ST. CLOUD ROX vs. EAU CLAIRE EXPRESS

August 12 – Great Plains Divisional Championship Game 

Carson Park (Eau Claire, Wisconsin) 

 

St. Cloud: 42-27 | 24-12 first half, 18-15 second half 

Eau Claire: 46-23 | 18-15 first half, 28-8 second half 

 

Pitching: RHP Hunter Poe (5-3, 4.07 ERA) vs. RHP Bryce Ehr (6-2, 4.68 ERA) 

Watch: FloSports 

Listen: 93.9FM/1390 AM Granite City Sports Radio 

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. 

 

St. Cloud vs. Eau Claire 

• This is the first meeting of any kind between the Rox and Express since the 2022 regular season. The Rox won five of the eight meetings, including all four at home. 

• They played eight times in 2021 as well, with the Rox winning six of the eight matchups. 

 

Northwoods League Playoff Bracket 

Sub-Divisional Series: August 9-11 

• Great Plains West 

• • Game 1: St. Cloud Rox vs. Willmar Stingers – STC 7-3 

• • Game 2: Willmar Stingers vs. St. Cloud Rox – WIL 4-0 

• • Game 3: Willmar Stingers vs. St. Cloud Rox – STC 10-9 (F/9)

• Great Plains East 

• • Game 1: Eau Claire Express vs. La Crosse Loggers – EC 6-3 

• • Game 2: La Crosse Loggers vs. Eau Claire Express – LAC 4-1 

• • Game 3: La Crosse Loggers vs. Eau Claire Express – EC 3-1 

• Great Lakes West 

• • Game 1: Lakeshore Chinooks vs. Madison Mallards – MAD 9-2 

• • Game 2: Madison Mallards vs. Lakeshore Chinooks – MAD 11-4 

• Great Lakes East 

• • Game 1: Kenosha Kingfish vs. Royal Oak Leprechauns – RO 6-4 

• • Game 2: Royal Oak Leprechauns vs. Kenosha Kingfish – RO 5-3 

Division Championships 

• Great Lakes – August 11 

• • Royal Oak Leprechauns vs. Madison Mallards – RO 6-1 

• Great Plains – August 12 

• • St. Cloud Rox vs. Eau Claire Express 

 

Northwoods League Championship: August 13 (projected) 

• Royal Oak Leprechauns vs. St. Cloud Rox / Eau Claire Express 

 

NOTE: Division/Northwoods League Championship dates can be adjusted based on the results of the sub-divisional series. 

 

Rox in the Postseason 

The St. Cloud Rox have made the postseason in every full Northwoods League season since 2017. They have had typically good results in the postseason but are still searching for their first title since 2017. 

• 2021: Swept Mankato in sub-divisional series, beat Waterloo in Great Plains championship, lost to Traverse City in Northwoods League championship. 

• 2022: Swept by Willmar in sub-divisional series. 

• 2023: Swept Willmar in sub-divisional series, beat La Crosse in Great Plains championship, lost to Green Bay in Northwoods League championship. 

• 2024: Beat Willmar in three games in sub-divisional series, lost to La Crosse in Great Plains championship. 

• 2025: Lost to Mankato in three games in sub-divisional series. 

 

Recounting Willmar 

The Rox and Stingers squared off in the best-of-three Great Plains West Sub-Divisional series earlier this week, with St. Cloud taking the series in three games. 

On Sunday the Rox got out to an early 4-0 advantage by scoring twice in the first and the third. Colton Rother had two sacrifice flies and Brett Griffiths had an RBI groundout and an RBI single. The Stingers were able to get one run in the third and fourth innings each, but a gutsy outing from Emerson McKnight kept Willmar at bay for five innings. A two-spot in the seventh thanks to a Rother RBI single and a Griffiths RBI double extended the Rox lead to 6-2, and one more run traded in each direction lead to the game final score of 7-3 St. Cloud. McKnight finished with seven strikeouts in the game while allowing just two runs, dealing for five frames; Griffiths finished with a two-hit day and three RBIs; and Tanner Recchio scored four times in the game and walked twice. Dylan Lewkutz and JR Tollett followed up McKnight in relief, combining for four scoreless innings. Tollett tossed 2.2 innings and Lewkutz recorded four outs. 

Monday flipped the script to a 4-0 Stingers win, as they were able to break through to score all four runs in the sixth inning to break through against Rox starter Manning West. Despite being dealt the loss, West delivered a quality start over seven strong innings and striking out six. Brett Griffiths delivered a two-hit day, including a triple in the fourth inning. Brett White and Kaden Amundson got the other two hits for St. Cloud. 

Tuesday marked the winner-take-all game, the third time in as many seasons the Rox have had to take the first round of the playoffs to a third game, and the contest started well in St. Cloud’s favor. The Rox jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first with Brett White hammering a two-RBI double and Jackson Legg hitting a sac fly. Willmar took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the fourth where St. Cloud then scored four unanswered runs in the fourth and fifth innings combined. Legg mashed a long home run to right in the fourth, and then Legg and Colton Rother each had RBI doubles (Rother drove in two) in the fifth. The Stingers answered back with one of their own in the sixth, only for St. Cloud to take a 9-5 lead exiting the inning after Brett Griffiths forced in a run via walk and Legg had an RBI single. Willmar posted four runs in the top of the ninth and the game stayed tied until the bottom of the ninth, when Aidan Mouton hit a sac fly to score Kaden Amundson and win the game for St. Cloud by a final score of 10-9. Mouton, White, Amundson, and Tanner Recchio all had multi-hit games for the Rox, while Legg finished with three hits and four RBIs in the game. Rother and White each had two RBIs on the day. JR Tollett earned the win for a scoreless ninth inning after Lucas Harrington was in for the prior two frames, striking out four. 

 

One More Poe Show 

Right-hander Hunter Poe will make his first postseason assignment for the Rox in what will be his 10th start of the year, but undoubtedly the biggest of the season. 

Poe pitched to a 4.07 ERA in the regular season with nearly 60 innings under his belt, posting a 5-3 record. He has tossed 40 strikeouts and walked half that number, surrendering just 27 earned runs (about 3 per game). 

He was one of the Rox best starters in the first half of the season, with St. Cloud winning all but one of his first-half starting assignments. After a bumpy start to the second half, Poe was moved to the bullpen and earned his way back to the rotation just weeks later after a gutsy 5.1 innings in relief against Thunder Bay. The performance got Poe another start, who then shoved seven quality innings against Badlands on August 2, giving up just two runs. It was the second-longest he had thrown in a game this year, only to his eight-inning performance in Minot in early June. 

 

Rox Announce Team Awards 

On August 9, the St. Cloud Rox organization announced their 2026 team MVP and pitcher of the year awards before their contest against the Minot Hot Tots. 

Tanner Recchio has been named the Rox Team MVP for the season. Recchio has played a major role in the Rox running game, breaking multiple stolen base records throughout the season. He slashed .282/.449/.341 in the regular season, scoring 75 runs and even hit his first home run with the Rox in early June.  

Emerson McKnight has been named the Rox Pitcher of the Year for the season. McKnight began his Rox tenure as a bullpen piece through his first three outings, but his complete game shutout on June 30 thrust him into the conversation for being the top pitcher on the team. Since June 30, McKnight has delivered three quality starts in six tries, getting to five or more innings every time, and striking out at least six every time. McKnight has put together three 10-strikeout performances, including an 11 spot in his August 3 start against Mankato. McKnight has pitched to a 2.25 ERA in the regular season with an 0.98 WHIP.  

 

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. 

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 against the Northwoods League 

Now that the regular season has concluded, the Rox placed high in many offensive and defensive ranks across the Northwoods League. 

Offense 

• 1st in stolen bases (287) 

• 1st in on-base percentage (.423) 

• 1st in hit batsmen (136) 

• 2nd in walks (488) 

• 2nd in sacrifice flies (47) 

• 2nd in sacrifice hits (23) 

• 2nd in total plate appearances (3003) 

• • Averaging 43.5 per game 

• 3rd in hits (633) 

• 4th in batting average (.275) 

• 4th in runs (525) 

• 4th in triples (16) 

• 5th in runs batted in (446) 

Pitching 

• 2nd in doubles (85) 

• 2nd in home runs (33) 

• 3rd in team ERA (4.79) 

• 3rd in strikeouts (653) 

• 4th in earned runs (326) 

• 5th in runs allowed (380) 

 

Rox Records 

With the regular season over St. Cloud, there are multiple records that are within reach for the Rox to potentially match or break, along with records the Rox have already shattered. The records listed below do include statistics recorded in playoff games.  

• Runs scored | RECORD BROKEN 

• • Current: 542 

• • Previous record: 494, 2024  

• Runs batted in | RECORD BROKEN 

• • Current: 462 

• • Record: 455, 2024  

• Walks | RECORD BROKEN 

• • Current: 488 

• • Previous record: 467, 2023  

• On-base percentage  

• • Current: .421 

• • Record: .391, 2024  

• On-base plus slugging (OPS)  

• • Current: .790 

• • Record: .791, 2024  

• Stolen bases | RECORD BROKEN 

• • Current: 289 

• • Previous record: 186, 2025 

• Strikeouts (pitching)  

• • Current: 674 

• • Record: 695, 2023 

 

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. 

 

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 

Should the Rox win the Great Plains Divisional Championship game, they would host the Northwoods League Championship Game at Joe Faber Field. The current projected date for the game is August 13. The game would be played against the Royal Oak Leprechauns. Purchase tickets for the game here.