Waterloo, Iowa – The Waterloo Bucks clinched the Great Plains East Sub-Division first half championship after the La Crosse Loggers lost 8-1 to the Mankato MoonDogs this afternoon, mathematically eliminating La Crosse from first half contention.  The Bucks (18-9) earn a berth in the 2021 Northwoods League Playoffs with seven games still remaining in the first half of NWL play.  Waterloo returns to the Playoffs for the second time in three seasons, which includes a year of NWL action without post-season play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the victory, Waterloo earns a spot in the 2021 NWL Postseason and is guaranteed at least one home Playoff game.  The Northwoods League adopted a new playoff format in 2019 and the Bucks will square off against the second-half winner of the Great Plains East Sub-Division in a best-of-three series beginning on Sunday, August 15.  Home field advantage will be granted to the team with the highest overall winning percentage.

Tickets for Waterloo’s 10^th trip to the NWL Playoffs will be available at a later date with additional details to come in the next few weeks.

The second half of Northwoods League play will begin on Tuesday, July 6.  The Bucks finish the first half with a four-game homestand, beginning on Friday, July 2, hosting the Willmar Stingers for two games followed by a two-game set versus the Loggers, with all games starting at 6:35 pm.

Single-game tickets are currently on sale by calling the Bucks’ Ticket Line at (319) 232-5633 or available online at www.waterloobucks.com.  Cost Cutters Field at Riverfront Stadium welcomed a new state of the art video board in 2016 thanks to a matching grant from the Black Hawk County Gaming Association.  Team ownership has invested nearly $400,000 in stadium improvements since the end of the 2014 season including group outing areas, painted bleachers, public Wi-Fi, sound system, kids zone inflatables, wiffle ball field, and concessions equipment.  Fans are encouraged to stay in touch with the Bucks by utilizing their website at www.waterloobucks.com or utilizing the Northwoods League Mobile App.

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The Waterloo Bucks are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.waterloobucks.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bucks as your favorite team.