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

July 26-27 | July 28 

Joe Faber Field (St. Cloud, Minnesota) 

 

St. Cloud: 35-22, 11-10 second half | Great Plains West

Mankato: 25-31, 10-12 second half | Great Plains West

Minnesota: 7-20, 2-11 second half | Great Plains East 

 

Sunday, July 26 – 6:35 p.m. 

• Rescheduled from 4:05 p.m. start time due to high temperatures. 

Pitching: RHP Tyler Phenow (4-2, 2.56 ERA) vs. RHP Evan Hughes (2-1, 7.02 ERA) 

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. 

Promotion: Appearances by Nickelodeon Stars Bluey, Bingo, Chase, Marshall & SpongeBob | Presented by Best Western Plus Kelly Inn 

 

Monday, July 27 – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: TBA vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Team Baseball Card Set Night. All players will have their own baseball card for fans to collect. Get a baseball card of a future major league star! | Presented by Blaze Credit Union 

 

Tuesday, July 28 – 6:35 p.m. 

Pitching: TBA vs. TBA 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

Promotion: Rox Mini-Bat Giveaway. (1st 300 Kids) | Presented by Voigt’s Bus Service 

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 tickets. 

 

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. 

 

Recounting Willmar 

The Rox and Stingers met for the final time in the regular season, with the teams splitting the two-game series that ended on July 25. As of Sunday’s games, Willmar has a four-game lead over St. Cloud, which would set up a playoff series between the two teams at season’s end. 

Friday was the game the Rox won, helped out by a four-run sixth inning to propel the final score to 8-4. St. Cloud had a 4-3 lead entering the frame, highlighted by an RBI double to the deepest part of Joe Faber Field off the bat of Jaixen Frost. Jackson Akin ripped an RBI single and Owen Estabrook forced home a run on a bases-loaded walk; then an RBI groundout and a wild pitch scored the other two runs. The highlight of the game came from Tanner Recchio, who notched his 68th stolen base of the season, officially making him the sole proprietor of the Northwoods League single-season record. Brandon Pelechowicz earned the start and delivered, shoving for 6.1 innings and allowing three earned runs, striking out four and tossing 105 pitches. 

The Stingers took Saturday‘s game in a offensive slugfest, winning 20-13. The Rox fought back late in the game scoring 10 runs in the final four innings, but it wasn’t enough. Brett White, Brett Griffiths, Aidan Mouton, and Carter Jorissen all had multi-hit games, and White finished with four RBIs. Jackson Akin mashed a two-run homer in the sixth inning to get to five on the year. Griffiths and Tanner Recchio each scored three times in the game. 

 

St. Cloud vs. Mankato 

• This will be the seventh and eighth meetings of the season between St. Cloud and Mankato. The Rox have a 4-2 series lead over the MoonDogs so far. 

• The two split a two-game set in late June, and the Rox swept a two-game series in early July. All of those games were played at ISG Field. 

• In a mid-July home-and-home series, the teams won their respective home games. The Rox won a slugfest at Joe Faber Field, and the MoonDogs won a 2-0 pitchers duel in Mankato. 

• Since 2020, the Rox are 33-30 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 and MoonDogs will meet for the final time in the regular season from August 3-6 for a four-game series, and three of those games will be played in St. Cloud. 

 

St. Cloud vs. Minnesota 

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

• They played previously on July 13 and the Rox won the game 13-8, and scored eight runs in the final four offensive frames. 

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

• The Rox have the all-time series lead at 11-4 against the Mud Puppies. 

• The two will not play again in the regular season. 

 

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. 

 

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. 

In the late game of the July 23 double-header against Thunder Bay, Recchio stole his 67th base of the 2026 season, officially tying him with Larry Edwards’ mark that he set last season. Recchio accomplished the feat in 51 games, while Edwards needed 69 to reach it last year. One day later, on July 24, Recchio officially took the record for himself when he stole second base in the sixth inning. 

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. 

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 had 90 in his league career entering 2026, and was 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 Tie 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 Sunday’s game with 251 stolen bases, tied for the most stolen bases in Northwoods League history. The 2024 Willmar Stingers previously held the top spot on their own with 251 steals back in 2024, one-upping their previous record of 247 in 2023. The Rox supplanted 2021 Fond du Lac in third place by reaching 236 steals on Thursday. 

St. Cloud is on pace to not just break the Stingers’ record, but shatter it. The Rox are currently projected to finish with close to 300 stolen bases by season’s end. 

 

Rox against the Northwoods League 

With 13 games left in the regular season, the Rox are consistently placing themselves near the top of many of the NWL’s statistical leaderboards. 

Offense 

• 1st in hit batsmen (112) 

• 1st in sacrifice flies (39) 

• 1st in sacrifice hits (21) 

• 1st in stolen bases (251) 

• • Next closest: Lakeshore, 207 

• 1st in on-base percentage (.424) 

• 2nd in plate appearances (2487) 

• • Averaging 43.6 per game 

• 2nd in walks (413) 

• 2nd in runs scored (434) 

• 3rd in hits (516) 

• 4th in batting average (.273) 

• 5th in at-bats (1893) 

• • Averaging 33.2 per game 

• 5th in triples (11) 

• 5th in runs batted in (366) 

Pitching 

• 1st in home runs allowed (24) 

• 2nd in strikeouts (550) 

• 3rd in doubles allowed (69) 

• 5th in earned runs allowed (272) 

• 5th in fielding percentage (.966) 

• 5th in team ERA (4.85) 

• 5th in opponent batting average (.246) 

 

Rox Take the Bone Away 

Through six games against the Mankato MoonDogs, several St. Cloud hitters have been able to put the MoonDogs on a leash. 

• Brett Griffiths is 3-for-8 with a run scored and an RBI. 

• Austin Haley has gone 4-for-11 with a home run, two runs scored, and three RBIs.  

• Jackson Legg is 6-for-18 with six runs and six RBIs. Legg has walked five times against Mankato and has a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt. 

• Tanner Recchio is 7-for-21 with a double and a triple and has scored four times. He has six RBIs, four walks, and six steals as well. 

• Colton Rother is 5-for-11 with three runs scored, two RBIs, and five walks. 

 

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 

Additionally, the Rox had two pitchers on their 2026 roster earn undrafted free agent contracts post-All Star break. 

Righty Brady Stuart earned a contract with the Los Angeles Angels on July 16. Stuart pitched in three games for the Rox, with his best outing being his final one, going 2.2 innings against Mankato on July 15 and striking out three. Stuart is the reigning consensus Division 3 National Pitcher of the Year amongst multiple outlets, pitching to a 1.85 ERA in 18 outings with Endicott (MA). 

Rox closer Brandon Jaenke earned a contract with the Texas Rangers on July 17. Jaenke appeared in 11 games for St. Cloud this season, not allowing a single run and giving up just seven hits while striking out 22, and recorded five saves in the process. In his Rox career, which began in 2022, he pitched in 72 games as a member of the Rox. That includes two trips to the postseason and three appearances in the All-Star Game. He sports a record of 6-2 with 24 saves in 98 innings, pitching to a 3.58 ERA. Nearly half of the outs Jaenke recorded with the Rox were strikeouts, and finished with a 13.68 K/9. 

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 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 have an off day on July 29 before traveling to La Crosse, W.I., for a two-game set with the Loggers on July 30 and 31. Both games begin at 6:35 p.m.

The Rox return home on August 1 and will leave St. Cloud only once, for a single game on August 4, for the remainder of the regular season. The stretch begins with a two-game set against the Badlands Big Sticks on August 1 and 2. Saturday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m., and Sunday’s game begins at 4:05 p.m.

Following that series, St. Cloud plays the MoonDogs from August 3-6 at home (August 4th’s game will be played in Mankato), and then welcome the Minot Hot Tots on August 7-8 for the final series of the regular season.