up the win. He struck out seven and allowed just one hit on 99 pitches. 

His best start arguably came in Bismarck in the nightcap of a doubleheader, pitching into the 8th inning while allowing just one run and striking out five. 

Overall, on the season, Phenow will be making his sixth start and has 32.2 innings under his belt. He has struck out 25 men compared to walking just 11, and his WHIP has worked all the way down to a 1.22. 

 

West Riding Momentum 

The last start Manning West made couldn’t have gone any better for him. His last time out came on July 5 and went the deepest into a game that he had gone in his collegiate career, firing seven innings on just two runs (one earned), allowing three hits and a single-game season high of 13 strikeouts. West fell one short of Piercen McElyea‘s Rox record of 14 strikeouts in a game, which came on August 7, 2023, against the Bismarck Larks. 

West made his Rox debut on June 21 and has steadily improved since then. He will be making his third start for St. Cloud on his sixth appearance on Tuesday. West has done well keeping runners from scoring, allowing seven through his five outings so far. He has strucken out 23 batters compared to just eight walks, and his WHIP sits at 1.40. To this point, West has retired 34% of the batters he faces via the strikeout. 

 

McKnight Gets Second Go with Mankato 

After posting an eight-strikeout performance against the MoonDogs on July 6, lefty Emerson McKnight will toe the same mound at ISG Field looking for similar results. McKnight delivered five quality innings to earn the win, allowing three runs on three hits. He kept Mankato at bay until the fifth inning where they were able to break through for the three scores. 

McKnight delivered the best pitching performance by a single player for the Rox this year on June 30 against the Big Sticks, tossing a complete game shutout on 97 pitches with 10 strikeouts. He has the second-lowest WHIP (0.83) on the team behind Brandon Jaenke, and has allowed a total of five runs through 21.2 innings of work. 

 

Jordan Barth Earns Jersey Retirement 

For the first time in Rox history, a jersey number will be retired. Jordan Barth’s #1 jersey will be remembered forever at the Rockpile. In 176 games, Barth hit .307 with 11 home runs and 118 runs batted in. Barth was the team MVP in 2019 and played from 2019 to 2021. Presently in the record books, Barth holds the single season record for the most hits (99), doubles (25), total bases (132), extra-base hits (32), and games played (73).  

Currently, Barth is playing with the Texas Tailgaters in the Banana Ball Champions League. Through 39 games leading up to July 11, he is slashing .391/.451/.587 in 138 at-bats, scoring 28 times and hitting six home runs. Barth is the third baseman for the Tailgaters, and has the third most Trick Play Outs (outs recorded using extraordinary and unique defensive plays) on the squad.  

 

Rox to the Pros 

The 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft was held on July 11 and 12 for eligible high school and college prospects to enter the professional ranks. A total of seven former Rox players were drafted by one of the 30 MLB teams. 

• Tyson LeBlanc (Kansas): Round 2, Pick 61 to the Detroit Tigers 

• Kade Lewis (Wake Forest): Round 4, Pick 132 to the Cleveland Guardians 

• Brady Ballinger (Kansas): Round 7, Pick 216 to the Detroit Tigers 

• Marcus Kruzan (Minnesota): Round 12, Pick 371 to the Milwaukee Brewers 

• Dallis Moran (Stetson): Round 16, Pick 474 to the St. Louis Cardinals 

• Weber Neels (Minnesota): Round 19, Pick 566 to the Arizona Diamondbacks 

• J.P. Robertson (Mississippi): Round 20, Pick 598 to the San Francisco Giants 

Learn more about the draftees here. 

 

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. 

 

All-Star Rox 

The Rox sent a combined total, between players and coaches, of nine people to the 2026 Northwoods League All-Star Game, played in Dyersville, Iowa, at the new permanent baseball stadium at the Field of Dreams Movie Site. The Dyersville Dreamers will begin play in the Northwoods League in 2027. 

Outfielder Nolan Geislinger and pitchers Brandon Jaenke, Brady Ferguson, and Ethan Felling were named to the original All-Star team. Pitchers Hunter Poe and Eli Lamb were named later to the team as reserves. Field Manager Nick Studdard and his assistant coaches, Chris Garcia and Beau Kirsch, were named the coaching staff for the Great Plains All-Stars after the Rox finished the first half with the best record in the Great Plains. 

Geislinger started the game in center field and went 0-for-3 at the plate with a hit-by-pitch. Ferguson, Felling, and Jaenke all got a chance to pitch in the game. Felling was tabbed the starter; Ferguson and Jaenke entered the game in the late innings. Poe and Lamb did not appear in the contest, and the Great Lakes team won the game 4-2 in eight innings. 

 

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 surpassed that number on July 3 by taking his 35th base of the season. He needed 44 games to steal 34 bases in 2025 and needed just 35 games this year to take 35 bases. 

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. 

 

Rox against the Northwoods League 

Now 40+ games into the 2026 season, the Rox continue to pace the NWL in a bevy of offensive categories: 

• 1st in sacrifice flies (30) 

• 1st in sacrifice hits (17) 

• 1st in stolen bases (183) 

• 1st in team on-base percentage (.421) 

• 2nd in walks (323) 

• 2nd in hit batsmen (78) 

• 2nd in team plate appearances (1,914) 

• • Averaging 43.5 plate appearances per game. 

• 3rd in batting average (.270) 

• 3rd in runs scored (339) 

• 3rd in runs batted in (283) 

• 4th in hits (394) 

• 4th in team at-bats (1,459) 

• • Averaging 33.2 at-bats per game. 

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

• 1st in doubles (43) 

• 1st in home runs allowed (15) 

• 2nd in opponent batting average (.236) 

• 2nd in runs allowed (220) 

• 2nd in strikeouts (428) 

• 3rd in hits allowed (329) 

• 3rd in team WHIP (1.48) 

• 4th in earned runs allowed (195) 

• 4th in team ERA (4.52) 

 

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 begin a four-game road trip to western North Dakota on Thursday, lasting until Sunday. The trip begins in Dickinson with two games against the Badlands Big Sticks, and will conclude in Watford City against the Minot Hot Tots. 

The games against the Big Sticks begin at 7:35 p.m. CT, and the games against the Hot Tots start at 6:35 p.m. CT. 

The Rox next play at home from July 21 to July 24. That homestand includes two games vs. La Crosse, a doubleheader against Thunder Bay, and a single game against Willmar.