ST. CLOUD ROX vs. THUNDER BAY BORDER CATS

July 23

Joe Faber Field (St. Cloud, Minnesota)

St. Cloud Rox – 33-19, 10-7 2H

Thunder Bay Border Cats – 19-27, 3-9 2H

 

Game One – 12:05 p.m. 

Pitching: RHP Evan Farrow (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Braden Gluth (0-1, 9.20 ERA) 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Tyler’s Amazing Balancing Act

Game Two – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: LHP Jacob Imoto (0-0, 6.04 ERA) vs. LHP Vincent Segovia (1-1, 5.68 ERA)

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio

Promotion: Tyler’s Amazing Balancing Act

 

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. Thunder Bay

• The Rox and Border Cats have played 12 times since 2023, with the Rox winning six of the games. 

• The squads faced off earlier this year in Ontario, with the Border Cats winning both contests.

• The Rox are 4-4 in the last three years in Thunder Bay. 

 

Recounting La Crosse

The Rox split their two games against the La Crosse Loggers. Tuesday’s match saw a Loggers 13-8 victory, taking 12 innings to get the job done. Entering the ninth, the Rox were ahead 7-2, but La Crosse came back to force extra innings. The 11th inning saw each team earn a run, and another 5-spot in the top of the 12th proved to be the difference. St. Cloud used six arms, but Emerson McKnight dazzled in six innings, allowing just two runs with six strikeouts.

The next day, the Rox got their revenge, beating the Loggers 7-2. The Rox were propelled by a five-run bat around in the fifth. Leading the charge was Manning West, completing five innings and allowing just one run to six strikeouts in 107 pitches. Dylan Lewkutz was the only man out of the chute, coming in for the sixth and holding down the fort for the rest of the evening.

 

Iceman Heats Up

Jaixen Frost, the reigning All-Star Trophy & Awards Star of the Game, comes into the Thunder Bay pair batting .444 (8-18) in his last five games. Frost earned the star of the game nod after a 3-5, 2RBI day at the office. Frost has inflated his batting average up to .317, the third best mark across the roster.

 

Recchio Chases More

Tanner Recchio has already claimed the Northwoods League career stolen base record, as well as his own single season Rox record. Now, there’s one more he’s chasing. The speedster is nine away from breaking Larry Edwards’ 2025 single season Northwoods League record at 67.

 

Welcome to the Rockpile!

After the five-game road trip, the Rox came back into town with reinforcements:

• J.R. Tollett: a right handed pitcher from the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, Tollett has 19 starts in 41 appearances, with a career ERA at 5.80.
• Judson Funderburk: a right-hander who wrapped up his freshman year at Bossier Parrish Community College, he comes from Shreveport, Louisiana, the stomping grounds of Jackson Legg.
• Cal Schmelzle: This is Cal’s second go-around with the Rox; Schmelzle is the second Augustana Viking to join the active roster, alongside Myles Hanson.
• Dylan Lewkutz: the right-handed pitcher is committed to Georgia Gwinnett, where Jackson Legg played this spring. He pitched in his Northwoods League debut on Wednesday, going four innings while allowing just one run.

 

Rox against the Northwoods League 

St. Cloud is among the top of the league in these categories:

• Batting Average (.268, 4th)
• Runs (401, 4th)
• Hits (471, 4th)
• RBI (338, 5th)
• Walks (386, 2nd)
• HBP (105, 1st)
• Stolen Bases (235, 1st)
• Fielding Percentage (.969, T-1st)
• Pitching Wins (34, T-1st)
• Strikeouts (515, 3rd)
• ERA (4.58, 5th)
• WHIP (1.49, 5th)
• Batting Average Allowed (.242, 4th)
• First Pitch Strike Rate (58.3%, 1st)

 

Rox Nearing Team Record 

Known for running their opponents into the ground by using their speed, the Rox are in pursuit of positioning themselves as one of the fastest teams ever in the Northwoods League. 

The Rox enter Thursday with 235 stolen bases, entering the top 3 all-time team stolen base mark. The 2024 Willmar Stingers hold the top spot at 251 steals back in 2024, one-upping their previous record of 247 in 2023. 

St. Cloud is on pace to shatter the Stingers’ record, currently projected to finish with over 300 stolen bases by season’s end. 

 

Jordan Barth Earns Jersey Retirement 

For the first time in Rox history, a jersey number will be retired. Jordan Barth’s #1 jersey was officially retired on July 13 in front of many gathered family and friends before the Rox took on the Minnesota Mud Puppies. 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. 

  

About Faber Field  

Joe Faber Field is located on the west side 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 battle the Willmar Stingers in a two game, home-and-home series, before another three games at Joe Faber Field; two against the Mankato Moondogs, and one more against the Minnesota Mud Puppies. After an off day on the 29th, the Rox are Wisconsin bound for a pair against the La Crosse Loggers.