Waterloo, IA – The Waterloo Bucks, members of the Northwoods League, have announced their schedule for the 2014 season.  The 20th year of Bucks baseball will feature a 72-game schedule and two scheduled split-doubleheaders.   
 

Waterloo will open the season on the road versus their longtime Highway 63 rivals, the Rochester Honkers on Tuesday, May 27. The next day, Wednesday, May 28, reigning NWL Manager of the Year Travis Kiewiet and his squad will return to Riverfront Stadium for the Bucks’ Home Opener versus Rochester at 6:35 pm.

 

This season, the schedule expands to 72 games, with Waterloo hosting 36 games. The Bucks will finish the 2014 regular season campaign on the road in Willmar, Minnesota to face the Stingers on Sunday, August 10.

The Bucks will see five four-game homestands this season, the longest homestands of the year. As for the longest road trip, Waterloo will have a seven-game swing starting on June 24 and ending on June 30. During that trip, the Bucks will travel to Mankato, Minnesota to face the MoonDogs for two games, travel to Duluth, Minnesota to take on the Huskies for a pair of games, then return back south to face the Alexandria Blue Anchors for two games, before finishing up their road trip with a day game versus Rochester.

 

This season’s schedule will see a pair of split-doubleheaders with the Honkers. On Monday, June 30, the Bucks will face Rochester on the road for a 1:05 pm start. Later that day, the teams will travel to Waterloo for a 6:35 pm first pitch. Wednesday, July 30 will be the date of the second split-doubleheader, as the Honkers will play the Bucks at Riverfront Stadium at 12:05 pm. After the game, both teams will travel to Rochester to play each other at 7:05 pm.

 

The final day of the first-half of Northwoods League action will be June 30 when Waterloo and the Honkers tangle for their split-doubleheader contest. The Bucks start the second half at home versus the Eau Claire Express on Wednesday, July 2. Eau Claire joins the North Division after the NWL realigned with expansion franchises in Kalamazoo, Michigan and Kenosha, Wisconsin being added to the league in 2014.

 

NWL inter-divisional play returns as Waterloo travels to Battle Creek, Michigan to play the South Division’s Bombers in a two-day, two-game set starting on Wednesday, June 4. That trip will also see the Bucks traveling to Kalamazoo, Michigan for the first time in team history to face the expansion Growlers for a two-day, two-game set starting Friday, June 6. Kalamazoo will make the trip to Iowa to take on Waterloo for a pair of games on July 10-11, marking the first time the Growlers have played at Riverfront Stadium. Battle Creek will play the Bucks in Iowa for a pair of games on August 2-3.

 

This season’s league playoffs will begin on Monday, August 11 with two best-of-three divisional series matchups.  The divisional winners will then advance to the Summer Collegiate World Series and face off in a best-of-three set beginning on Thursday, August 14 to determine the 2014 Northwoods League Champions.
 

Breaking the home schedule down by days of the week, renovated Riverfront Stadium will be the site of seven Sunday games, seven Monday games, three Tuesday games, five Wednesday games, four Thursday games, five Friday games, and five Saturday games.  The Bucks will be home for Flag Day (Saturday, June 14 versus Duluth), their traditional Father’s Day game (Sunday, June 15 versus Duluth), and Independence Day (Friday, July 4 versus the Honkers).

 

The Bucks will play three games at home in the month of May, 15 games at home in the month of June, 14 games at home during the month of July, and four games at home during the month of August.  Waterloo will be the home team for 18 games in both the first half and second half of the season.

 

Home game times for the 2014 season are as follows:
 

Monday – Thursday games:  6:35 pm CT
 

Friday – Saturday games: 7:05 pm CT
 

Sunday games:  3:35 pm CT
 

Wednesday, July 30:  12:05 pm CT
 

The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League.  Playing its 21^st season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind.  A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 115 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including MLB All-Stars Max Scherzer (DET), Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (WAS), Curtis Granderson (NYY), Allen Craig (STL) and Ben Zobrist (TB).  All league games are viewable live and free of charge via the Northwoods League YouTube channel.  For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com.

 

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